Michael Katz, Cello
Described by the New York Times as “warm-toned,” Israeli Cellist Michael Katz has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in various concerts and festivals in North America, Europe and Israel. He has performed at music festivals such as Ravinia, Yellow Barn, Sarasota, Orford, Kfar Bloom and others and has presented recitals in various venues at the U.S, Canada, Netherlands, Czech Republic and Israel. Winner of the 2010 Juilliard concerto competition, Mr. Katz has performed the Dvorak cello concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by James DePriest. Mr. Katz has also performed concertos by Schumann, Haydn and Shostakovich with orchestras in America, France and Israel. A recipient of scholarships from the Israel America Cultural Foundation and Ronen Foundation, Mr. Katz also won first prizes in the Turjeman Competition and the Israeli Conservatory Scholarship Competition.
As a chamber musician Mr. Katz has performed various chamber music repertoire at Carnegie Hall – Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, Jordan Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Merkin Hall, Philips Hall in Eindhoven Netherlands, Monaco Theatre Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. Formerly a founding member of the award winning Béla String Quartet, Mr. Katz is now a member of the award winning Lysander Piano Trio. With the Lysander Trio, Mr. Katz has won first prizes at the Coleman and J.C. Arriaga competitions. He is also a member of the Mimesis Ensemble, a New York based contemporary music ensemble. Mr. Katz has collaborated and performed with musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Laurence Lesser, Donald Weilerstein, Roger Tapping, Violaine Melancon, Paul Biss, Yehudi Wyner, Mariam Adam and Zvi Plesser. Mr. Katz participated in chamber music programs such as the Steans Institue for Young Artists and the Perlman Music Program. In summer 2009, as a participant of the Sarasota Music Festival, Mr. Katz performed the American premiere of Mozart’s newly discovered Rondo for Clarinet and String Quartet K.581a in a group that included renowned clarinetist Charles Neidich.
Mr. Katz has a great passion for expanding the cello repertoire with lesser known works and contemporary works. He regularly performs works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Prokofiev and Shostakovich as well as Magnard, Ginastera, Penderecki, Khachaturian and Schuller. Mr. Katz has premiered works by Yehudi Wyner, Malcolm Payton, Sergio Natra, Ofer Ben-Amots, Mohammed Fairouz and others. Born in Tel-Aviv Israel, Mr. Katz began his cello studies at age 7. Among his teachers in Israel were Zvi Plesser, Hillel Zori and the late Mikhail Khomitzer. Mr. Katz received his Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory where he studied with Laurence Lesser and graduated with academic honors. He has received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Joel Krosnick.