By David Amos

LA JOLLA, California—One of my important missions in music is to promote lesser known composers and emerging young musicians worthy of greater recognition and exposure.

The future of classical music rests in our younger generations. First of all it is essential that we educate our youth to appreciate, enjoy, and seek out classical music. After that, come the composers, the creators of the art form, and the performers, the re-creators and interpreters.

The program presented on November 1 at Congregation Beth El in La Jolla was precisely this. We heard three young and talented Israeli classical instrumentalists in a recital which was serious, but at the same time entertaining while presenting musical selections of depth and variety. The music was vital and relevant. And, as I have often said, nothing can substitute the energy of hearing music in a live venue, intimate and very communicative.

There is no lack of musical talent coming out of Israel. Long before the Soviet migrations to Israel of the late 80’s and early 90’s, the country was already turning out astoundingly gifted musicians. Even though the Israeli public has always embraced good music in larger quantities than practically any other nation, Israel is saturated with riches in this category. So, it is understandable that many musicians have sought performance opportunities in a variety of other countries, many coming to the United States.

Ironically, you may be surprised to know how many Israelis have found quality musical careers in Germany’s orchestras and ensembles, as players, conductors, and soloists.

Of the three young musicians playing at Beth El, I have been directly acquainted with one of them: Moran Katz, clarinetist, is a recent First Prize winner of the Freiburg International Competition in Germany. She performs extensively in the U.S., Europe, and East Asia as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Among many orchestras, she has been the featured soloist with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, the China Philharmonic, the Collegium Musicum Basel Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony, Israel Sinfonietta, and Tel-Aviv Soloists Ensemble. This was her second performance in San Diego.

Her sister, cellist Linor Katz, recently made her debut as soloist with the Czech Radio Orchestra in Prague. She has also

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soloed with the Jerusalem Symphony, the Israel Opera Orchestra, the Thelma Yellin Symphony Orchestra, and with the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra in a special concert in Milan. In 2006, she joined the cello section of the Israel Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta in the orchestra’s tour of Japan and Western Europe. A winner of many awards and scholarships, Linor is currently studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she was granted a full scholarship.

The pianist who accompanied Moran and Linor was Eliran Avni, who has been hailed as “The new hope of Israeli music’ by Ma’ariv, and described as possessing both “ironclad technique” and “ample suppleness” by the New York Times. To his credit are numerous recordings for the Naxos label and the Israeli and German broadcasting systems. He has been called an emerging force in the contemporary classical music scene, and is presently dividing his time between performing solo and chamber concerts, conducting workshops and master classes on the subject of emotional understanding of music, and teaching at both at the Lucy Moses School, and the New York Chamber Music Program.

In various combinations, (duets and trios), the music performed by these gifted artists included Max Bruch’s Kol Nidre, Paul Schonfield’s Four Souvenirs, Requiebros, for Cello and Piano by Gaspar Cassado, and other worthy selections by Muczinski, Tchaikovsky, and Piazzolla.

The venue at the sanctuary of Beth El, while acoustically quite adequate, is hardly suited for classical chamber music. As magnificent as it is for worship services, the physical setup places the musicians facing the Ark, with no one in front of them where the music is best heard, and the audience of about 50 people at either side, close enough to see, hear and enjoy, but inadequately located to benefit from the balanced sound of the ensemble.

Nevertheless, because of the intimacy and beauty of the surroundings, combined with the brilliance of the artists with their contagious expressions of joyful music making, we were treated to a most satisfying recital.

We are grateful for all the work and enthusiasm of July Galper, for bringing these magnificent musicians to San Diego, and energetically promoting and presenting them to us.

Amos is the conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra in San Diego as well as a guest conductor of orchestras around the world. He may be contacted at amosd@sandiegojewishworld.com