Astrith Baltsan ( he, אסתרית בלצן; born 24 October 1956) is an Israeli
concert pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
and
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
, known for her
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
interpretation.
Biography
Family
Baltsan was born in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
in 1956. Her mother, Dr. Rozelia Ruth Garti (1925–1999) was a
pediatrician
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
who came to Israel from
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, in 1949. Her father
Hayim Baltsan (1910–2002), a journalist and author, was the founder of
ITIM (news agency)
ITIM was a news agency established in 1950 in Tel Aviv, by journalist Hayim Baltsan (1910- 2002) חיים בלצן . Israel.
History
ITIM was founded in 1950 by Baltsan and the seven main Israeli newspapers of the time, who each held an equal st ...
news agency and author of the Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary.
Education
Baltsan began studying music at the age of 8. She won the
America Israel Cultural Foundation
The America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) is a non-profit American foundation that supports cultural projects in Israel.
History
The America-Israel Cultural Foundation was established in 1939 to support the growth and development of a Jewish ...
scholarship and graduated with honors from
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
with both BA and MA in piano and musicology (with
Mindru Katz
Mindru Katz (3 June 192530 January 1978) was a Romanian-Israeli classical pianist.
Biography
Katz was born to Jewish parents in Bucharest in 1925. He was discovered as a child prodigy by the noted composer George Enescu, and taught by Florica M ...
and
Arie Vardi
Arie Vardi ( he, אריה ורדי; born 1937) is a classical pianist, conductor, and piano pedagogue. He is laureate of the Israel Prize in 2017.
Biography
Vardi was born in Tel Aviv and graduated from the Rubin Academy (renamed the Buchmann-Me ...
). She won a scholarship for graduate studies at the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and in 1983 she graduated as a
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in ...
(''
summa cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
)'' in
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
from the
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...
in New York (with
Artur Balsam Artur Balsam (February 8, 1906 – September 1, 1994) was a Polish-born American classical pianist and pedagogue.
Biography
He was born in Warsaw, Poland, and studied in Łódź, making his debut there at the age of 12 then enrolled at the Berlin ...
).
Career and awards
Baltsan won her first award in the 1984
Banff Concerto Competition in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. In 1984, Baltsan became a laureate of the Concert Artists Guild's competition NYC 1984. She performed at the Norfolk festival of Yale University, the
Tanglewood Festival
The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Stockbridge and Lenox in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts.
The festival consists of a series of concerts, including symphonic music, ch ...
, the La Gesse Festival in France, the Tutzing Festival in Munich and the Ernen Chamber Festival in Switzerland.
Astrith Baltsan returned to Israel in 1985 to join the faculty of the
Rubin Academy of Music
The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music (BMSM) is an institute of higher education in Tel Aviv, Israel. The school is a part of the Faculty of the Arts of Tel Aviv University and is operated in collaboration with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO). ...
at
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
. She was a founder and music director of the Musica Nova Ensemble for new music, and recorded many original Israeli compositions dedicated especially to her. She performed as pianist, editor and music director of concert series with the Israel Chamber Orchestra (1988–1996), the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisra'elit'') is an Israeli symphony orchestra based in Tel Aviv. Its principal concert venue ...
(2000–2019), The Israel Festival in Jerusalem (including performances of all Beethoven Sonatas in 1987) and the
New Israeli Opera
The Israeli Opera, formerly known as the New Israeli Opera, is the principal opera company of Israel. It was founded in 1985 after lack of Israeli government funding led to the demise of the Israel National Opera. Since 1994 the Tel Aviv Performin ...
.
In 1990 Baltsan started to develop her series "Classics in Personal View", in which she performs classical music masterpieces accompanied with live storytelling and explanations. The program also incorporates pop, jazz and other genre segments, and includes performances by guest artists. This series of concerts has been the largest of its type in Israel for the last 30 years.
In 1996 Baltsan and her husband, Israeli composer
Moshe Zorman, founded "Music Cathedra", a music college in the Enav cultural center in Tel Aviv.The Israeli Ministry of Education has approved Music Cathedra as a professional development institution.
In 2000 Baltsan started collaborating with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta, a collaboration which continued from 2000 to 2019 including symphonic and chamber music projects and a TV series of youth concerts broadcast on Israel Channel 1, 2003–2004.
[
Baltsan tours by herself and also as a soloist with an orchestra in Europe, the US, Canada, Central America, Australia and South Africa. Her concerts are broadcast regularly on Kan Kol Hamusica, Israel classical channel. Baltsan and Moshe Zorman have three children: Itamar, Alma and Reut. Her son, violinis]
Itamar Zorman
was the winner of the Tchaikovsky competition
The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...
in 2011.
Awards
* 1984—first prize at ''Banff Concerto Competition''
* 1984—The Concert Artist Guild Award, NYC
* 2001—''Rosenblum Prize for the Performing Arts''
* 2006—Audience's Favorite prize held by Yediot Ahronot
''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...
* 2007—Minister of Culture Prize for Music Performers
* 2008—Landau Prize held by Mifal HaPayis
Mifal HaPais ( he, מפעל הפיס) is the national lottery of Israel. Most gambling is illegal in Israel. The only bodies licensed to provide betting services are Mifal HaPais and The Israeli Sports Betting Council. In 2012, Mifal HaPais's annua ...
References
External links
Official site of Astrith Baltsan and the Hatikvah show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltsan, Astrith
Israeli pianists
Israeli women pianists
Musicians from Tel Aviv
Israeli twins
Jewish Israeli musicians
Living people
21st-century pianists
1956 births
Jewish women musicians
Women classical pianists
21st-century women pianists
Israeli women musicologists
Jewish musicologists