Yitzhak Yedid

He has been hailed as one of the most original composers on the international music scene today. Interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural integration are central themes in his work. His compositions reflect a deep interest in Middle Eastern culture, Jewish traditions and ancient rituals, the aesthetics of classical and liturgical Arabic music, and non-Western music performance practices. Yedid has performed concert programs featuring Judaeo-Sephardic and Middle Eastern sacred music in his solo piano recitals.

Yitzhak Yedid studied at New England Conservatory and Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. The recorded working language is Hebrew. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are jazz. Distinctions recorded are Prime Minister's Award for Composers and Michael Landau Prize.

• Name — Yitzhak Yedid • Native Name — יצחק ידיד • Born — 29 September 1971 • Birthplace — Jerusalem, Israel • Background — person • Genre — * Contemporary classical • Jewish • Jazz • Avant-garde • Experimental • Third stream • Polystylism • Occupation — * Pianist • Composer • Academic • Instrument — Piano • Years Active — 1998–present • Label — * Challenge Records International • Between the Lines

Yitzhak Yedid was born in Jerusalem to a Jewish family of Syrian and Iraqi descent. His father was of Syrian-Jewish background and his mother of Iraqi-Jewish background. His initial formative musical experiences included attending liturgical services at his local synagogue where he imbibed the sounds and rhythms of the Syrian-Jewish Baqashot tradition. He was also immersed in music rooted in the broader Jewish-Arabic tradition, including the performance of traditional maqamat-based repertoire. At the same time, his mother encouraged his engagement with Western classical music and Western instrumental study. He began piano lessons with a private teacher at the age of seven. During his teenage years, he developed an interest in jazz piano, and by the age of twenty he was performing his original compositions with a contemporary music ensemble he had established. Yitzhak Yedid's musical aesthetics find their roots in the music he immersed himself in during his formative years, particularly in the Aleppo's tradition of chanting Piyyutim and Baqashot. His musical journey is also inspired by piano music and improvisation. In his compositions, Yedid seamlessly integrates various elements, including energies and dynamics, while introducing a distinctive aesthetic that departs from the conventional norms of classical stage traditions. This innovative approach adds a nuanced, and at times even provocative, dimension to his musical creations. Yedid studied at the Rubin Academy of Music with Vyacheslav Ganelin and the New England Conservatory in Boston with Ran Blake and Paul Bley in 1997 and 1998. He moved to Australia in 2007. In 2012 he completed a PhD at Monash University, where his dissertation examined Methods of Integrating Elements of Arabic Music and Arabic-Influenced Jewish Music into Contemporary Western Classical Music.

• Illustration — Yitzhak Yedid in 2009 Yitzhak Yedid released his debut album, Full Moon Fantasy, on the Musa label in 1999 Following its release, he performed throughout Scandinavia, including a joint recital in Sweden with Roland Pontinen. His second album, Inner Outcry, was released on Musa in 2001, Yedid was commissioned to compose the suite Tachanun for a festival in Vienna, Austria, in 2002. Tachanun has been performed many times in Israel including at the Kfar Blum Chamber Music Festival. Myth of the Cave was commissioned by German record label Between the Lines. It was released in 2002. The five-movement piece has been performed at festivals in Germany and Austria, at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and at the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival. It is based on Plato's allegory of the cave, about cave dwellers imprisoned in near-darkness since birth whose sense of reality is distorted. One of them escapes to the outside world, reports on what he has seen and is put to death for his revelations. In 2002, he joined Israeli jazz saxophonist Abatte Barihun to form the duo Ras Deshen. They recorded their maiden album in September 2002, which featured a blend of Ethiopian music and Free improvisation jazz. In 2003 Yedid composed Passions and Prayers – Sextet in homage to Jerusalem for Between the Lines. It is a technically complex and conceptually melancholy composition that premiered at the 2004 Israel Festival. The CD was released in August 2005. Reflections upon Six Images was commissioned by a festival in Vienna Austria in 2004. The music depicts the union and division of images, colours, textures, styles and cultures inspired by the world of the imagination. The composition was performed at the Vienna festival in September 2004 and at the Etnakhta concert series in 2004 in Israel. The album was released at the end of 2005. In 2005, Yedid composed the Oud Bass Piano Trio, performed at the Sibiu Festival in Romania, as well as in Australia, Canada, and the US in May and September 2005. In 2006, Yedid composed Since My Soul Loved, a four movement composition for improvising players for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano. In 2009, Yedid composed Arabic Violin Bass Piano Trio. The work was premiered at the Jerusalem Theatre's Henry Crown Symphony Hall in March 2010. The composition is a continuation of his endeavour in Oud Bass Piano Trio (2005) integrating classical Arabic music, Arabic-influenced Jewish music and contemporary Western classical music. This trio has been composed for improvising performers. After immigrating to Australia in 2007, Yedid expanded his output of large-scale orchestral and chamber works. His large-scale works include: Visions, Fantasies & Dances, music for string quartet, commissioned by Israel's Sapphire String Quartet; Piano Concerto (2016), commissioned by Michael Kieran Harvey and the Tel Aviv Soloists; Kiddushim & Killulim (2017) commissioned by Christian Lindberg & NK Orchestra; Delusions of War (2014) for 22 string soloists or string orchestra, commissioned by Divertimenti Ensemble and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra; Mandolin Concerto (2016), for mandolin and a large orchestra. Yedid's chamber and solo works include: Chad Gadya (2017), quartet for clarinet, violin, cello & piano, commissioned by Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival; Sensations (2010) for piano, violin and cello, commissioned by Atar Trio; Angels' Revolt (2017) chaconne for solo piano, commissioned by Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition; Out to Infinity (2009) for Harp solo, commissioned by the 2009 International Harp Contest for their 50th Anniversary; The Crying Souls, Lament for Syrian Victims (2013), a cappella choir, commissioned by the Australian Voices (TAV) Yedid has put out over ten albums as a solo act (Challenge Records International, Sony, Naxos, -btl-, Muse, MCI, and Kaleidos) and has collaborated Ethiopian-born saxophonist and vocalist Abate Berihun as the Ras-Deshen ensemble. Yedid's works for strings include Visions, Fantasies and Dances for string quartet (2006–09), and Delusions of War for string orchestra (2014), and his compositions Oud Bass Piano Trio (2006) and 'Arabic Violin Bass Piano Trio' (2008) combine a classical Arabic instrument with Western instruments. Some of Yedid's works have been described as Third Stream, which combines contemporary classical music with jazz improvisation. Much of Yedid's output includes slots where soloists can improvise. Yedid has often said he is delighted when performers surprise him with their inventiveness. In his work Kadosh Kadosh and Cursed, Yedid addresses the religious dimensions of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The composition was inspired by the atmosphere of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, a site sacred to both Jews and Muslims, where the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque stand in close proximity and large numbers of worshippers gather daily for prayer. Rather than presenting a political position, the work explores the spiritual and emotional tensions associated with the site. Structured as a sequence of interconnected musical tableaux, it combines elements of Arabic classical music and Mizrahi Jewish liturgical traditions with contemporary Western compositional techniques and free improvisation. Through this juxtaposition of musical traditions, the piece reflects themes of devotion, conflict and reflection associated with the location.

• Remembering Yitzhak Rabin (1999) for piano solo (ca. 7') • Commissioned by Musa Records 1999 • CD released in 1999 by Musa records • Yitzhak Yedid – piano • Tachanun (1998), Suite in one movement for piano, double bass and percussions (ca. 66') • Commissioned by Vienna music Gallery Festival, Austria • Duration: 66 minutes • Premiere Performance: September 2002, Vienna Music Gallery Festival • Yedid Ensemble (Vlad Nedelin – drums & percussions, Ora Boasson Horev – double bass, Yitzhak Yedid – piano)

• Myth of the Cave (2003) for clarinet/bass clarinet, double bass and piano (ca. 56') • Commissioned by Deutsche Structured Finance GmbH, Germany • CD released by Between The Lines • Premiere: May 2005, Frankfurt, Germany • Yedid Ensemble (François Houle – clarinet & bass clarinet; Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Tachanun (2005), Suite in one movement for piano solo (ca. 50') • Commissioned by Vienna Music Gallery Festival, Vienna, Austria • Premiere: Chamber Music Festival, Israel • Yitzhak Yedid – piano • Full Moon Fantasy (2005) for piano solo (ca. 37') • Commissioned by Musa Records 2001 • CD released in 1999 by Musa records; reissued in 2005 Yitzhak Yedid – piano • Oud, Bass, Piano Trio (2006), Parts 3 (ca. 11') • Commissioned by the Oud International Festival • CD released by Challenge International Records and Between The Lines in August 2007 • Premiere: 2006, Vancouver Festival • Yedid Ensemble (Michael Maroun – oud; Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Reflections upon Six Images (2006), Image 1, for clarinet, viola, double bass and piano (ca. 13') • Commissioned by Vienna Music Gallery Festival, Vienna, Austria • CD released by Between The Lines • Premiere: Vienna Music Gallery Festival • Yedid Ensemble (François Houle – clarinet & bass clarinet; Galia Hai – viola; Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Oud, Bass, Piano Trio (2006), Parts 1–2 (ca. 21') • Commissioned by the Oud International Festival • CD released by Challenge International Records and Between The Lines in August 2007 • Premiere: May 2005, Sibiu Festival, Romania • Yedid Ensemble (Michael Maroun – oud; Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Ras Deshen (2006) for voice, saxophones, krar and piano (ca. 61') • Commissioned by MCI • CD released by MCI records • Premiere: Tel Aviv Arts Festival • Ras Deshen Ensemble (Abatte Barihun – voice and saxophones; Fentahon Malessa – krar; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Nine Images (2007) for violin, cello and piano (ca. 18') • Commissioned by IBA • Premiere: March 2007, Jerusalem International YMCA, Jerusalem, Israel • Orit Wolf – piano; Nathaniel Vallois – violin; Doo-Min Kim – cello • Chagall Project (2007), seven piano solo pieces inspired by Marc Chagall (ca. 42') • Commissioned by The Israeli Music Festival • Premiere: September 2007 • CD released by Challenge International Records in September 2010 • Yitzhak Yedid – piano • Oud, Bass, Piano Trio (2007), Parts 4–5 (ca. 32') • Commissioned by the Oud International Festival • CD released by Challenge International Records and Between The Lines in August 2007 • Premiere: May 2005, Sibiu Festival, Romania • Yedid Ensemble (Michael Maroun – oud; Ora Boasson-Horev – double-bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano • Reflections upon Six Images (2007), Images 2–3, for clarinet, viola, double bass and piano (ca. 27') • Commissioned by Vienna Music Gallery Festival, Vienna, Austria • CD released by Between The Lines • Premiere: Vienna Music Gallery Festival, Austria • Yedid Ensemble (François Houle – clarinet & bass-clarinet; Galia Hai – viola; Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Ethiopian voices: Psalms (2008) for three singers, Ethiopian folk dancer, alto, double bass and piano (ca. 51') • Commissioned by the Confederation House • Premiere: November 2008, Confederation House, Jerusalem, Israel • Ras Deshen Ensemble (Abatte Barihun – voice and saxophones; Esti Kenan Ofri – voice; Tzeta Germaye – voice and dance; Fentahon Malessa – krar; Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Clowns at Night (2008) for piano solo (ca. 16') • Commissioned by Deutsche Media Productions GmbH & Co. KG • Premiere: March 2008, Jerusalem International YMCA, Jerusalem, Israel • Yitzhak Yedid, piano • String Quartet No 1 (2008) (ca. 14') • Commissioned by Deutsche Media Productions GmbH & Co. KG and Between The Lines • Premiere: March 2010, Henry Crown Symphony Hall, Jerusalem, Israel • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola; Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Since my Soul Loved (2008) for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (ca. 55') • Commissioned by Deutsche Media Productions GmbH & Co. KG and Between The Lines • Premiere: 2009 Lines Festival, Munich, Germany • Yedid Ensemble (Daniel Hoffman – violin; Galia Hai – viola; Yoni Gotlibovich – cello; Ora Boasson-Horev – double-bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • Midsummer Night's Dream (2008) for piano solo (ca. 21') • Commissioned by Deutsche Media Productions GmbH & Co. KG, 2006 • Premiere: March 2008, Jerusalem International YMCA, Jerusalem, Israel • Yitzhak Yedid – piano • Out to Infinity (2008) for harp solo (ca. 7') • Commissioned by Israel's 2009 17th International Harp Contest to celebrate its 50th anniversary, with the kind assistance of the Israel National Lottery Council for the Arts • World premiere: March 2009, American Harp Society National Harp Competition, Young Professional Division • Noël Wan, harp • Israeli premiere: October 2009, Tel Aviv, Israel • Various competing harpists • In Memory (2009), duo for flute (piccolo and bass) and piano (ca. 13') • Commissioned by Lior Eitan • Premiere: 21 April 2010, Jerusalem International YMCA, Jerusalem, Israel • Lior Eitan – flute; Monica Fallon – piano • String Quartet No 3 (2009) (ca. 13') • Commissioned by Sapphire String Quartet • Premiere: March 2010, Henry Crown Symphony Hall, Jerusalem, Israel • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola; Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Kidoshin (2009), duo for saxophone (tenor and soprano) and piano (ca. 26') • Commissioned by Shoham Foundation • Premiere: August 2010 • Albert Beger – saxophone; Yitzhak Yedid – piano • String Quartet No 2 (2009) (ca. 9') • Commissioned by Sapphire String Quartet • Premiere: March 2010, Henry Crown Symphony Hall, Jerusalem, Israel • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola; Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Sensations (2010) for piano, violin and cello (c. 14') • Commissioned by Atar Trio • Premiere: September 2010, Austria • Atar Trio (Tanya Beltser- violin; Marina Katz- cello; Ofer Shelley – piano) • Piano Quintet (2010) for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (ca. 52') • Commissioned by Jazz Lines München 2011, Munich, Germany • Premiere: March 2011, Allerheiligen-Hofkirche, Jazz Lines München 2011l, Munich, Germany • Yedid Ensemble (Daniel Hoffman – violin; Galia Hai – viola; Yoni Gotlibovich – cello; Ora Boasson-Horev – double-bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • String Quartet No 4 (2010) (ca. 9') • Commissioned by Sapphire String Quartet • Premiere: November 2012, Jerusalem International YMCA, Jerusalem, Israel • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola; Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Through the Window of Marc Chagall (2010) for piano solo (c. 55') • Commissioned by Kawai Piano Series • Premiere: Kawai Piano Series, 2010, Ian Hanger Recital Hall, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia • Yitzhak Yedid, piano • Reflections Upon Six Images (2011), Image no 5 for double bass solo (ca. 7') • Commissioned by Ora Boasson-Horev • Premiere: Vienna, Austria • CD released by Challenge International Records in September 2011 • Arabic Violin Bass Piano Trio (2011) for Arabic violin, double bass and piano, Parts 4–5 (ca. 18') • Commissioned by IBA, Between the Lines and Challenge Records • Premiere: November 2012 • Yedid Ensemble (Sami Hashibun – violin (Arabic tuning); Ora Boasson-Horev – double-bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • String Quartet No 5 (2011) (ca. 11') • Commissioned by Sapphire String Quartet • Premiere: November 2012 • Jerusalem International YMCA • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola;Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Passions and Prayers, Sextet in hommage to Jerusalem (2011) for horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, trombone, viola, double bass and piano (ca. 18') • Commissioned by Deutsche Media Productions GmbH & Co. KG and Between The Lines • CD released by Between The Lines • Premiere: Seattle 2012 • Seattle Chamber Players • Passions & Prayers, (2012) for horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, trombone, viola, double bass and piano (ca. 17') • Commissioned by Seattle Chamber Players • Premiere: August 2013, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, USA • Seattle Chamber Players • String Quartet No 7 (2012) (ca. 11') • Commissioned by Sapphire String Quartet • Premiere: August 2013 • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola; Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Haunted! (2012), Stage music for a play by Daniel Karasik (ca. 75') • Commissioned by Touchstone Theatre, Vancouver, Canada • Directed by Katrina Dunn • Premiere: Chutzpah! Festival, March 2013 • Norman Rothstein Theatre, Vancouver, Canada • String Quartet No 6 (2012) (ca. 16') • Commissioned by Sapphire String Quartet • Premiere: November 2012, Henry Crown Symphony Hall, Jerusalem, Israel • Sapphire String Quartet (Janna Gandelman – violin; Roman. Spitzer – violin; Amos Boasson – viola; Oleg Stolpner – cello) • Arabic Violin Bass Piano Trio](2012) for Arabic violin, double bass and piano, Parts 1–3 (ca. 25') • Commissioned by IBA, Between The Lines and Challenge Records International • Premiere: November 2012 • Yedid Ensemble: (Sami Hashibun – violin (Arabic tuning); Ora Boasson-Horev – double bass; Yitzhak Yedid – piano) • The Crying Souls: Lament for Syrian Victims (2013) ca. 9') • for 6-part a cappella choir • Commissioned by The Australian Voices • Premiere: August 2013 at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem • The Australian Voices • Psalm 1 (2014) for solo soprano (ca. 6') • Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts • Delusions of War (2014) ca. 24' • for 22 string soloists or a string orchestra • Commissioned by Divertimenti and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra • Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts • World premiere: October 2014 at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia • Violin (Arabic Violin) Concerto (2015) for violin and a large orchestra (ca. 25') • Divertimenti • Israeli premiere: February 2015 at the Henry Crown Symphony Hall • Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuval Zorn • Broadcast live on Israel Broadcasting Authority's (IBA) Kol Ha'Musika station • Zikaron (2013–14), a structured improvisation for piano solo (ca. 55') • Commissioned by Kawai Piano Series • Premiere: April 2015, Kawai Piano Series, Ian Hanger Recital Hall, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University • Yitzhak Yedid, piano • CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND STRINGS (2016) ca. 24' • For piano and strings, or Michael Kieran Harvey • Commissioned by the Tel Aviv Soloists and Australian pianist Michael Kieran Harvey • World premiere: 6 October 2016, Ian Hanger Recital Hall, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia • Divertimenti conducted by Graeme Jennings • Israeli premiere: 20 May 2017, Tel Aviv, Israel • Michael Kieran Harvey, piano; Tel Aviv Soloists • Angels' Revolt (2016) (ca. 10') • Commissioned by the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, Queensland, Australia • Compulsory work at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition • Premiere: September 2017 • Chad Gadya (2017, for clarinet violin, cello and piano (ca. 12') • Commissioned by Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival • Premiere: 30 July 2017, Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival Concert 6, Dunwich Public Hall, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island, Australia • William Stafford, clarinet; Rachel Smith, violin; Louise King, cello; Ayesha Gough, piano • KIDDUSHIM VE' KILLULIM (Blessings & Curses), 2017 • for chamber orchestra • Commissioned by trombonist/conductor Christian Lindberg and the Israel Netanya Kibbutz Orchestra • Premiere: NK Orchestra in October & November 2017 • Music for Ancient Rituals (2018, for 13 wind instruments (ca. 10') • Commissioned by ANAM • Premiere: 12 September 2018, South Melbourne Town Hall Melbourne, Australia • Eliza Shephard, Flute/Piccolo; Wally Hase, Flute; Nick Deutsch, Oboe; Owen Jackson, Oboe; Dimitri Ashkenazy, Clarinet; Mitchell Jones, Clarinet; Lyndon Watts, Bassoon; Carol Wang, Bassoon; Matthew Ventura, Contrabassoon; Marie Luise Neunecker, Horn; William Tanner, Horn; Freya Hombergen, Horn; Maraika Smit, Horn; Fabian Rusell, Conductor • MAQA VIOLIN (2018, for violin solo (ca. 16') • Commissioned by Graeme Jennings and Karen Bentley Pollick. • Premiere: 20 July 2017, Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music • LA BALLERINA DEL DIAVOLO (The Devil's Ballerina) 2020, (ca. 12') • Solo piano, with optional improvising dancer. • Commissioned by Brisbane Music Festival • Premiere: Alex Raineri, Brisbane Music Festival on 27 Oct 2023

Yitzhak Yedid is recorded as having received Prime Minister's Award for Composers and Michael Landau Prize.

Yedid is the recipient of the Azrieli Foundation Prize for Jewish Music. His winning composition, Kiddushim Ve’ Killulim (Blessings and Curses), was unanimously declared the best new major work of Jewish music by the judges of the Canadian prize. Yedid received a total prize package valued at over, which included a world premiere performance of his work by Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, and a recording released on the Analekta label. In 2018 Yedid was awarded the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship, valued over a two-year period. Yedid has received the Prime Minister's Prize for Composers in 2007 and the Landau Prize for Performing Arts in 2009. Additionally, in 2008, he received the first composition prize for Out to Infinity, a solo work for harp, at the 17th International Harp contest which led to numerous performances and recordings of the piece worldwide. Yedid has been awarded a composer-in- residence position at the Judith Wright Arts Centre (Brisbane, 2010), at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (2008) and at the Gallop House in WA (2021, National Trust of Australia). Commissions In 2026, Yedid was commissioned to compose a large‑scale oratorio, The Valley of the Dry Bones, with financial support from the Sidney Myer Foundation, which provided $200,000 AUD for its commissioning and development. The work, scheduled for premiere in 2027 and lasting approximately 60 minutes, is scored for symphony orchestra, chorus, and narrator. The Valley of Dry Bones Oratorio is a large-scale Jewish sacred work by composer Yitzhak Yedid, continuing and extending the tradition of Jewish sacred concert music associated with composers such as Ernest Bloch, Arnold Schoenberg and Leonard Bernstein, while bringing a contemporary musical voice to the Jewish orchestral and choral repertoire.

• 2025 Sidney Myer Fellows Commission Award • 2021 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music • 2021 Gallop House composer in residence • 2019 Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship • 2016 ACUM Prize • 2014 Creative Australia commissioning grant • 2012 Creative Australia commissioning grant • 2010 Artist-in-Residence at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts • 2009: Landau Prize for Performing Arts Michael Landau Foundation, Israel • 2009 Australia Council for the Arts commissioning grant • 2007: Israel Prime Minister Award for Composers • 2007 Award from The Center for Ethnic Music and Poetry, The Kalman Sultanik Confederation, Jerusalem Oud International Festival