Hagai Shaham
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Hagai Shaham is an Israeli violin virtuoso. Born in 1966, he began studying the violin at the age of six and was the last student of the late Professor Ilona Feher.
As a soloist he has performed with many of the world's major orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique Francais, Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, SWF Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra, Slovakian Philharmonic, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta. In 1985 he was invited to join Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman in a gala concert at Carnegie Hall, following which Zubin Mehta invited him to perform Brahms' Double Concerto at Carnegie Hall.
He also performs as a recitalist and appears in chamber music performances. He regularly tours throughout Europe, and North and South America, performing at international recital series and festivals.
He has recorded on the Biddulph, Hyperion Records, Avie, Naxos Records, Talent, and more labels, music of Achron, Bloch, Brahms, Hubay, Grieg, Mozart, and more.
Hagai Shaham is on the faculty of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and conducts master classes primarily in Israel and Europe. In 2007, he joined the music faculty at the renowned Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
In September 1990, Hagai Shaham and his duo partner Arnon Erez won the first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in the Violin-Piano duo category, the first competitors to be awarded this coveted first prize since 1971. His other awards include first prizes at the Ilona Kornhouser competition, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority Young Artist competition, The Tel-Aviv Rubin Academy competition, four Clairmont Awards, and annual scholarship from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.
He is a co-founder of the Ilona Feher Foundation.
