Elisha Abas ( he, אלישע אבס; born 1971) is an

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

pianist, composer and former professional football player. Elisha Abas was a student of Israeli pianist and pedagogue Pnina Salzman and was mentored by

Artur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish-American pianist.

. ''Roma'', national Italian newspaper, commented on a performance in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

saying, "he is the most refined and interesting pianist of our generation … His "playing is the perfect marriage of exuberant musicality restrained with the right dose of rationalism that is rich with colors and shades. His palette shines in all his splendor with a captivating performance of Chopin and

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Life and career

Abas was born into a musical family. He is the great-great-grandson of Russian composer,

Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

(1872 – 1915), via

Ariadna Scriabina Ariadna Aleksandrovna Scriabina (russian: Ариадна Александровна Скрябина; also Sarah Knut, née Ariadna Alexandrovna Schletzer, pseudonym Régine; 26 October 1905 – 22 July 1944) was a Russian poet and activist of t ...

(1905 – 22 July 1944), Gilbert-Elizabeth "Betty" Knut-Lazarus (1926 – 1964), and his mother Ariane Abas (1950 – ). His father is the Israeli children's author Shlomo Abas (1948 – ). Abas was a child prodigy who started performing at the age of six and has since shared the stage with

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

and

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...

. Abas achieved many accolades throughout his career. Those most notable were achieved when he was a young prodigy – winning first place in 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 ...

music competition for eight consecutive years and first place in the Claremont Piano Competition. At age 14, he felt "burned out" as a musician, and retired from the field. He began pursuing a career as a professional football player. He played

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for several Israeli teams, first in

Hapoel Petah Tikva Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. ( he, הפועל פתח תקווה) is an Israeli football club based in the city of Petah Tikva, currently playing in the Liga Leumit. Its most successful period was throughout the 1950s and 1960s, in which the club won ...

under coach

Avram Grant Avraham "Avram" Grant ( he, אברהם "אברם" גרנט; born Avraham Granat; ) is an Israeli professional football manager. He has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, winning a number of national league and cup ...

, then for

Hapoel Kfar Saba Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל כפר סבא, ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Kfar Saba'') is an Israeli football club based in Kfar Saba. The club competes in the Liga Leumit and plays home matches at Levita Stadiu ...

and several other teams. As a result of an injury, he retired as a football player at the age of 28. After retiring from football, Abas decided to try and return to playing piano. He contacted Salzman, and began performing again. Today he continues to perform throughout the world, most recently in North America, Europe, Cuba, Russia, Israel, and China. Elisha Abas is also a composer. He rarely performs his original compositions in public; however, in 2009, Elisha performed his original music in St. Petersburg's Smolny Cathedral, United Nations Assembly Hall, and in Teatro Amadeo Roldán in Havana, Cuba. In December 2009, Elisha Abas performed and recorded live the Brahms First Piano Concerto in Havana, Cuba with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba conducted by Yoel Gamzou. In 2010, he recorded and released a live recording of the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 K. 488 with the International Mahler Orchestra live in Berlin. He is the co-founder of the Concert Meister Series in New York City. Elisha Abas currently resides in Irvington, NY.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abas, Elisha Living people 1971 births Israeli classical pianists Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. players Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. players Maccabi Ahi Nazareth F.C. players Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. players Hapoel Hadera F.C. players Footballers from Jerusalem Musicians from Jerusalem Jewish classical pianists Israeli people of Russian-Jewish descent Israeli people of German-Jewish descent Israeli people of French-Jewish descent Israeli people of American-Jewish descent Association football fullbacks Israeli footballers Composers from Jerusalem