 |
|
 |
|
|
Maestro - Yaron Gottfried -
Composer, Conductor & Pianist |
| IcExcellence chosen artist since 2003 |
|
|
|
|
"What a surprise! Here comes a small orchestra, the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra, raises its head proudly and dares to mock all its friends. The Kibbutz Orchestra presents a wonderful new season: the song of angels of Bach and Mozart meets World Music. The classical coincides with the ethnic and folklore in one concert. Believe it! Please welcome the Cinderella of orchestras.... A Winning Formula: the person to "blame" for this is Yaron Gottfried, the orchestra's young Chief Conductor. Several years ago he received an orchestra that was falling apart, which he erected from scratch. How? Simply by turning to a young audience and making magic, he mixed Bach with folklore, Mozart with Tango, Mendelssohn with accordion. All in one blender - until he got a musical soda pop drink. And in the forthcoming season there is even more. .... The Bottom Line: Don't wait - go and buy tickets!"
Chanoch Ron "7 NIGHTS" - YEDI'OT AHARONOT, 24.6.05
|
 |
Yaron Gottfried's Tailor - Made Program Press Reviews |
|
|
 |
Yaron Gottfried - a conductor, composer and pianist - is one of Israel's most versatile and outstanding musicians. In September 2002 he was appointed as the music director of the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra. Under his creative artistic leadership, the orchestra has become one of the leading professional orchestras in Israel, with over 40,000 visitors in a season, packed halls, superb reviews and over 90 concerts in a season. Yaron studied composition and orchestral conducting with Prof. Noam Sheriff in Tel-Aviv, and in 1993 graduated the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem studying with Prof. Mendi Rodan.
Maestro Gottfried is regularly invited to conduct all the major orchestras in Israel, among them: the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Symphony Orchestra of Rishon Lezion, the Jerusalem and Haifa Symphony Orchestras, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva, and the Ra'anana Symphonette Orchestra. He has also performed at the "Villa Celimontana festival" in Italy .in 2004 he made his debut in Hungary with the Budapest symphony concert orchestra "Mav" and consequently was invited to conduct three of the leading orchestra in Hungary in 2005-6 season: the Debreceni Filharmonikus the Danuba symphony orchestra and the Solti Orchestra. Other engagements includes concerts with the Neues Kammerorchester Potsdam in Germany and with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in Texas (USA), he is also invited to conduct a symphonic production of " West-side story" at the New Israeli Oprea.
Gottfried served for 7 years as professor for conducting and music studies at the Rimon School for Contemporary Music and at the Jerusalem Rubin academy of Music.
Yaron's compositions are frequently being broadcast in TV and Radio stations as well as performed in festivals and concerts series. In 1998, he premiered his "Concerto for Electric Guitar, Percussion and String Ensemble." In 2000 he premiered two other works - "Transitions," commissioned by the Rishon Lezion Symphony Orchestra celebrating the new millennium, and "Capriol Jazz Suite " for Jazz Trio and Chamber Orchestra commissioned by the Israel Chamber Orchestra, both warmly received by the public and the critics.
In July 2001, Yaron introduced "The Well-Tempered Unbalanced Piano," commissioned by the Kfar Blum Music Festival, and the "Double Concerto for Two Violins and String Orchestra." In the 2001-02 season, Yaron was invited to perform with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as pianist and composer, playing George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," and performing his electric guitar concerto. In 2003 he presented "A New Fanfare" with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in celebration of Israel's 55th Independence Day.
In 2004 he presented his work "Concerto for Percadu" commissioned by the Jerusalem Music Center, written for two marimbas, percussions and an orchestra, and performed over 11 times in a series with the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra. The work was composed at the MacDowell Colony, in a residency sponsored by IcExcellence. In 2005-6 he premiered two new works commissioned by the Neues Kammerorchester Potsdam and by the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra.
Gottfried has won many awards and prizes, among them:
The chosen artist of Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation (IcExcellence) for the years 2003-2006. Residency at the prestigious MacDowell Colony. First prize at the conducting competition held by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in cooperation with the America- Israel Cultural Foundation. First prize in the jazz composition competition, held by the international Red Sea jazz Festival and over 10 years of winning the America- Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships in the fields of piano performance, composition and conducting.
The wide scope of Gottfried's musical interests includes jazz. He is a first class jazz pianist, who has performed with many internationally renowned jazz artists, such as Eddie Gomez, Didier Lockwood, Dave Liebman ,Ira Sullivan among others.
For more information, please visit:
www.kibbutz-orchestra.co.il
|
 |
|
 |
"What a wonderful opening. The orchestra awakened. And here comes the prince - the young conductor Yaron Gottfried - and breathes life into the sleeping princess. Not just another 'nice' orchestra. This time it was an orchestra with a new, open sound, with character and presence."
Chanoch Ron, Yedioth Aharonot |
|
|
|
IcExcellence is supporting Yaron in tailor-made artistic programs, and providing special career advancement consulting.
|
|
|
|
|
| Press Reviews |
"Israeli Conductor Leads a Brilliant Concert
"It was the Yaron Gottfried show Friday night...the musicians and audience enjoyed every minute.
What made the concert even more unusual was Gottfried played piano in a trio... in his own gorgeous piece, 'Capriol Jazz Suite,' a wonderful blend of baroque and jazz music, which brought a huge ovation from the crowd. That only was topped by the finale, as Gottfried inspired the orchestra to play the fourth symphony of Brahms with beauty, boldness and brilliance...'As a conductor, Yaron is very dramatic and deep in emotions, but very clear at the same time,' Mills said. 'Musicians can read him easily, and they like him very much.'"
Terry Rindfleisch, La Crosse Tribune, 2007–11–29
"What a surprise! Here comes a small orchestra, the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra, raises its head proudly and dares to mock all its friends. The Kibbutz Orchestra presents a wonderful new season: the song of angels of Bach and Mozart meets World Music. The classical coincides with the ethnic and folklore in one concert. Believe it! Please welcome the Cinderella of orchestras.... A Winning Formula: the person to "blame" for this is Yaron Gottfried, the orchestra's young Chief Conductor. Several years ago he received an orchestra that was falling apart, which he erected from scratch. How? Simply by turning to a young audience and making magic, he mixed Bach with folklore, Mozart with Tango, Mendelssohn with accordion. All in one blender - until he got a musical soda pop drink. And in the forthcoming season there is even more. .... The Bottom Line: Don't wait - go and buy tickets!"
Chanoch Ron "7 NIGHTS" - YEDI'OT AHARONOT, 24.6.05
"The concerts of the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra are lively, the programs authentic and not meant to placate audiences, and the performers are outstanding! The large audience that frequents these concerts is proof not only of the popularity of such colorful programming, but especially of the pleasing way in which it is presented."
Noam Ben Zeev, "Ha'aretz", 18.5.05
"The enthusiasm of the IKO players was evident in all the renditions, and this, together with fresh and vigorous programs, created an enriching and pleasurable concert, which is not built on myths of stars, but on a heartbeat of here-and-now."
Ora Binur MA'ARIV, 28.3.05
"Yaron Gottfried paid his dues. When he was appointed Artistic Director of the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra, he thinks differently about the traditions of a classical concert. These qualities are usually materialized by gratifying the audience and the inevitable failure that follows. However, Gottfried also committed to not lowering the artistic level and not to obtain such accomplishments with shallowness of content and thought.
Last night, before an audience that filled the Tel Aviv Museum and overflowed into the stairways and aisles, he showed how it is possible to have it both ways: to play on a high level without compromises and to please the audience!"
Noam Ben Zeev, "Ha'aretz", 7.3.04
"The concert opened with "New Fanfare" by Yaron Gottfried; the work reflects the impossible conflict in which we are living here in Israel. An impressive composition."
Ora Binur, Ma'ariv, May 12. 2003
"As far as the structure is concerned, this program of the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra deserves all praise. It has consistency, variety and even "closure." ...as well as relying on a sure thing (Bach), the cheery surprise of Telman, and crossing the boundaries between classical and jazz (Gottfried, "The Well-Tempered Unbalanced Piano), a move which surely wins over many of the audience's hearts.
...The curiosity about Gottfried's handling of Bach was natural...the result was interesting and mischievous, and easily accepted even by those purists who see setting Bach to 'jazz standards' as a kind of blasphemy."
Hagai Hirton, Haaretz, Mar. 23, 2003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
