Kai Benjamin Jack

Born in 1994 in the US, Kai Jack was raised in Norway and earned degrees in Double Bass Performance from the Academy of Music and Drama, Gothenburg University (B.Mus. 2015-18) and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (M.Mus. 2018-21). During his Bachelor’s Degree, Kai helped create the Dream Orchestra, a youth project primarily for kids from refugee and migrant backgrounds, where he volunteered extensively as an instrument instructor as well as conductor, arranger and organizer. After finishing his Master’s Degree in Jerusalem, he began volunteering with Israel’s African asylum seeker community using music as a tool for social and individual empowerment. Kai has been freelancing with orchestras and ensembles around Israel since 2018 and was acting co-principal double bassist in the Israel Camerata Orchestra for the 2022-2023 season. During the covid-19 pandemic he founded the Mediterranean Double Bass Forum, an online platform that aims to connect and inspire young musicians around the world, with a special focus on bass communities around the Mediterranean region, through online workshops, lectures and masterclasses. During the same period, he founded the Jerusalem Double Bass Quartet, an ensemble that strives to showcase the double bass’ wide range of colors to an even broader range of listeners. He has taught at both Israeli and Palestinian conservatories and firmly believes in music’s ability to be more than art but to be a tool for social integration, to foster the feelings of belonging and ownership, and to impart life-skills like leadership, resilience, cooperation and problem-solving.