Hillel Zori

• Individual master classes for cello
• Audition training
• Opportunities to perform on stage as a soloist or in chamber groups
• Selected students will experience the Festival Orchestra with maestro Riccardo Frizza

Considered as one of today’s prominent virtuosos, cellist Hillel Zori is widely recognized as one of the top musicians to ever emerge from Israel.

Zori, whose playing had been linked directly to the greatest romantic style as well as being described by the international press to once again give life to the ‘Jewish tradition’, has distinguished himself as the gold medal winner of the 1986 Maria Canals International cello competition in Barcelona, and by winning top prizes at the Whitaker competition in St. Louis, the Premio–Stradivari in Italy, the Geneva CIEM, the Dutilleux prize at the Rostropovich competition in Paris, the Tanglewood Music Center Jackson award, and as the first cellist to win the Shapira Award in Tel Aviv.

Since his debut in 1984 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, Zori has been featured as a soloist in Israel and abroad, performing with the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra IBA, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Dartington Festival Orchestra (UK), the Bremen Kammerphilharmonie among many others, performing with prominent conductors such as Rodan, Mandeal, Volkov, Fisch, Brabins, Sheriff, Brotons and Justus Franz.

As an avid chamber musician and as member of the Israel Piano Trio, he has toured the globe extensively and has been a frequent guest at many festivals such as the Marlboro, Tanglewood, Dartington, Berlin, Israel, and Athens festivals. His activities have brought him to major concert venues such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw chamber music hall, Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Carnegie Zankell Hall NY, the the Tel Aviv Museum, the Moscow Music Dome, The Wigmore Hall and the UN assembly in New York performing Bruch Kol Nidrei under the baton of Mehta for the 2009 International Holocaust Memorial Day.

Zori’s passion to pursue other musical interests have brought him to compose his own piece Carmeniana – Suite Brillante, a sensational transcription on themes from Bizet’s Carmen for cello and orchestra, a string trio and a song cycle “Carmel” for voice and chamber ensemble. His arrangement/adaptation of Wiesenberg’s “Monodialogue” – Fantasy for viola, (dedicated to T. Zimmermann) – was published by Schott, and his recent arrangement/editing for cello and piano of the Brahms violin sonata op. 78 to C Major was recently recorded for the SWR.

A highlight of Zori’s varied discography is “Inspirales” – CC1030 published by the prestigious London label Cello Classics. This CD, which was the BBC January 2014 “CD of the Week”, is a virtuoso anthology of cellists-composers from Cassado via Rostropovich, Popper, Tortleier as well as his own transcription of “Carmeniana”.

A winner of the America Israel Cultural Foundation AICF annual awards, Hillel Zori completed his studies with Prof. Uzi Wiesel at the Israel Rubin Music Academy “Cum Laude” and continued at the New England Conservatory with Bernard Greenhouse.

Mr. Zori is a dedicated and a most sought after pedagogue. Among his numerous students are winners of international and national competitions. He is frequently invited to give master classes around the world and he has been on the faculty of Keshet Eilon Summer Seminar and the faculty of the Jerusalem Music Center.

Hillel Zori is a Professor at the Tel Aviv University – the Buchmann–Mehta School of Music where he serves as head of string department.