127 Supporting Artists Avner Biron, Conductor Avner Biron is the founder, Music Director, and Permanent Conductor of the Israel Camerata Jerusalem. He has conducted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony, the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva, and orchestras worldwide. He has served as Music Director of several festivals, including Abu Gosh and the Music and Nature Festival in Galilee. During 1994-2005, he was head of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where he established the departments of Arabic Music and Multidisciplinary Music, as well as the Academy Chamber Orchestra. He was a member of the Standing Committee of the organization of Academic Institutions for Music in Europe (AEC). Biron began his musical career as a flutist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and as a solo flutist with the Israel Chamber Orchestra. He studied biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and conducting in Vienna and at the Salzburg Mozarteum. He has also been active as a solo flutist and a flute teacher. In 2005, he was awarded the Minister of Education Prize. Israel Philharmonic Orchestra The Israel Philharmonic was founded in 1936 by Bronislaw Huberman, and Arturo Toscanini conducted its inaugural concert on 26 December 1936. The IPO plays subscription series in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, as well as in special concerts and various concert series throughout Israel. The IPO regularly tours the world's cultural centers and prestigious festivals, premiering works by Israeli composers and promoting new creative artists. The IPO has contributed to the absorption of new immigrants and includes new immigrant musicians in its ranks. The Orchestra has hosted the world's greatest conductors and soloists, as well as young talents from Israel and abroad. As part of KeyNote, the IPO's music education and outreach program, IPO musicians perform in numerous schools and concerts for school pupils at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv. In 1969, Maestro Zubin Mehta was appointed Music Advisor to the IPO, and in 1977, he became its Music Director. Maestro Mehta retired in October 2019, and following his retirement, the IPO declared him Music Director Emeritus. Lahav Shani became Music Director in the 2020-21 season. Michael Favia
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