Noa, known in Israel as Achinoam Nini, is a leading international concert and recording artist who has been called the Israeli Celine Dion. She will perform in concert for Kaleidoscope Israel@60, Tuesday, May 13, at 7 p.m., at the Blanche Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, according to an announcement by the chairs of the Kaleidoscope Israel Committee, Diane and Paul Gallant, their children Steve and Amy Gallant and grandsons Richie and Tommy Gallant.

“We are so excited that Noa will be our headliner in the communitywide celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel,” said Diane Gallant. “And we are delighted that the Kaleidoscope Israel honorary chairperson is Michael Staenberg and that the Noa Gala Event will be chaired by Nancy and Al Siwak, along with their family members Gianna Jacobson and Todd Siwak, Stacy and Greg Siwak, Roger Siwak and Erin and Steve Schuver.”

Nancy Siwak, who was the first woman to serve as president of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, said, “As all of our promotional materials state, ‘To Noa Is To Love Her.’ Our family is thrilled to chair an event featuring this internationally-known entertainer right here in St. Louis. We want you all to ‘Say Yes To Noa’ and enjoy an outstanding evening of music and song.”

Kaleidsoscope Israel@60, is a year-long series of community events celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. The Noa Gala will be a highlight of those events and will immediately follow KaleidoFest week at the JCC May 3-8.

Noa has a large following in Israel as well as throughout Europe. Her strongest influences come from jazz, classical music and rock. Noa and her longtime musical partner Gil Dor have created what is described as “a unique sound, manifested in hundreds of songs written and performed together.” Noa plays percussion, guitar and piano. Her new CD, Genes and Jeans, will be released in April.

Noa, whose family roots are in Yemen, was born in Tel Aviv. She, and her family, moved to the United States at the age of 2. At 17, she moved back to Israel, where she served in the Israeli Army in a military entertainment unit.

Among the many noted artists with whom Noa has performed are Quincy Jones, Bono, Ray Charles, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick and Sheryl Crow. She has also worked with Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Campbell, Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban during her star-studded career.

Noa sang at the White House when former President Bill Clinton honored the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on his 77th birthday. She also performed in Oslo, Norway for the anniversary of the peace accord signing before an audience that included President Clinton, Ehud Barak, Yasir Arafat and the King of Norway. Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, awarded her the “Dove of Peace” and she has performed on numerous occasions at the Peres Center for Peace.

Noa appeared with Steven Spielberg, director of Schindler’s List, for the Shoah Foundation in Berlin. She and Gil wrote the lyrics for the musical theme of the award-winning Italian film about the Holocaust, Life is Beautiful; the song became a huge hit for the two artists.

Noa has performed many times with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Added Diane Gallant, “Other places where Noa has captivated audiences include Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the Olympia in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland plus Holland, Sweden, Canada, Brazil and Japan. She was also the first Israeli artist to be formally invited to perform in Morocco.”

Diane Gallant continued, “Despite her many accomplishments, some may not be familiar with Noa, a singer/musician who has mesmerized audiences around the world. We hope you will mark your calendars now for May 13 and discover what a vibrant talent she is. We have 1,600 seats to fill and we don’t want a single one to be empty.”

Tickets for the concert gala go on sale on March 9 for $18 and $54. Patron tickets are $180 and $360 and include a post-concert reception with Noa and valet parking for the concert. To purchase tickets, call the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at 314-516-4949 or 866-516-4949. They can also be purchased online at www.touhill.org.

Kaleidoscope Israel is a project of the Central Agency for Jewish Education, generously funded by the Lubin-Green Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

For additional information, call Karen Rader at 314-442-3756 or for more information on Noa, visit www.noasmusic.com.