Michael Damian

Dr. Michael Damian was born in 1954 in Romania, where he studied composition and conducting at the Bucharest National University of Music under A. Vieru and J. Conta. After immigrating to Israel in 1983, he became an active member of both the Israeli Composers League and ACUM (the Israeli Society of Authors, Composers, and Music Publishers).

His compositions have been performed internationally in renowned venues across Romania (Bucharest, Iași, Ploiești, Satu Mare), Germany (Münster, Leipzig, Heilbronn), the U.S. (Boston), Japan (Yokkaichi, Tokyo), Italy (Pescara), Bulgaria (Plovdiv), Russia (Novosibirsk), and Israel (Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Rishon LeZion).

Awards and Recognitions: Clairmont Award (1985), Prime Minister’s Prize for Composers (2004), ACUM Award (2011), Mark Kopytman Award (2013), First Prize at the Central International Composition Competition, Malta (2018).

Dr. Damian earned his PhD in musicology and composition from Bar-Ilan University in 2002. He is regularly invited to lecture and give talks at various institutions throughout Israel, contributing to the academic and musical community with his expertise.

As a conductor, Dr. Damian has led prominent orchestras, including the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and the Ile de France Symphony Orchestra, as well as several distinguished ensembles in Israel and abroad. Many of his performances, especially of Israeli compositions, have been recorded by the IBA’s Voice of Music radio station and received critical acclaim.