Gil Shaham (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: גיל שחם; born February 19, 1971) is an American violinist. His accolades include a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1999, and he has performed as a soloist with such orchestras as the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

, Vienna Philharmonic,

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisra'elit'') is a major Israeli symphony orchestra based in Tel Aviv. Its principal concert ...

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

, Cleveland Orchestra,

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...

, Russian National Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the

Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du ...

Biography

Gil Shaham was born in

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents i ...

, while his Israeli parents were on an academic fellowship at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

. His father, Jacob, was an astrophysicist and his mother, Meira Diskin, was a cytogeneticist. His sister is the pianist Orli Shaham. His brother, Shai Shaham, is the head of the Laboratory of Developmental Genetics at

Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...

. When he was two years old, the family moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, where at age seven he started violin lessons at the Rubin Academy of Music, winning annual scholarships from the

America-Israel Cultural Foundation The America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) is a non-profit American foundation that supports cultural projects in Israel. History The America-Israel Cultural Foundation was established in 1939 to support the growth and development of a Jewish ...

. He went on to graduate from the Horace Mann School in New York. He attended the

Aspen Music Festival and School The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a European classical music, classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music stu ...

in Colorado, studying with

Dorothy DeLay Dorothy DeLay (March 31, 1917 – March 24, 2002) was an American violin teacher, instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Cincinnati. Life Dorothy DeLay was born on March 31, 1917, in Medic ...

and Jens Ellermann, and won a scholarship to the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. He and his sister Orli also studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Shaham lives in New York City and teaches at Bard College Conservatory of Music. He is married to violinist Adele Anthony. They have three children.

Music career

Shaham debuted as a soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony at age 10. He performed with the Israel Philharmonic—Israel's foremost orchestra—less than a year later. Shaham won first prize in the Claremont Competition at age 11, and was admitted to Juilliard, where he studied with

and Hyo Kang. Shaham's career advanced in 1989 when, while a senior at Horace Mann, he replaced an ailing

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman (; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the First ina ...

to perform the Bruch and Sibelius violin concertos with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

. Shaham won the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990, and the Premio Internazionale of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena in 1992. Shaham has performed with the

, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic,

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, Russian National Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields,

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Franci ...

, Philadelphia Orchestra,

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

and National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. In 2021,he was a soloist with the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, in the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, in the summer series. Shaham has played the "Comtesse de Polignac", a

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...

violin of 1699 on loan from the Stradivarius Society of Chicago since 1989.

Discography

* ''Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos'' (with Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

) (1990) * ''Schumann: Works for Violin and Piano'' (1990) * ''Franck / Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonatas'' (with Gerhard Oppitz) (1991) * ''Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3'' (with Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the

) (1992) * ''Wieniawski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2'' (with Lawrence Foster conducting the

) (1992) * ''Sibelius/Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos'' (with Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra) (1993) * ''Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto;

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...

: Violin Concerto and Much Ado about Nothing Suite'' (with Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra) (1994) * ''Paganini for Two'' (with

Göran Söllscher Göran Söllscher (born 31 December 1955) is a Sweden, Swedish award-winning virtuoso classical guitarist known for his broad range of musical interpretations, ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach to the Beatles. Söllscher's international ca ...

) (1994) * ''Vivaldi: The Four Seasons'' (with

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (founded in 1972) is a classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. They have won several Grammy Awards, and are known for their collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, i ...

) (1995) * ''Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2'' (with Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra) (1996) * ''Violin Romances'' (with

) (1996) * ''Dvořák for Two'' (with Orli Shaham) (1997) * ''The Fiddler of the Opera'' (with Jascha Heifetz) (1997) * '' Israel Philharmonic 60th Anniversary Gala Concert'' (1997) * ''Berlin Gala: A Salute to Carmen'' (with Anne Sofie von Otter and Roberto Alagna) (1998) * ''American Scenes (Works of Copland, Previn, Barber, Gershwin)'' (1998) * ''Glazunov / Kabalevsky: Meeting in Moscow'' (1998) * ''Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2'' (with

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 ...

conducting the

) (1999) * ''Pärt: Tabula Rasa'' (1999) * ''Devil's Dance'' (2000) * ''Two Worlds'' (with

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years l ...

and

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

) (2000) * ''

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

: Treesong / Violin Concerto / 3 Pieces from

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...

'' (with John Williams conducting the

) (2001) * ''Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time'' (with Myung-Whun Chung) (2001) * ''Brahms: Violin Concerto / Double Concerto'' (with Jian Wang and

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharm ...

conducting the

) (2002) * ''Schubert for Two'' (with

) (2003) * ''The Fauré Album'' (2003) * ''Prokofiev: Works for Violin and Piano'' (with Orli Shaham) (2004) * ''Beethoven: Triple Concerto / Septet'' (with David Zinman and Yefim Bronfman) (2006) * ''The Butterfly Lovers' Concerto for Violin / Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto'' (2007) * ''Mozart in Paris'' (with Orli Shaham) (2008) * ''Elgar: Violin Concerto'' (with David Zinman conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) (2008) * ''Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor'' (with Yefim Bronfman and Truls Mørk) (2008) * ''Sarasate: Virtuoso Violin Works'' (with Adele Anthony) (2009) * ''Haydn: Violin Concertos / Mendelssohn: Octet'' (with the Sejong Soloists) (2010) * ''Nigunim: Hebrew Melodies ''(with Orli Shaham) (2013)
1930s Violin Concertos
(2014) * '' Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin '' (2015)

Awards

* Avery Fisher Career Grant (1990) * Premio Internazionale of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena (1992) * Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

& Gil Shaham for ''American Scenes (Works of Copland, Previn,

Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...

, Gershwin)'' (

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

) * Avery Fisher Award (2008) Presented by his dear friend Gustavo Dudamel at a Live from Lincoln Center private presentation of the music of Pablo de Sarasate in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. * Instrumentalist of the Year (2012)

References

External links

*
Gil Shaham
at Canary Classics
Gil Shaham
in conversation on WGBH Radio Boston
Gil Shaham to perform Dvorák with Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra
by Liran Gurkiewicz, The Jerusalem Post, June 16, 2024 {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaham, Gil Israeli classical violinists American male classical violinists Jewish classical violinists Jewish American classical musicians Grammy Award winners Juilliard School alumni Deutsche Grammophon artists Columbia University alumni Horace Mann School alumni American people of Israeli descent People from Urbana, Illinois 1971 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American classical violinists