Nadav Amir-Himmel

Nadav Amir-Himmel “A talented musician, always curious, hard-working, mature, intelligent.” (Josef Bardanashvili, a Composer)

Nadav Amir-Himmel is an award winning composer and pianist. In summer 2012 he was awarded first prize, as well as a special prize for the best free composition and a special prize for the best composition based on models, in the prestigious "International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition”, Prague. In summer 2014 his composition "Galatea" is to be performed within the same competition in Prague's Rudolfinium by the ‘Karlovy Vary Orchestra’. Part of this piece, "Galatea of the Spheres”, was cite-read in September 2012 by the Jerusalem Symphony, conducted by Frederick Shazlan.

In March, 2013, he was invited to Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, as a guest of honor, to deliver lectures about his music in relation to Salvador Dali's paintings within a seminar discussing the relationship among arts. His Baroque Concerto for Piano and Strings Orchestra was performed during this visit by himself as a pianist and a quintet of Strings. In addition, he delivered a lecture in Carnegie Mellon university, in the class of Professor Leonardo Balada.

Nadav was granted the AICF scholarships as a Pianist (2008 - 2010) and as a Composer (2010 – 2014). In 2013-2014 he participated in master classes for Composers, "Contemporary Encounters”, under the guidance of Philippe Leroux.

His compositions have been performed in USA, Germany and Israel by variety of people. Among them: Michal Beck, Shay Bloch, Yoel Culiner, Flaka Goranci, Nari Hong, Robert Kaufman, Maeline Marco Scanlon, Marie Matlova, Heather Pinson, Amanda Rice-Johnston, Alexander Scheile, Hagar Sharvit, Margarita Timoshin, Ai Wen, Yevgeny Yontov and Hila Zamir.

Nadav was born in 1985 in Israel. He began studying Piano and composition under the guidance of Mr. Arie Hassid and Professor Andre Hajdu. He was granted the status of out-standing musician in his service in the IDF army In the years 2003-2006. During the years 2004 - 2007, he took part in the Tel Hai International Piano Master classes. He completed B.Mus. degrees both in Piano Playing, under the supervision of Professor Emanuel Krasovsky, and in Composition, under the supervision of the composer, Dr. Josef Bardanashvili, in the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel-Aviv University. In 2013 he completed his M. Mus. degree in Composition, under the supervision of Dr. Bardanashvili, in the Jerusalem Academy of Music.

Nadav’s composition pieces include compositions for solo musicians, lieds, small ensembles, symphony orchestra and there are also arrangements for various settings. Each of the pieces has its own internal unique world, that relates to musical and non-musical contexts – from Bach’s Baroque music to Elvis Presley, from Oscar Wilde to Salvador Dali. His compositions are not bound to the limitations of a certain genre, but are strictly bound to the wholeness of form and structure. Nadav's composition Galatea is based on four paintings by Salvador Dali. Creating a work of art in relation to another work of art in a different medium requires a deep involvement in issues of translation of motives, ideas, atmosphere, structure and meaning. Each 'Painting' in the composition is based on a musical formula, that is rooted in the essence of the painting and of the musical piece. Just one example: the music of 'Galatea of the Spheres’ wishes to express the intricate relations between particles and wholeness and their eternal mutual movement.
namirhimmel@gmail.com
http://nadavamirhimmel.com/