
Photo by Toan Trinh
About
I am an award-winning guitarist, composer, cultural producer, and teaching artist from Jerusalem, Israel. I am currently based in Cambridge, MA.
I have performed and recorded extensively in New England and beyond. My work has been supported by organizations such as J Arts Boston, Mass Cultural Council, Somerville Arts Council, St. Botolph Club Foundation, The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Club Passim. As an educator, I have taught at numerous schools, including Berklee College of Music. I am currently a Staff Guitar Accompanist for Berklee's Vocal Department, and Guitar and Banjo Faculty at Cambridge Music Consortium (CMC).
Growing up in Jerusalem, I was immersed in the sounds of jazz, contemporary music, and a wide variety of world music including Middle-Eastern, North-African, and Ethiopian music. In 2016 I produced, arranged, and played on The Captain by Amy McKnight, which has been hailed by Haaretz as "one of the best Indie albums of the year".
After moving to the U.S. in 2017 to attend Berklee College of Music, I fell in love with American roots music. My life has taken an unexpected turn, and I dedicated years to an intensive study with some of the greatest living folk musicians, including the Grammy nominated Alice Gerrard and Bruce Molsky, W.C. Handy Blues Foundation Award winner Paul Rishell, and Boston guitar legend Kevin Barry (Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash). My debut EP, Invisible Treasure (2021, Nine Athens Records) blended re-imagined interpretations of American folk music with my original compositions. I continue to explore American folk music interpretation in a trio with vocalist/bassist Hazel Royer and guitarist Kevin Barry. We are currently working on an album, to be released in 2023.
In 2021 I circled back to my own roots and formed Convivencia (Co-existence), a contemporary Ladino (Jewish-Sephardic) music ensemble which brings together musicians from Israel, Iran, Greece, Cyprus, and the U.S. I am very proud of both the music and the peaceful mission of this ensemble.
I aspire to create deeply rooted, fresh, and idiosyncratic contemporary music. I believe that when ancient songs meet a modern interpretive approach, the creative possibilities are boundless.
Teaching (Selected):
Berklee College of Music
Cambridge Music Consortium
Club Passim School Of Music
Concord Conservatory of Music
Awards:
2023 Cultural Sector Recovery Grant, Mass Cultural Council
2023 Local Cultural Council Grant, Somerville Cultural Council
2022 - 2023 Community Creative Fellow, J Arts Boston
2022 - 2024 Traditional Arts Apprentice in Blues Music, Mass Cultural Council
2022 Emerging Artist Award, St. Botolph Club Foundation
2022 Artist-in-Residence, Mt. Auburn Cemetery
2021 Recording Grant, Ministry of Culture and Sport, Israel
2021 Iguana Grant, Club Passim
2010 Best Young Jazz Band, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Eilat, Israel
Education:
2022 - 2024 Master of Music in Music Education, Bard College (current student)
2017 - 2020 Bachelor of Music, Berklee College of Music, Summa Cum Laude
Scholarships:
2022 - 2024 Presidential Scholarship, MA in Music Education, Longy Conservatory of Bard College
2019 - 2020 Professional Music Department Achievement Award, Berklee College of Music
2018 - 2019 Fletcher Bright Endowed Scholarship in American Roots Music, Berklee College of Music
2017 - 2020 World Tour Scholarship, Berklee College of Music
Performances and Lectures (Selected):
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Berklee College of Music, Boston
Harvard University Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
Harvard University Smith Center
Harvard University Holden Chapel
Boston University Hillel
FreshGrass Festival, Mass MOCA
Longfellow House Museum, Cambridge, MA
Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA
Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
J Arts Boston
Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Boston, MA
Boston Art and Music Soul Festival (BAMS Fest)
Somerville Public Library, MA
ArtBeat Festival, Somerville Arts Council, MA
The 'Quin House, MA
St. Botolph Club, MA
Atwoods Tavern, MA
Boston City Winery, MA
The Burren, MA
Club Passim, MA
Sofar Sounds, MA
GreyFox Bluegrass Festival, NY
Gallery P339, Brooklyn, NY
Sofar Sounds, NYC
Rockwood Music Hall, NYC
Folk Alliance International
Lawnya Vawnya Festival, Canada
Ossippee Valley Music Festival, ME
Acousticool, CT
Red Sea Jazz Festival, Eilat, Israel
Animix International Animation Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel
Indie City Festival, Jerusalem, Israel
Tower of David Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Mazkeka, Jerusalem, Israel