Anat Edri

Although born and bred in Safed, Anat Edri moved to the bustling city of Tel Aviv at age 23. However, after ten years of living and working by the sea, she missed the mountains and decided to return to her home town.

Artist And Musician

Working as both an artist and a musician, Anat combines her pointillist pictures of Safed, its views and characters, with songs of spiritual longing. She is a member of the Artists Colony of Safed and has her own art gallery on the Gallery Street near Alkabetz and Sarah's Tent. Despite having studied painting with the well known artist Rolly Schaffer for four years and having her own gallery, Anat feels that she also needs to express herself through her other love - music.

Singer Songwriter

Anat has been playing guitar and singing since she was a young child and formed her first band at the age of sixteen. She has played the usual combination of bar mitzvahs and weddings in a variety of bands and now performs using her own material. She has developed her songwriting to suit her very distinctive voice, which has a wide range of tones and is very poignant. Her songs are spiritual and describe visions, expressing a love of God. However, as a woman singer, it has been difficult for her because many strictly religious people forbid women from singing or performing in front of, or with, men in order to preserve modesty. As many local residents are very observant it has therefore been hard for Anat to find a suitable venue in Safed in which to play.

Jacob's Knights

Her current band, Jacob's Knights, comprises of Anat; Eran Madmon, a classical and flamenco guitarist; and Yair Mor, a percussionist. They travel all over the country playing an ethnic style of music. The songs, sung of course in Hebrew, have a haunting quality and speak to the soul. As well as playing live, the band has recorded a CD, Ad Elorha (Until God) at the studio Shhar in Rosh Pina. Anat has also made a slide show of her paintings that accompany the band's music on their Myspace page. The band has been together for just over a year and often can be found playing nearby in Rosh Pina. Anat and Eran also work together, accompanying each other on their own individual projects.

Looking Forward

Anat wants to continue to develop herself creatively in both her art and her music. By working in both paint and sound she brings something to both her paintings and her music that is more than the sum of the two parts. Anat feels that Safed feeds her soul both musically and artistically and that without Safed she couldn't develop her creativity, even if there might be more commercial opportunities for her talents in the center of the country.

She can be found in her gallery in Safed painting, and in various venues throughout the country playing with her band.

Contact

To find out more about the band, Anat, her music and her paintings, you can visit her in her gallery, or reach by phoning: 050 866 3872 or email her: [email protected]