LA JOLLA, California — Israeli creativity is not only relegated to start-up technology. One young Israeli musician, pianist Eliran Avni, has come up with a new creative concept in concert programming. He calls it a Shuffle Concert and, instead of a fixed program, the listeners are handed a large menu with musical titles in several categories. By having different members of the audience select pieces from each category, the program ends up being unique at each performance.
Such a Shuffle Concert is slated for Saturday evening, November 19 at the Hojel Auditorium, Institute of Americas on the UCSD campus.
Of course, Avni requires an ensemble of highly accomplished musicians, ready to play a repertoire greater than what is usually scheduled for a single concert. He, indeed, has such a top caliber group of six outstanding young artists.
First and foremost is the director himself, Eliran Avni, a consummate soloist and chamber music player who has earned his doctorate from the prestigious Juilliard School. With him are sisters Moran Katz on clarinet and Linor Katz on cello. These three were last heard in an impressive concert at Beth El Synagogue two years ago. Moran Katz continues working for a higher degree at Juilliard and concertizes extensively, and Linor is a student at the New England Conservatory. They will be joined by Mary Mackenzie, soprano, who recently performed with the Juilliard Percussion Ensemble at Alice Tully Hall, Jessica Pearlman, oboe, principal of the Pacific Symphony, and David McCarroll, violinist, a Northern California native who is currently studying at the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin.
The concert has been arranged by July Galper who has become a familiar empressario, bringing outstanding Israeli talent to San Diego. Although her first efforts were in large, elegant homes, with young Israeli artists performing at the Atheaneum, the JCC’s Garfield Auditorium, the Dove Library in Carlsbad and now, the Hojel Auditorium at UCSD, the choice of venues for these brilliant young artists is expanding.
Tickets for the November 19 Shuffle Concert are: $30 general, $24 students and seniors. For further information, contact July Galper at 858-454-0781.
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Wingard is a freelance writer and former violinist with the San Diego Symphony. She may be contacted at eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com