About Me
Violist Gilad Karni, has been praised for his tone and interpretation throughout the world, and is a violist that has left his trade mark in many international viola competitions. First Prize Winner of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition 1994, and Third Prize Winner (1993) of the ARD Munich International Music Competition, he was also one of the youngest members of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra which he joined in 1992. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, South Africa, Switzerland, and the USA. His other awards include the Third Prize in the 1992 Bryan International String Competition (USA), First Prize in the Israeli Broadcasting Authority Competition for Best Performance of 1991, the Peter Schidlof Prize for the Most Beautiful Tone in the 1991 Lionel Tertis Viola Competition (England), and the Best Interpretation Prize for the commissioned concerto (by C. He. Joubert) in the 1989 Third International Maurice Vieux Viola Competition in France.His participation in chamber music festivals include Dubrovnik Festival, Bastad and Lapland Festivals (Sweden), Nordic Academy (Denmark), Festival PRO - Bahnhoff Rolandsek and Neustadt Festival (Germany), Kfar Bloom(Israel), Davos Music Festival (Switzerland), Kuhmo (Finland) and the Newport, Bellingham Festival WA, Santa Fe and La Jolla Chamber Music Festivals (USA) among others. Special events had Mr. Karni perform with Isaac Stern's at the Maestro's 70th birthday celebration in Tel-Aviv and a performance with the Guarneri String Quartet in Carnegie Hall. In addition, he has appeared on radio broadcasts in Israel, Germany, France, Switzerland, South Africa and the USA (WQXR and National Public Radio.)In 2004 Mr. Karni has been appointed Principal Violist of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, after serving as Principal for the previous 2 years at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. His vast orchestral experience ranges from being the youngest member of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, which he joined in 1992, to Principal Violist Positions of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, a post he held between 1996-2002, and the Rishon Le-Zion Symphony Orchestra in Israel. In Berlin, Mr. Karni is in demand as guest Principal at orchestras such as the Berlin Staatskapelle under Barenboim, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, and Radio Symphony Orchestra, among other European orchestras. At the invitation of Maestro Claudio Abbado, he made an appearance as guest Principal Violist with the Orchestra of a United Europe in 1991. A scholarship recipient of The America Israel Cultural Foundation (1985-1991), and an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Karni's was recently appointed Professor for Viola at the Conservatoire de Lausanne.Mr. Karni's recent engagements have included performances of the Bartok Viola Concerto in Germany, Switzerland, and Poland, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Israel Sinfonietta, Wuppertal Symphony and the Berlin Symphony, and solo appearances alongside world acclaimed cellists Yo Yo Ma and Heinrich Schiff and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Last season Mr. Karni performed Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, a world premier of "ViolAlive" by Gideon Lewinsohn and the Israel Sinfonietta, and made the Hungarian debut of Miklos Rozsa's viola concerto with the Budapest Concert Orchestra at the renowned Spring Festival to mark the composer's 100 year centennial. The performance of the Miklos Rozsa Viola Concerto in Budapest led to a recording of the Viola Concerto for Naxos that will be released later this year. Future engagements are with the Belgrade Philharmonic, The Guangzhou and Aspen Festivals, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Belgrade Philharmonic, Georgian Chamber Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker, Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Hartford Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. This coming summer, Mr. Karni will be on the faculty of the Banff Center of the Arts in Canada, and the Aspen Music Festival in America, as well as performing at the Rolandsek Chamber Music Festival with members of the Berlin Philharmonic. More under www.arbetter-artists.com
