Arie Vardi (; born 1937) is a classical pianist, conductor, and piano pedagogue. He is laureate of the Israel Prize in 2017.

Biography

Vardi was born in Tel Aviv and graduated from the Rubin Academy (renamed the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in 2005) and earned a law degree at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

. He obtained a soloist diploma from at

City of Basel Music Academy The City of Basel Music Academy () is an institution for music education, located in Basel, Switzerland. It comprises a music school, college of music, and a center for early music research and performance. History The origins of the City of Base ...

. Among his music teachers were Paul Baumgartner (piano),

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

and

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

(composition). He then went on to become professor of piano and head of department at the Rubin Academy, and later became the head of the school.Baldassin, Rick (1989) "An Interview with Concert Artist Arie Vardi", ''Piano Technician's Journal'', Volume 32, p. 12

Music career

Vardi launched his concert career at the age of fifteen as the winner of the Chopin Competition in Israel and the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest. Vardi performs regularly as soloist-conductor, playing the complete set of concerti by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

, part of which he has played on the ''Hammerflügel''. His extensive repertoire includes various Israeli works, many of which were dedicated to him. In the 2001 season, Vardi directed, conducted and played a series of five concerts with the Israel Chamber Orchestra. The series, entitled "The Piano Concerto", featured twelve concertos ranging from Bach to the 21st century. In the 2004–5 season he launched a new weekend series with the Israel Philharmonic, "Morning Intermezzo", where he serves as conductor and presenter. For television viewers he is best known for his series ''Master Classes'', the family series of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra which he conducts and presents, and also currently for his new series ''Intermezzo with Arik''.

Students

Vardi’s students include concert artists Nareh Arghamanyan, Yaara Tal,

Yefim Bronfman Yefim Naumovich Bronfman (; born April 10, 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist. Biography Bronfman was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and immigrated to Israel at the age of 15. He was born into a musical Jewish family. His father Naum ...

, Daniel Gortler, Chi-Ho Han,

Martin Helmchen Martin Helmchen (born 1982) is a German pianist. He has played with international orchestras and has recorded discs of many classical composers. Life Helmchen was born in Berlin. He began his piano studies at the age of six, and graduated from ...

, Claire Huangci, Łukasz Krupiński,

Yundi Li Yundi Li ( zh, s=李云迪, t=李雲迪, p=Lǐ Yúndí; born 7 October 1982), also known simply as Yundi (stylized as YUNDI), is a Chinese classical concert pianist. Yundi is considered one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of Chopin and ...

Aleksandra Mikulska Aleksandra Mikulska (born 17 November 1981 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish people, Polish classical pianist. She is the current president of the Chopin Society in Darmstadt, Germany. Biography Mikulska was born in Warsaw. She began piano educ ...

, Boris Giltburg, Mateusz Molęda, Francesco Piemontesi, Tomoki Sakata, Lahav Shani,

Dmitry Shishkin Dmitry Igorevich Shishkin (), born on 12 February 1992, is a Russian classical pianist. He is best known for winning the 2nd prize at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019. In 2018, he won 1st prize at the Geneva International M ...

, Alessandro Taverna, Yeol Eum Son and Beatrice Rana. Mathematician

Noam Elkies Noam David Elkies (born August 25, 1966) is a professor of mathematics at Harvard University. At age 26, he became the youngest professor to receive tenure at Harvard. He is also a pianist, chess national master, and chess composer. Early life ...

was a student of his between 1972 and 1978.

Jury member

Vardi is currently the artistic advisor and chairman of the jury of the Arthur Rubinstein International Master Competition.

Master classes

Vardi has held master classes and presented lecture recitals at many of the world's top conservatories. His recordings of Mozart concertos have included the Concerto for Three Pianos with Yefim Bronfman and

Radu Lupu Radu Lupu (30 November 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a Romanian pianist. He was widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his time. Born in Galați, Romania, Lupu began studying piano at the age of six. Two of his major piano teache ...

. Vardi teaches at the Hochschule für Musik Hannover, Germany, and at the

Buchmann-Mehta School of Music The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music (BMSM) is an institute of higher education in Tel Aviv, Israel. The school is a part of the Faculty of the Arts of Tel Aviv University and is operated in collaboration with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO). ...

in Tel Aviv.

Awards and recognition

His recordings have won critical acclaim. In 2004, the Minister of Education Award was bestowed upon him for his lifetime achievement. In 2017, Vardi was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vardi, Arie 1937 births Living people Israeli classical pianists Piano educators Israeli music educators Tel Aviv University alumni Jewish classical pianists Jewish Israeli musicians 21st-century Israeli conductors (music) 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century Israeli male musicians 20th-century Israeli conductors (music) 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Israeli male musicians Male conductors (music) Israeli male classical pianists Musicians from Tel Aviv