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Against the background of Jerusalem's firmly ensconced ethnic eastern music scene comes the 10th annual International Oud Festival, hosted by the Confederation House. The oud, a stringed deep-body instrument that predates the lute and is the godfather to all modern stringed instruments, is ubiquitous across Jerusalem, whether on the lap of a busker or hanging from a restaurant wall.

Only at the 2009 Oud Festival can one be regaled by both a full classical Arab orchestra playing traditional Syrian melodies and a group of young Israelis playing jazz-inflected versions of Bedouin melodies, with lyrics by the poets of the early Zionist era - not to mention virtuosos and the reggae-inflected stylings of the Israeli grandson of one of the most famous Iraqi-Jewish composers (Iraq'n'Roll). And only at the Oud Festival can one realize what ties all these disparate performers together.

"Jerusalem is a city full of contrasts and contradictions, a truly multi-cultural city that encompasses a variety of beliefs and opinions," Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat wrote in a statement congratulating the festival on its tenth incarnation. "Culture is a wonderful means to create links, an encounter between cultures and familiarity with others. I believe in the power of culture to inspire renewal in this city."

This year the Oud Festival will be held from November 12th to 26th with a wide range of concerts at the Confederation House, Beit Shmuel and the Jerusalem Theatre. As in years past, the festival, a major stop on the global world music circuit, will host world-renowned oud and eastern music players from across the Middle East and beyond - including Sudha Ragunathan from India (pictured, in sari), Greek En Chordais ensemble (main picture) and Turkish-American Omar Farouk Tekbilek (pictured, in front of sea) - as well as a healthy dose of local talent.

One Jerusalemite playing the festival, now for the seventh year running, is Elad Gabay (pictured, with kanun), who has played with many Jerusalem groups, like the Ethnica and Eden Mi Qedem, as well as solo. Though Gabay is known mostly as a kanun player, related to the zither, for the festival he will also be breaking out his trusty oud.

"I will play the Israeli style, which is like Turkish, Arabic and Greek all together," Gabay told GoJerusalem.com. "What is so beautiful about Israeli oud players is that they take styles from all over and make it into an independent genre."

Gabay, together with Yair Harel and rock vocalist Eran Zur, will be playing songs from 16th century Gazan songwriter Rabbi Israel Najara. While some of Najara's tunes, like Ya Ribon, are well known in both Eastern and European Jewish culture, many others have remained hidden for years. With the academic help of Prof. Edwin Seroussi, the group has unlocked many of Najara's tunes, which they will premier at the show.

"Me and Zur have some kind of musical dialogue," Gabay said. "He has an acoustic guitar and a bass, and I join him with my instruments."

Gabay believes that while much of Israel is still pop-centric when it comes to music, Jerusalem's special character makes it a more receptive place to his more mellow ethnic stylings.

"This music is still far away from the heart of the average Israeli person, but in Jerusalem the situation is totally different," he said. "There was a really small amount of people coming to shows when I started, but the audience keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger."

Full details for the festival can be found in the GoJerusalem.com events calendar or on the Confederation House Web site here.

Photos courtesy of Tamar Gabay, DR, PR and Greg Beylarian Narada.