Noam Sheriff
Noam Sheriff is
one of Israel’s outstanding and most versatile musicians.
1935 born in Tel-Aviv, he studied composition in Tel-Aviv (Paul Ben-Chaim),
Berlin (Boris Blacher) and Salzburg (Igor Markevitch).
Since the premiere of his work, Festival Prelude, by the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein in 1957 his works have been performed
regularly in Israel and all over the world.
In his music one finds an original solution to the fusion between East and
West, between the musical elements of the ancient Mediterranean countries
and the musical culture of the West. His special art of orchestration and
his sensitivity for form manifest themselves in the compositions La Folia
Variations (premiered by the Bavarian Radio SO), Trei-Assar (premiered by
the 12 Celli of the Berlin Philharmonic), the String Quartet (commissioned
by the Library of Congress in Washington), Prayers (premiered by the Israel
Chamber Orchestra), Concerto for Violin & Orchestra (premiered by the
Bochum SO), Mechaye Ha’metim (premiered by the IPO in Amsterdam) Sephardic
Passion (IPO, Placido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Toledo), Psalms of Jerusalem
(Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Sheriff) among many others.
1989-1995 Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Israel Symphony Orchestra.
Noam Sheriff is Professor for composition and conducting at the Tel-Aviv
University's Rubin Academy of Music. Since July 1998 he was elected to be
the director of this academy
