May
2012
The Armstrong International Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce the world premiere of some of the most significant archaeological artifacts ever discovered in Jerusalem.
Join us Sunday, January 15 as we celebrate the grand opening of the exhibit with a special concert featuring Israeli-born artists, pianist Orli Shaham and violinist Itamar Zorman. They will join flutist Sharon Bezaly and pianist Irit Rub in a joyous celebration of the unique music, culture and history of Jerusalem.
1-3 PM Exhibit open for viewing—Grand Lobby
3 PM The Jerusalem Celebration—Concert and grand opening ceremonies
For TICKETS, call (405) 285-1010.
For more information about the archaeology exhibit, click here to visit the Exhibit page.
Orli Shaham | Itamar Zorman | Sharon Bezaly | Irit Rub
A consummate musician recognized for her grace and vitality, Orli Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today's most gifted pianists. Hailed by critics on four continents, Ms. Shaham is in demand for her prodigious skills and admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently praised her "wit, passion, delicacy and humor", and London's Guardian has called Ms. Shaham's playing "perfection".
Orli Shaham has performed with most major orchestras in the United States, as well as with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, among others. She is a frequent guest at numerous summer festivals from Mostly Mozart to Verbier, and has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, and many more around the world.
Orli Shaham’s international performance schedule in 2011-2012 includes the world premiere of a piano concerto written for her by Steven Mackey, with the St. Louis Symphony conducted by David Robertson. Ms. Shaham releases three new recordings in 2011-2012: a CD of Hebrew Melodies (Canary Classics), recorded with her brother, the violinist Gil Shaham; a recording of the Brahms Horn Trio and Schubert’s lied Auf dem Strom (Albany) featuring Richard King; and Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals with pianist Jon Kimura Parker and the San Diego Symphony (San Diego Symphony). Also in 2011-2012, Ms. Shaham begins a new role as host of the public radio series America’s Music Festivals, a two-hour weekly program broadcast on more than 100 stations.
Orli Shaham’s highly acclaimed classical concert series for young children, Baby Got Bach, continues in New York City and around the country. For preschoolers, Baby Got Bach provides hands-on activities with musical instruments and concepts and concert performances that promote good listening skills.
Driven by a passion to bring classical music to new audiences, Orli Shaham maintains an active parallel career as a respected broadcaster, music writer and lecturer. She has taught music literature at Columbia University, and contributed articles to Piano Today, Symphony, and Playbill magazines. Ms. Shaham has served as artist in residence on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.
In addition to her musical education, Orli Shaham holds a degree in history from Columbia University. Orli Shaham lives in New York and St. Louis with her husband, conductor David Robertson, college-age stepsons Peter and Jonathan, and pre-school twins Nathan and Alex.
Itamar Zorman
Cited by the press as a "virtuoso of emotions", violinist Itamar Zorman is the winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia, where he subsequently performed in the winners' concerts with Maestro Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. He previously won the first prize and special prize for best performance of a Mozart Concerto at the 2010 Freiburg International Violin Competition in Germany. In April 2011, upon winning the Juilliard Berg Concerto Competition, he made his Avery Fisher Hall debut with the Juilliard Orchestra led by James DePreist.
Mr. Zorman has performed as a soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, and with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Philharmonie Baden-Baden, Israeli Chamber Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta, Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, and the Salina Symphony. His concerts have been broadcast live on radio stations in Israel, the United States, Austria, Russia, and France. He was featured on New-York's WQXR "Young Artist Showcase" and performed a solo recital broadcast by Radio France at the Festival de Radio France in Montpellier.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Zorman has appeared at Lincoln Center, in Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and at the Kennedy Center in Washinton, DC. A founding member of the "Israeli Chamber Project", Mr. Zorman has toured with the internationally-acclaimed group across Israel and North America for the past four seasons. Mr. Zorman is also a member of the Lysander Piano Trio, which was recently awarded the Grand Prize at the 2011 Coleman Competition. This summer, he is participating in the Marlboro Music Festival.
Born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, to a family of musicians, Mr. Zorman holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music where he studied with Nava Milo and Hagai Shaham. He received his Master's degree from The Juilliard School in 2009, where he worked with Robert Mann and Sylvia Rosenberg, and an Artist Diploma from Manhattan School of Music in 2010. Currently, Mr. Zorman continues his studies with Ms. Rosenberg in the Artist Diploma Program at The Juilliard School. He is supported by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Ilona Feher Foundation. Itamar Zorman plays on a 1737 Pietro Guarneri violin from the private collection of Yehuda Zisapel.
Described by The Times (UK) as “God’s gift to the flute,” Sharon Bezaly was chosen as “Instrumentalist of the Year” by the prestigious Klassik Echo in Germany in 2002 and as “Young Artist of the Year” at the Cannes Classical Awards in 2003. Classics Today has hailed her as “a flutist virtually without peer in the world today” and International Record Review wrote: “Her recordings and concert appearances are typically more than simply triumphs: they are defining artistic events.”
Having started to play the flute at the age of 11, Sharon Bezaly gave her début concert as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta when she was 14. On the advice of Jean-Pierre Rampal she continued her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris under Alain Marion, Raymond Guiot and Maurice Bourge, winning the Academy’s first prizes for flute and chamber music. She was subsequently invited by Sándor Végh to play as principal flautist in his Camerata Academica Salzburg, a position she held until his death in 1997.
One of the rare full-time flute soloists, Sharon appears as soloist with leading orchestras and in the most prestigious concerts halls worldwide. Sharon Bezaly is the first wind player to be chosen as artist in residence (2007–08) for the Residentie Orchestra, The Hague, under its chief conductor Neeme Järvi.
Her recent engagements include solo appearances at the London Proms with live TV and radio coverage, the last night of the Welsh proms with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Spanish National Orchestra, recitals at the Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and concerts at the Musikverein in Vienna, and tours to Spain, Taiwan, Singapore, Argentina and Australia.
To date, Sharon Bezaly has 17 dedicated concertos by renowned composers, which she performs worldwide. Bezaly’s perfect control of circular breathing enables her to reach new peaks of musical interpretation, The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has compared her to David Oistrakh and Vladimir Horowitz.
Irit Rub is one of Israel’s finest pianists. Over the course of her career, Ms. Rub has performed as a soloist with all of Israel’s major orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel’s most prestigious international orchestra, under the baton of the renowned conductor Zubin Mehta. She has also collaborated and performed with many acclaimed artists and ensembles, including Ivry Gitlis, Daniel Johannsen, Atar Arad, Sara Chang, Orna Tamir, Yossi Arnheim, Andrea Griminelli, the Idan Trio, Hungary’s Duhany Symphony, and Germany’s Südwestdeutsche Philharmonic Orchestra. Internationally, she has performed in Canada, South Africa, Germany, Austria, France, Ireland, Hungary, and Holland.
Ms. Rub has recorded six albums and has performed the world premiere of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein’s “Arias and Barcarolles for Piano Duo” in Tel Aviv and the works of composer Bohuslav Martinu, released by the classical label Allegro.
Her concerts and recitals include “Nights of Enchantment” in which she was selected by Israel’s Ministry of Education and Culture to perform as part of a six-day concert of “Eight Leading Israeli Pianists” and a performance at the Henry Crown Symphony Hall in Jerusalem, broadcast live on KOL Israel’s “Voice of Music” radio program.
Ms. Rub serves as the Director of Keynote, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s acclaimed program for music education and community outreach. Over 20,000 children of all ages and adults take part yearly in a diverse collection of activities centered on Israel’s finest orchestra. From kindergarten, through elementary and high school, and even into the Army, the orchestra reaches out to the young audience with intimate sessions in the classroom, specially designed school concerts at Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium, master classes and private instruction. The program promotes tolerance and mutual respect, serving all of Israel’s citizens: Jewish, Christian and Muslim. KeyNote regularly reaches out to communities that previously had no exposure to the Orchestra.
© 2012