Aharon Harlap

Aharon Harlap, one of Israel’s most prominent composers and conductors was born in Canada, where he began his musical career as a pianist. He completed his studies in music and mathematics at the University of Manitoba, Canada in 1963, and in 1964 immigrated to Israel. He furthered his studies in composition and conducting at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, London, England, and at the Vienna Academy of Music, Austria.

Harlap is widely known as an orchestral, operatic and choral conductor and has appeared as guest conductor with all of the major orchestras in Israel including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. His orchestral compositions have been performed by all the major orchestras in Israel including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva Orchestra, the Tel Aviv soloists, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra IBA, the Israel Camerata Jerusalem, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon leZion Symphony Orchestra. Aside from Israel, his chamber and orchestral compositions have been performed throughout the world, namely in Canada, the USA, Europe, and recently in St. Petersburg, Russia.

He is the recipient of many prizes including the ACUM award for “Life Achievement” in 2008 for his contribution to music in Israel as a composer, conductor and teacher. He was also awarded the “Prime Minister’s Composition Prize” in 1999 and again in 2014. Harlap has represented Israel as an international choral judge at the “World Choir Games” (Interkultur) held in Korea, the USA, Austria, Germany, China and Russia. In May, 2016 Harlap’s new orchestral work Memoirs was performed by the Dohnanyi-Budafok Symphony orchestra, Budapest under the direction of Roberto Paternostro. In July 2017, Harlap’s clarinet concerto was performed in Bangkok by the Thailand Philharmonic orchestra under the direction of the orchestra’s music director Alfonso Scarano, with the clarinet soloist Calogero Palermo, principal clarinetist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Holland.

Since 1976, Harlap is an Associate Professor in choral and orchestral conducting at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and since 1997, Music Director of the Kefar Sava Chamber Choir in Israel.