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About

Photo by Toan Trinh

"Combines the old and new with great skill and sensitivity...this talented instrumentalist is one to watch".  Americana UK

"Creates an update of the American folk lexicon, a remarkable achievement for any artist".  Annie Raines

I am an award-winning interdisciplinary guitarist, composer, producer, and educator based in Cambridge, MA. Through my artistry, I share my love of folk traditions and passion for artistic risk-taking. My main areas of focus are Middle-Eastern music, American folk and blues, and collaborations with visual artists and choreographers. I hold a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music, and a master's degree from Longy Conservatory, Bard College.

I perform and record extensively in New England and beyond. I have received awards from organizations such as J Arts Boston, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Mass Cultural Council, St. Botolph Club Foundation, and The Friends of Mount Auburn. I have shared the stage with artists such as McArthur Fellow Claire Chase, Guggenheim Fellow Neil Leonard, and guitarist Kevin Barry (Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash). My work has appeared on NPR, CBC Canada, Jewish Renaissance, Haaretz, and Americana UK. As a consultant, I have contributed to the design and music of the new Judaica gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. My interest in arts education has brought me to teach at numerous schools, including Berklee College of Music, and to present visiting talks at Harvard, Yale, Longy Conservatory of Bard College, and the Somerville Public Library.

Growing up in Jerusalem, Israel, I was immersed in the sounds of contemporary music and a variety of world music traditions. I produced, arranged, and played on The Captain by Amy McKnight & Shipyard, which Haaretz called "One of the best and most expressive indie albums of 2018". The Captain received significant radio airplay, and toured the local music festival circuit.

After moving to the U.S. in 2017 to attend Berklee College of Music, I fell in love with American roots music. I dedicated years to an intensive study with some of the greatest living folk musicians, including the Grammy-nominated Alice Gerrard and Bruce Molsky, blues master Paul Rishell, and Boston guitar legend Kevin Barry. My debut EP, Invisible Treasure (2021, Nine Athens Records) blended re-imagined interpretations of American folk with original compositions. I continue to explore American folk music in a duo with vocalist/bassist Hazel Royer. Our debut album, Say Darling Say (feat. Kevin Barry) will be released by Nine Athens Music on March 1, 2024.

In 2021 I circled back to my own Israeli roots and formed Convivencia (co-existence), a contemporary Ladino (Jewish-Sephardic) music ensemble bringing together musicians from Israel, Iran, Greece, Cyprus, and the U.S. I am very proud of the music and the peaceful mission of this ensemble. I believe that when ancient songs meet a modern interpretive approach, the creative possibilities are boundless.

Currently, I am composing music for dance in collaboration with celebrated New England dancers and choreographers Rachel Linsky and Liz Walker, and working on a solo guitar album inspired by the contemporary photography of Becky BeharMy recent project, The Catalan Mahzor Suite, is an immersive performance combining music, dance, and visuals. Inspired by the stunning illuminations of a 14th-century Jewish-Spanish manuscript, it weaves a story of spiritual redemption. Created in collaboration with Rachel Linsky and string player Beth Bahia Cohen,The Catalan Mahzor Suite will premiere in fall 2023 at the Vilna Shul in Beacon Hill, and the Yale Slifka Center for Jewish Life.

Please find my selected resume below:

Teaching:

Berklee College of Music

Cambridge Music Consortium

New England Harmonica and Guitar Intensive

Club Passim School Of Music

Concord Conservatory of Music

Awards:

2022 - 2024 Traditional Arts Apprentice in Blues Music (under Paul Rishell), Mass Cultural Council

2023 Cultural Sector Recovery Grant, Mass Cultural Council

2023 Cultural Council Grant, Cambridge Cultural Council

2023 Cultural Council Grant, Somerville Cultural Council

2022 - 2023 Community Creative Fellow, J Arts Boston

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 (Music Education), Longy Conservatory, Bard College

2017 - 2020 Bachelor of Music, Berklee College of Music, with highest honors

Scholarships:

2022 - 2024 Presidential Scholarship for Graduate Studies, Longy Conservatory, 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

Mass MOCA

Berklee College of Music, Boston

Yale University, Slifka Center for Jewish Life

The Boston Festival of New Jewish Music

Harvard University, Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts

Harvard University, Signet Society (Arts and Letters)

Harvard University, Smith Student Center

Harvard University, Holden Chapel

Boston University Hillel

Vilna Shul, Beacon Hill

Longy School of Music, Bard College

J Arts Boston

Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Boston

Longfellow House Museum, Cambridge

Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge

Boston Art and Music Soul Festival (BAMS Fest)

Somerville Public Library

Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown

Earfull Music and Literature Series, Watertown

ArtBeat Festival, Somerville Arts Council

Boston Playwrights' Theater

Temple Isaiah, Lexington

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Cambridge

Union Baptist Church, Cambridge

First Unitarian Church of Worcester

The 'Quin House, Boston

St. Botolph Club, Boston

Atwoods Tavern, Cambridge

CultureHouse, Somerville

The Burren, Somerville

Boston City Winery

Club Passim, Cambridge

Sofar Sounds Boston

Scorpio Concert Series, Jamaica Plain

GreyFox Bluegrass Festival, NY

Gallery P339, Brooklyn

Sofar Sounds New York

Rockwood Music Hall, NYC

Pete's Candy Store, NYC

Folk Alliance International

Lawnya Vawnya Festival, Canada

Ossipee 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

Jerusalem Academy of Music & Dance

The Khan Theatre, Jerusalem, Israel

Levontin 7, Tel Aviv, Israel

Shablul Jazz Club, Tel Aviv, Israel

Ozen Bar, Tel Aviv, Israel

Yellow Submarine, Jerusalem, Israel

Mazkeka, Jerusalem, Israel

Hamiffal, Jerusalem, Israel

Nocturno, Jerusalem, Israel

Hamarakia, Jerusalem, Israel

Matat Gallery of Art, Matat, Israel

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