Yaron Gottfried
Conductor, composer and pianist Yaron Gottfried is one of the most prominent musicians of his generation in Israel - a multidisciplinary musician who bridges classical, contemporary and jazz music. Since 2002 he held the position of Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Netaniya-Kibbutz Orchestra. Under his creative artistic leadership, the orchestra has become one of Israel's leading professional orchestras, packed halls, rave reviews and over 120 concerts in a season.
In 2010 Maestro Gottfried was appointed as General Artistic Director of "Elstein Music & Arts center" in Zichron Yaacov which will be opened in 2013 In Zichron Yaakov.
Yaron graduated his studies at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem under Maestro Mendi Rodan. He 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.
Maestro Gottfried repertoire is spanning from Baroque music to contemporary works of our time. he conducted liturgic vocal works such as: J.S Bach Mass in B minor, Johannes Passion, "The Creation" by Haydn to Porgy & Bess by Gershwin & led an Israeli premiere of "La Clemenza di Tito" by Mozart.
I first met Yaron when he invited me to conduct the Israeli Kibbutz Orchestra. We've been in constant touch ever since and when he told me about his jazz version of Pictures at an Exhibition I knew we had to release it!
Pictures at an Exhibition
…For a long time our concert halls have lacked the beauty of spontaneous performance. Conductor Yaron Gottfried, in his wonderful piano playing, brought the twins of imagination and creativity back to centre stage.
There was definitely no place to yawn or be bored. What chutzpah!
Yaron Gottfried seats himself at the piano and as soloist, plays Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue",
as if he was Oscar Levant in person: open, relaxed, and full of surprises. A pleasure!
The Israel Kibbutz Orchestra revealed itself yesterday as the Cinderella of our orchestras,
and it lifted its head high and laughed triumphantly. The sound of the strings flowed beautifully and the wind instruments were brilliant. With whose permission does a serious orchestra play with such "joi de vivre".?
Hanoch Ron, Yedioth Acharonot
"….. The orchestra launched into the “Capriol Jazz Suite” with Gottfried conducting and playing from the piano. . The orchestra and the jazz trio moved away from the Baroque into a hybrid space that is both classical and jazz...
The audience really got into this piece and applauded after every movement…."
James Bash, The Columbian
Giomale di Brescia
"At the second part of the evening there was a pleasant surprise, a new and contemporary composition
"Double concerto for two violins" by Israeli Composer Yaron Gottfried....
the crowd appreciated the music synthesis between the middle east influences
and the modern music influenced by B.Bartok. Very powerful
was the special texture which opened the "Raga Dance".
Promenade from Pictures