118 For ten years, Elias led the Arabic music department at Kol Israel, presented Arabic musical programs on Israeli television, and chaired judging panels for Arabic singing competitions including "Aravission" and "Arab Star." Furthermore, he served on the "Zimria" Board of Directors, the Israeli Harp Society, and as jury chair for the Israeli Harp Competition; he was nominated as a jury member at the 16th and 17th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2021 and 2023. Elias has recently been appointed to the Wolf Foundation's board of directors. The Frank Peleg Prize Committee determined that "Taiseer Elias's significant and impactful contributions have elevated Eastern music to a prominent genre within Israeli and international artistic music, fostering broader public awareness and acceptance of this music as a standard component of concert programming. Taiseer Elias has developed a multicultural musical idiom, drawing upon diverse Eastern and Western influences to create universally appealing art that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. His sustained collaborations with leading Israeli and international composers have significantly expanded the repertoire for his instrument and established it as a prominent voice in contemporary music. His artistry and extensive work with renowned musicians have garnered him significant respect within the music community as a preeminent performer, educator, and composer whose contributions to Israeli and global music are substantial and multifaceted". Ian Fountain In 1989, Ian Fountain became the youngest winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv at the age of 19. He was educated as a chorister at New College, Oxford, and later at Winchester College. He studied piano under Sulamita Aronovsky at the RNCM. Since that time, he has enjoyed a wide-ranging and varied career, performing extensively throughout Europe, the USA, the UK, and the Far East, with orchestras such as the London Symphony and Sir Colin Davis, the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, and the Czech Philharmonic and Jiri Belohlavek. He has also performed with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Halle, CBSO, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, and Utah Symphony, amongst many others. In Moscow, he was invited to open the 1992/3 season of the Moscow Conservatoire, and in Poland, he marked the 150th anniversary of Chopin’s death by playing both Chopin Concertos in Kraków. As a recitalist, he performed in major centers such as New York, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and Jerusalem. He is a regular guest of international festivals such as Prague Spring, Berlin, SchleswigHolstein, Enescu (Bucharest), and Kuhmo. He has performed an extensive repertoire of over 60 concertos, including the complete Mozart Concertos. Jury Members
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTQ4MDQ5