129 Supporting Artists Saida Bar-Lev, Violin Saida Bar-Lev grew up in Switzerland and began studying the violin at age 8 with Margarita Karafilova. At 14, she entered the Lausanne Conservatory, where she studied with Christine Sorensen. A year later, she joined Professor Tibor Varga's violin class and performed with him at several chamber concerts during his summer festival in Switzerland. In 1988, she won first prize at the Jeunesse Musicale Competition in Lausanne. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras in Switzerland, including the Swiss Italian Radio Orchestra and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. In 1990, she moved to Israel, where she studied with Chaim Taub. She joined the First Violin section of the Israel Philharmonic during the 1990-91 season. In Israel, she has performed as a soloist with the Ramat Gan Chamber Orchestra and the Tel Aviv University Orchestra. She has participated in chamber concerts with members of the Israel Philharmonic both in Israel and abroad. She has also performed in numerous recitals across Switzerland and Germany with her father, pianist Assaf Bar-Lev. Bar-Lev was appointed Assistant Concertmaster in the 2023-24 season. Hillel Zori, Cello Hillel Zori, an acclaimed Israeli cellist, gained international recognition after winning the 1986 Maria Canals International Cello Competition and earning top prizes at major competitions, including the Whitaker, Premio Stradivari, Geneva CIEM, and the Rostropovich Competition. He also received the Tanglewood Jackson Award and was the first cellist to win the Shapira Award. A recipient of AICF awards, he studied with Prof. Uzi Wiesel at the Tel-Aviv Rubin Academy and later with Bernard Greenhouse at the New England Conservatory. Zori's repertoire features Bach's suites, chamber music, and major cello concerti. Since his debut in 1984 with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, he has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the BBC Scottish Symphony, Düsseldorf Symphony, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, and the Jerusalem Symphony, working with notable conductors including Wellber, Mandeal, Volkov, Levi, and Justus Franz. A dedicated chamber musician and former member of the Israel Piano Trio, he has performed at festivals worldwide and at major venues such as Carnegie-Zankel Hall, Salle Gaveau, Wigmore Hall, and the UN Assembly Hall. His creative work includes *Carmeniana*, arrangements of Wiesenberg and Brahms, and original compositions. Zori is also active as a conductor, recording artist, and highly regarded educator, serving as Professor and Head of Strings at the Buchmann–Mehta School of Music. Miri Davidovitz Michal Rotem
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