Shalva Band

The Shalva Band (Hebrew: "להקת שלווה") is a musical band consisting of eight musicians who all live with some degree of disability.[1] The group was formed in 2005 at the Shalva organization,[2] that supports and empowers individuals with disabilities and their families in Israel.

The band has performed on several occasions in Israel and around the world, including conferences, cultural events, and in ceremonies at the official residence of the President of Israel.[3]

The band has cooperated with leading musicians from Israel, like: Shlomi Shabat, Avraham Fried, Moshe Peretz, Eyal Golan, David Broza, Idan Amedi, Shiri Maimon, Yonatan Razel, Natan Goshen, and others.[4] Internationally famous singers and actors, including Demi Lovato and Jamie Foxx, have praised the band.[5][6]

The band gained popular interest while it competed in Rising Star to the Eurovision 2019,[7] which is a reality show of the musical genre, that selects the Israeli representative to the Eurovision.[8] The band reached the final stages of qualification and then learned that they would be required to disobey Shabbat observance during rehearsals to the Eurovision 2019. Ultimately, they decided to respect the religious beliefs of several band members and withdrew their candidacy to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.[9] Eventually the band was invited to perform at the Interval act of the 2nd semi-final – without violating the beliefs of any member of the band.[10] The band performed with the song "Million Dreams".[11][12] Days before performing at the Eurovision, the band has also performed at the Torch-lighting Ceremony that opens the celebrations of Israel's Independence Day.[13]

The band has gone on international tours including performances to North and South America and Europe.[14][15] Their American debut was for the Israeli American Council,[16] where they performed for President Donald Trump[17] and summit attendees.[18] They performed at Eton College's interfaith concert in 2018.[19]

Shalva band's first official music video is a mash-up of Matisyahu's One Day and Frozen's Let it Go, along with a few other pop songs.[20] It has more than 80,000 views on YouTube.