YARIV ALONI
Associate Music Director and Conductor
Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra

Born in Israel, Yariv Aloni has studied with Michael Tree, violist of the Guarneri String Quartet; Daniel Benyamini, former principal violist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and David Chen at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem Music Centre where he studied with Ilona Feher, Isaac Stern, the Amadeus Quartet and other internationally recognized musicians. He was Assistant Principal Violist with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra under the direction of the late Leonard Bernstein. His education also includes chamber music studies with the Guarneri String Quartet at the University of Maryland.

As an emerging conductor Yariv Aloni has received praise for his impassioned, inspiring and “magnificently right” interpretations of major orchestral and choral repertoire. In addition to his studies with Hungarian conductor János Sándor, he has worked with Gustav Meyer and most recently, with Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival.

Acclaimed by critics for his sensitivity, virtuosity and expressive tone, Yariv Aloni performs as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Former violist with the AVIV and PENDERECKI Quartets, Mr. Aloni has performed in the major concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Centre in New York, Tonhalle in Zurich and the Louvre in Paris. He has collaborated with many distinguished musicians including Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zuckerman, Mischa Maisky and Christoph Eschenbach. He has recorded for the CBC, BBC, National Public Radio, Radio France and Israeli Radio. Mr. Aloni can also be heard on compact discs issued by the UNITED, MARQUISE, TRITONUS and CBC labels.

Mr. Aloni has served on the faculties of Wilfrid Laurier University, the Utah Music Festival, and Jerusalem Music Center, among others, and has presented master classes at Acadia University, Brandon University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. Yariv Aloni holds both Israeli and Canadian citizenship. He lives in Victoria, where, along with performing and teaching, he holds the posts of Artistic Director of the Galiano Ensemble of Victoria, the Victoria Chamber Orchestra and the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre, and is Associate Music Director of the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra.

September 2006