Gil Shaham
Encyclopedia
Biography
Gil Shaham was born in UrbanaUrbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, while his parents, Israeli scientists, were on an academic fellowship at the University of Illinois. His father Jacob was an astrophysicist, and his mother, Meira Diskin, was a cytogeneticist. His sister is the pianist Orli Shaham
Orli Shaham
Orli Shaham is an American pianist, born in Jerusalem, Israel, the daughter of two scientists, Jacob Shaham and Meira Diskin. Her brother is the violinist Gil Shaham. She is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York, and of Columbia University...
. He is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York. The family returned to Jerusalem when Gil was two. At the age of seven, Shaham began taking violin lessons from Samuel Bernstein at the Rubin Academy of Music
Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance , founded in 1958 as the Rubin Academy of Music, is located on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.-History:...
in Jerusalem. In 1980, when Shaham was nine years old, he played for Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
, Nathan Milstein
Nathan Milstein
Nathan Mironovich Milstein was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist.Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for works from the Romantic period...
and Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng was a Polish violinist.-Early years:He was born in Żelazowa Wola, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy family....
, and attended the Aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
Music School in Colorado, studying with Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay was an American violin instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School.She was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.-Career and education:...
(the teacher of many other leading artists, including Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
and Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang is a Korean American violinist. Her debut came in 1989 with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Shortly thereafter, Chang was recognized as a child prodigy. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduating in 1999 and continuing university studies...
) and Jens Ellerman.
Shaham is married to the Australian-born violinist Adele Anthony
Adele Anthony
Adele Anthony is an Australian-American violinist. She attended Dernancourt Primary School, South Australia.A native of Tasmania, she studied violin at the University of Adelaide and the Juilliard School....
. They have two children, Elijah and Ella Mei.
Music career
At age 10, Shaham debuted as soloist with the Jerusalem SymphonyJerusalem Symphony Orchestra
The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra of the Israel Broadcasting Authority is a major orchestra of Israel...
, conducted by the violinist Alexander Schneider
Alexander Schneider
Alexander Schneider was a violinist, conductor, and educator. Born in Vilna, Lithuania, he later moved to the United States as a member of the Budapest Quartet.- Biography :...
. Less than a year later Shaham performed with Israel's foremost orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. It was originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, and in Hebrew as התזמורת הסימפונית הארץ ישראלית The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit...
, which was conducted by Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
. At age 11, in 1982, Shaham won first prize in the Claremont Competition and was admitted to the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay and Hyo Kang
Hyo Kang
Hyo Kang was born in Seoul. As an immigrant from Korea, he started his life in America as a struggling violin student at the Peabody School nearly 40 years ago....
. In addition, both he and his younger sister, the pianist Orli Shaham
Orli Shaham
Orli Shaham is an American pianist, born in Jerusalem, Israel, the daughter of two scientists, Jacob Shaham and Meira Diskin. Her brother is the violinist Gil Shaham. She is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York, and of Columbia University...
, attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Shaham's career took off in 1989 when he was called to replace an ailing Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
for a series of concerts with Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
and the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
. Flying to London at short notice, having had to take time out from his studies at the Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...
where he was a senior, he played both the Bruch
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Bruch)
Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, is one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertoire. It continues to be performed and recorded by many violinists and is arguably Bruch's most famous composition.- History :...
and the Sibelius
Violin Concerto (Sibelius)
The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, was written by Jean Sibelius in 1904.-History:Sibelius originally dedicated the concerto to the noted violinist Willy Burmester, who promised to play the concerto in Berlin...
concertos to glowing reviews.
In 1990 he received the Avery Fisher
Avery Fisher
Avery Robert Fisher was an audio specialist who made numerous contributions to the field of sound reproduction.-Early life:...
Career Grant. In 1992 he was awarded the Premio Internazionale of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena.
Shaham has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras, among them the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, Berlin Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
, Vienna Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, Russian National Orchestra
Russian National Orchestra
The Russian National Orchestra premiered in Moscow in 1990.It was the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Apostolic Palace, Vatican and in Israel....
, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is an English chamber orchestra, based in London.Sir Neville Marriner founded the ensemble as The Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields in London as a small, conductorless string group. The ensemble's name comes from Trafalgar Square's St Martin-in-the-Fields...
, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
.
Shaham plays a Stradivarius
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
violin from the "long pattern" period, the "Comtesse de Polignac" of 1699. It was offered to Shaham on loan, in 1989, by the Stradivarius Society of Chicago.
Discography
- Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos (1990)
- Schumann: Works for Violin and Piano (1990)
- Franck/Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonatas (with Gerhard OppitzGerhard OppitzGerhard Oppitz is a German classical pianist.He studied with Paul Buck, Hugo Steurer and Wilhelm Kempff. In 1981 he was appointed professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München - the youngest in the history of the institute - where he still teaches. As a soloist he has appeared with...
) (1991) - Paganini: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1992)
- Wieniawski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (1992)
- Sibelius/Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos (1993)
- Barber: Concerto (1994)
- Paganini for Two (with Goran SollscherGöran SöllscherGöran Söllscher is a Swedish award-winning virtuoso classical guitarist known for his broad range of musical interpretations, ranging from Bach to the Beatles...
) (1994) - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (with Orpheus Chamber OrchestraOrpheus Chamber OrchestraThe Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. It is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, interpret the score....
) (1995) - Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (1996)
- Violin Romances (with Orpheus Chamber OrchestraOrpheus Chamber OrchestraThe Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. It is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, interpret the score....
) (1996) - Dvořák for Two (with Orli ShahamOrli ShahamOrli Shaham is an American pianist, born in Jerusalem, Israel, the daughter of two scientists, Jacob Shaham and Meira Diskin. Her brother is the violinist Gil Shaham. She is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York, and of Columbia University...
) (1997) - The Fiddler of the Opera (with Jascha HeifetzJascha HeifetzJascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
) (1997) - Israel Philharmonic 60th Anniversary Gala Concert (1997)
- Berlin Gala: A Salute to Carmen (with Anne Sofie von Otter and Roberto AlagnaRoberto AlagnaRoberto Alagna is a French-Italian tenor. He was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Early years:Alagna was born outside of the city of Paris in 1963 to a family of Sicilian immigrants . As a teenager, the young Alagna began busking and singing pop in Parisian cabarets for tips...
) (1998) - American Scenes (Works of Copland, Previn, Barber, Gershwin) (1998)
- Glazunov/Kabalevsky: Meeting in Moscow (1998)
- Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2 (1999)
- Pärt: Tabula Rasa (1999)
- Devil's Dance (2000)
- Two Worlds (with Lee RitenourLee RitenourLee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
and Dave GrusinDave GrusinDavid Grusin is an American composer, arranger and pianist. Grusin has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy award and 12 Grammys...
) (2000) - John WilliamsJohn WilliamsJohn Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
: Treesong (2001) - Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time (with Myung-Whun ChungMyung-Whun ChungMyung-whun Chung is a South Korean pianist and conductor.His sisters, violinist Kyung-wha Chung, and cellist Myung-wha Chung, and he at one time performed together as the Chung Trio. He was a joined second-prize winner in the 1974 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Chung studied conducting at...
) (2001) - Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major (with Jian WangJian WangJian Wang is a contemporary Chinese painter.- Early life :Born in the city of Dalian in 1958, Wang studied social realism in school, but his work privately earned him a space in the Dalian Youth Palace Arts. There, he was taught English...
) (2002) - Schubert for Two (with Goran SollscherGöran SöllscherGöran Söllscher is a Swedish award-winning virtuoso classical guitarist known for his broad range of musical interpretations, ranging from Bach to the Beatles...
) (2003) - The Fauré Album (2003)
- Prokofiev: Works for Violin and Piano (with Orli ShahamOrli ShahamOrli Shaham is an American pianist, born in Jerusalem, Israel, the daughter of two scientists, Jacob Shaham and Meira Diskin. Her brother is the violinist Gil Shaham. She is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York, and of Columbia University...
) (2004) - Beethoven: Triple Concerto/Septet (with David ZinmanDavid ZinmanDavid Zinman is an American conductor and violinist.After early violin studies at the Oberlin Conservatory, Zinman studied theory and composition at the University of Minnesota and took up conducting at Tanglewood...
and Yefim BronfmanYefim BronfmanYefim "Fima" Naumovich Bronfman is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist.-Biography:He was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and emigrated to Israel at the age of 15...
) (2006) - The Butterfly Lovers' Concerto for Violin/Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (2007)
- Mozart in Paris (with Orli ShahamOrli ShahamOrli Shaham is an American pianist, born in Jerusalem, Israel, the daughter of two scientists, Jacob Shaham and Meira Diskin. Her brother is the violinist Gil Shaham. She is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York, and of Columbia University...
) (2008) - Elgar: Violin Concerto (2008)
- Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor (with Yefim BronfmanYefim BronfmanYefim "Fima" Naumovich Bronfman is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist.-Biography:He was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and emigrated to Israel at the age of 15...
and Truls MørkTruls MørkTruls Olaf Otterbech Mørk is a Norwegian cellist.Mørk was born in Bergen, Norway, the son of two professional musicians, his father a cellist and his mother a pianist. His mother began teaching him the piano when he was seven...
) (2008) - Sarasate: Virtuoso Violin Works (with Adele AnthonyAdele AnthonyAdele Anthony is an Australian-American violinist. She attended Dernancourt Primary School, South Australia.A native of Tasmania, she studied violin at the University of Adelaide and the Juilliard School....
) (2009) - Haydn and Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos (with the Sejong Soloists) (2010)
Awards
- Avery Fisher Career Grant (1990)
- Premio Internazionale of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena (1992)
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Classical Performance - Chamber Music ...
:
Andre Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
& Gil Shaham for American Scenes (Works of Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
, Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
, Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
) (1999
Grammy Awards of 1999
The 41st Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill was the nights big winner winning a total of 5 awards including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Madonna won three awards while country musicians the Dixie...
)
Avery Fisher Award (2008) Presented by his dear friend Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist. He is currently the principal conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in Gothenburg, Sweden, and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles, California...
at a Live from Lincoln Center
Live from Lincoln Center
Live From Lincoln Center is an ongoing series of musical performances produced by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with Thirteen/WNET in New York City....
private presentation of the music of Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués was a Navarrese Spanish violinist and composer of the Romantic period.-Career:Pablo Sarasate was born in Pamplona, Navarre, the son of an artillery bandmaster...
in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse.
External links
- Canary Classics (Gil Shaham's Record Label)
- Gil Shaham in Conversation from WGBH Radio Boston