Hagai Shaham facts for kids

Hagai Shaham (born July 8, 1966) is a famous Israeli violin player. He is known as a "virtuoso," which means he is extremely skilled at playing the violin. He started learning the violin when he was six years old. He was the last student of a very important teacher named Professor Ilona Feher.

Besides playing, Hagai Shaham also teaches the violin. He is a professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv University. He also teaches at Stony Brook University in the United States.

Playing the Violin

Hagai Shaham has played as a soloist with many big orchestras around the world. A soloist is a musician who plays alone with an orchestra. Some of these orchestras include the English Chamber Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1985, he was invited to play at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This was a special concert with famous violinists Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman. After this, the conductor Zubin Mehta asked him to play a piece called the Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms at Carnegie Hall.

In 2006, Zubin Mehta invited him again to play the Brahms Double Concerto. This time, he played with cellist Mischa Maisky. It was to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hagai Shaham also performs in recitals, where he plays alone or with a piano. He also plays chamber music, which is music for a small group of musicians. He often travels around Europe, North America, and South America to perform at different festivals.

Recording Music

Hagai Shaham has made many recordings of his music. These recordings are released on different music labels like Hyperion Records and Naxos Records. He has recorded music by composers such as Joseph Achron, Ernest Bloch, Johannes Brahms, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Finding Lost Music

Hagai Shaham found some music by a composer named Joseph Achron (1886–1943). This music had never been published or heard before! He found the old papers at the National Library at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He then performed and recorded these newly discovered pieces. A CD of some of these works was released in 1997. Later, in 2012, a bigger collection of Achron's music was released. This included his complete suites for violin and piano. Critics praised his playing, saying he had a powerful tone and impressive technique.

About half of Joseph Achron's music was never published when he was alive. Luckily, his old music papers were saved and ended up at the Hebrew University.

Teaching the Violin

Along with his performing career, Hagai Shaham teaches violin. He also leads master classes, which are special lessons for advanced students. He mainly teaches in Israel and Europe.

He used to be a teacher at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. In 2007, he joined the music school at the University of Southern California (USC). This is the same place where the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz once taught.

Since 2009, he has been a professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. He currently teaches at Stony Brook University in Long Island, NY. In the summer, he teaches at the Heifetz International Music Institute.

Hagai Shaham also teaches online masterclasses through the iClassical Academy.

Awards and Recognition

In September 1990, Hagai Shaham and his piano partner, Arnon Erez, won first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. This is a very important competition. They were the first duo to win this top prize since 1971!

He has also won other awards. These include first prizes at the Ilona Kornhouser competition and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority Young Artist competition. He also received four Clairmont Awards and scholarships from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.

Personal Life

Hagai Shaham helped start the Ilona Feher Foundation. This foundation helps young violinists, honoring his former teacher.

He is married and has three children. His sister, Rinat Shaham, is a mezzo-soprano, which is a type of singer.