The Israeli Schubertiade, established in 2007 as a single marathon concert at the Enav Culture Center in Tel Aviv and featured 11 Israeli musicians, has become a popular favorite of music lovers in Israel, and a key component in Israel’s cultural map. The founding members of the Israeli Schubertiade are: Daniel Gortler, Raz Kohn, Yossi Schiffmann and Miri Shamir.
Following the tradition of the Viennese Schubertiades dating back some 200 years to the days of Schubert himself, these chamber concerts aspire to revive the spirit of the Viennese salon as a social and cultural event. These concerts expose the Israeli public to the rich musical diversity of Schubert’s specialty: lieder (songs) and compositions for chamber ensembles.
Schubertiades take place all over the world, regularly or on occasion. The Israeli Schubertiade, which returns every year for its traditional “Winter Journey” around the birth date of Franz Schubert - the Viennese genius - has made it its mission to advertise the unique magic of Schubert’s work, in collaboration with leading musicians from Israel and abroad, for the enjoyment of music lovers in Israel.
Over its years of existence, the Israeli Schubertiade has succeeded to expand its artistic tapestry, and present pieces that were not created by Schubert, yet correspond with his artistry and share his spirit. In addition, the Israeli Schubertiade has initiated and commissioned new works by Israeli composers, among which are Gilad Hochman and Moshe Zorman.
Julius Schmid, Schubertiade, 1896
Dr. Raz Kohn, a native of Kibbutz Afikim, is a member of the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion. He is a former principal cellist at the Haifa Symphony and the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra, with which he had performed as a soloist, and was a member of the Musica Nova Consort. Raz is a member of the veteran Rishonim String Quartet. He performed with them in many important chamber music series, including live broadcasts on Kol Hamusika’s "Etnachta" programs, premiering works by Noam Sheriff, Haim Permont and Ben-Zion Orgad. He participated in numerous festivals, including Tanglewood, Spoletto, Sounds in the Desert, Sounds of Music in the Upper Galilee the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. In 2007, Raz Kohn initiated and established the Israeli Schubertiade, and has since been acting as its artistic director. The festival, dedicated to Schubert’s music, returns each year for its “Winter Journey” on main stages across Israel and features singers and pianists, including notable Schubert interpreters. Since 2009, Raz Kohn has been acting as the artistic director of Friday Noon Chambers musical program at the Rishon LeZion Culture Hall. His work as a concert series director has earned him the 2018 Tel Aviv Municipality Rosenblum Prize for Performing Arts. Raz is a graduate of Tel Aviv and Yale universities, and has a D.MA degree from SUNY StonyBrook in New York. Among his teachers are Uri Chen, Uzi Wiesel, Aldo Parisot and Timothy Eddy. Raz is the winner of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Stutschewsky Prize for Israeli Music Performance.
Dr. Raz Kohn
cellist and music director, The Israeli Schubertiade