Weiner
Weiner
Weiner, Amit
Statement
Music is everywhere. People will always need music, and I have always thought that being a musician is the biggest gift given to me, which I am bound to give back to society with my musical activities, compositions, concerts, and teaching.
Credo
My name is Dr. Amit Weiner and I am a composer and a pianist based in Israel.
I am living in a country which is permanently in a state of war, and my biggest dream has always been to make the world a better place through the power of music. This is not a cliché; this is truly my life's quest - to make the world more musically sensitive, and to help people understand the positive power music can have on our lives.
I always knew I am going to be a musician. I started playing the piano when I was six, and in the 30 years since, the piano has always been my biggest inspiration and devotion. During the past 30 years I also played guitar and drums for a few years, but the most profound change in my life came at the age of 17, when I started to seriously learn how to compose music.
Since then, I have finished my PhD in composition from the Bar Ilan University in Israel, and M.Mus and B.Mus degrees in composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where I currently teach as a senior staff lecturer, and where I am honored to be the head of the Cross-Disciplinary-Composition Division since 2016.
All my life I knew that music can truly change the world we live in. As a composer, a pianist, and a lecturer, I have been traveling around the world to spread this message – I have participated in festivals and academic conferences in the USA, Europe and Asia.
I have never stopped believing that music can truly change the world we live in. Especially in our times, where the spread of the Corona virus disease stops the entire world to think it all over again, we as musicians can provide some answers and remedies to a heart broken society.
CV - Dr. Amit Weiner
Composer for media and concert music
Website: www.aweinermusic.com
Academic Education
2012 | PhD in Composition, Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Supervisors: Prof. Betty Olivero, Prof. Gideon Levinson |
2006 | Master's degree (M.Mus) in composition, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance & The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. Supervisor: Prof. Vladimir Scolnik |
2004 | Bachelor's degree (B.Mus) in composition and piano studies, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Israel. Supervisors: Prof. Tzvi Avni, Prof. Haim Permont, Prof. Ari Ben- Shabtai |
Work Experience
2002 – Present | Composer, Pianist, Conductor
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10/2016 – Present | Head of the Cross-Disciplinary Composition Division at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Nature of work:
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10/2014 – 09/2016 | Senior Lecturer (equivalent to assistant professor level) at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Nature of work:
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10/2009 – 09/2014 | Adjunct Lecturer at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Nature of work:
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10/2006 – 09/2014 | Lecturer at the External Studies Institute of The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Nature of work:
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Scholarships and Awards of the past five years
2019 | Winner of the Call for scores by Österreichische Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik – Austrian Society for New Music with the composition "Rage Against the Piano". The composition was performed in Vienna on November 2019 (Vienna, Austria) |
2018 | Winner of the Call for Piano Recordings by RMN MUSIC label (London, UK) |
2018 | Finalist of the Banaue International Music Composition Competition 2018 (competition will be held on July 2018) |
2017 | Winner of the Society of Composers Region VII Conference 2017 call for scores The composition "Suite for horn, tuba and piano" (Tempe, Arizona, USA) was performed on October 2017 at the Society of Composers Region VII Conference 2017 |
2017 | Winner of the RMN International Call for Piano Solo Works The composition "Anagram no. 2 - for solo piano" was performed by pianist Jelena Makarova, at the Contemporary Workshop Events on November 2017 (London, UK) |
2016 | 2nd prize winner of the Alfred Schnittke composition competition The composition "Rage Against the Piano" was performed by: piano - Nataliya Martynova, with soloists of Lemberg Sinfonietta, at the Lviv Philharmonic Hall (Lviv, Ukraine) |
2016 | Winner of the VDG Call for Viola da Gamba (Bass Viol) and Piano works |
2016 | Winner of the International Trumpet Guild 2016 Conference Call for Scores |
2015 | Winner of the "15 Minutes of Fame" competition by Asian Composers League in Malaysia |
2014 | Winner of the International Society for Contemporary Music Irish branch broadcasting competition The composition "If This is a Man?" was broadcasted on both Israeli and Irish radio during 2014 |
2013 | Winner of ACUM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel) grant |
A selection of concerts and selection of compositions
Academic Activity: Conferences and Master Classes
November 2019 | A week of masterclasses in composition for media and film scoring, at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music (Chengdu, China) |
May 2019 | Master class in composition, with live performances of Weiner's music for piano, at the University of Oldenburg (Germany) |
March 2018 | Master class with live performances of Weiner's music, at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing (China) |
2012-2017 | Master Classes on composition, improvisation and chamber music instructor at the program for exceptional instrumentalists and singers in northern Israel. (Mizra, Israel) |
October 2017 | Master class and profile concert at Southern University and A&M College (Louisiana, USA) |
October 2017 | Presentation about "Arvo Pärt - The 'Holy Minimalism' and 'New Simplicity' as 'Total Serialism' in disguise". University of Tennessee Contemporary Music Festival 2017 (Tennessee, USA) |
October 2017 | Master class and profile concert at the University of Montevallo (Alabama, USA) |
October 2017 | Performance of the composition "Suite for horn, tuba and piano" at the Society of Composers Region VII Conference 2017, with the composer at the piano (Tempe, Arizona, USA) |
October 2017 | Master class and profile concert of 60 minutes of Amit Weiner's music, as a composer and a pianist at Washington State University (Washington, USA) |
June 2017 | Presentation and concert about "Musical Characteristics of Jerusalem Songs" at the "What is an Israeli Song" conference by Bar-Ilan Univesity (Israel) |
May 2017 | Presentation about "Music and Geography: The Local Flavor of Israeli Jazz" at the New Music on the Bayou Festival (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA) |
January 2017 | Performance of the composition "Floating Fifths" at the 2017 Florida International Toy Piano Festival (Miami, Florida, USA) |
January 2017 | Master class at the Yangon Arts and Sciences University (Myanmar) |
June 2016 | Performance of the composition "At the Gates of Jerusalem" at the International Trumpet Guild 2016 Conference (Anaheim, California, USA) |
June 2015 | Presentation and concert about "Jerusalem of Gold – Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" at the "What is an Israeli Song?" conference by Bar-Ilan Univesity (Israel) |
List of Works
The links are for YouTube recordings of the compositions
2018 | Ifugao- The People of the Hill, 15:00 minutes Large Orchestra, written for the Banaue Music Competition 2018 at Manila, Philippines |
2018 | As Time passes By…, 10:00 minutes A piece in two movements for Tuba and Piano |
2018 | Ancient Echoes of Psalms, 12:00 minutes A piece in three movements for Saxophone and Harp |
2017 | Alternating Echoes, 10:00 minutes Concertino for solo percussion and a symphony orchestra |
2017 | Memories of Jerusalem of Gold, 7:30 minutes [Link to video] A composed interpretation for the Hebrew song "Jerusalem of Gold". |
2016 | Rage Against the Piano, 6:30 minutes [Link to video] Concerto for piano and a chamber ensemble – Picc, Ob, Cl, Bsn, Trp, Hn, Perc (2 players), Pno, Strings. |
2016 | In the Land of Oz, 8:00 minutes [Link to video] A suite for two orchestras and a narrator. For a Children Orchestra, ages 5-14 years old, and a professional symphony orchestra |
2016 | Fleurs du mal – Flowers of Evil, 4:30 minutes Piano Trio – Vln, Pno, Vcl. |
2016 | Anagrams [Link to Anagram no.1 & Anagram no.2] A cycle of 12 pieces for solo piano, written between 2008-2016 |
2015 | Suite For Viola and Piano - Songs of Hope, Sorrow and Frenzy, 13:00 minutes [Link to video] Viola and piano |
2015 | The Story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, 10:00 minutes [Link to video] Flute (Muta in Alto Flute and Piccolo) and Piano |
2014 | At the Gates of Jerusalem, 11:00 minutes [Link to video] Oboe (Muta in English Horn) and Piano |
2011 | Scenes from a Life of an Anti-Hero, 40:00 minutes Concerto for Piano and a large orchestra |
2011 | Folk Songs, 8:00 minutes Viola and Piano |
2010 | To Be a Note, 9:00 minutes [Link to video] Two songs For Children Choir and Ensemble (text by Miron Izakson) |
2010 | …Und After Babylon, 12:00 minutes Chamber Orchestra and Live Electronics |
2008 | 3 Piano Miniatures for four Hands, 5:00 minutes Piano – four hands |
2008 | What Does a Bird Care for Hanoch Levin, 15:00 minutes [Link to video] Mezzo Soprano, Piano, and 2 Percussion Players (text by Hanoch Levin, collecting words by Amit Weiner) |
2007 | Follow the Sea, 7:00 minutes [Link to video] Children Choir, Piano, and Percussion |
2006 | Jerusalem Lights, 13:00 minutes [Link to video] Concerto for Clarinet, Piano, and Chamber Orchestra |
2006 | The Storyteller – 100 Years of Solitude, 8:00 minutes Orchestra and a Narrator |
2004 | Ready - Made Concert, 5:30 minutes Electronic Piece |
2002 | The Very Last Thing, 11:00 minutes Speaker and Violin solo (text by Hanoch Levin) |
2001 | The Rain, 16:00 minutes Mezzo Soprano and Piano (text by Israel Pinkas) |
2000 | If This Is a Man?, 11:30 minutes [Link to video] Alto and a String Quartet (text by Primo Levi) |
1999 | Fantasia, 10:00 minutes Violin and piano |
1999 | Prelude, Fugue and Ostinato, 12:00 minutes |
Artistic Activity - Highlights
May 2019 | Four performances of a new composition: "Walk with Bach" a concerto for Mandolin and a baroque orchestra. Commissioned and performed by Concerto Foscari with soloist and conductor Alon Sariel, at Oldenburg, Goslar, and Osnabruck, Germany. |
November 2019 | Commission of music for a theater play: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", by Ken Kesey, for several performances on November 2019 (Tel Aviv, Israel) |
February 2019 | Concerts in Chengdu and Chongqing, China. Concerts held at the White Elephant Hall (Chongqing) and improvised concert at Nu Space (Chengdu) (China) |
January 2019 | Concert in Singapore. Concerts held at the Esplanade Recital Hall, organized by the Israeli Embassy in Singapore, with musicians from the YST Conservatory of Music. (Singapore) |
January 2019 | Concerts in Manila, The Philippines. Concerts organized by the Israeli Embassy in The Philippines. |
2018 | Commission of music for a theater play: "A Chorus of Disapproval", by Alan Ayckbourn, for several performances with live music, on November 2018 (Tel Aviv, Israel) |
2018 | Commission of composition for Tuba and Piano, for the participation of tuba player Deanna Swoboda at the Tuba and Euphonium Festival (Madrid, Spain) |
2017-2018 | Musical producer, arranger and conductor of the two-years-project "Notes of Hope" – a concert commemorating music written by composers murdered in the holocaust, including both professional symphony orchestra and a children orchestra. |
2017-2018 | Musical instructor and producer of the project "Voices of the Heart" – M.A. composition students at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance composed new original compositions especially for children choirs from all over Israel. |
2012- | Founder and producer of the project "Music in Times of Tragedy" – a series of concerts dedicated to music written and performed during the Holocaust. Live music interwoven with personal stories of Jewish musicians who perished during the Holocaust. |
2015-2018 | Creator of the show "When Jazz meets Classical Music" in collaboration with Known Israeli Jazz saxophone player Shlomi Goldenberg. A unique cross-disciplinary performance/ dialogue about the interaction between these two different genres. |
October 2017 | Performance of the composition "At the Gates of Jerusalem" at University of Tennessee Contemporary Music Festival 2017 (Tennessee, USA) |
May 2017 | Performance of the composition "The Story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin" at the New Music on the Bayou Festival (Louisiana, USA) |
February 2017 | Performance of the composition "Anagrams" at the concert series Emergents I=I (Toronto, Canada) |
2017 | Commission of Music for the Theater Play "Suitcase Packers", presented with live music with the composer at the piano and melodica, at the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio |
2017 | Commission of Concertino for solo percussion and a symphony orchestra by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and percussion master Chen Zimbalista. |
October 2016 | Performance as composer and pianist at the Israeli Music Holiday Festival with the Israeli ensemble Ma-Trio, at Elma Hall, Israel. |
March 2016 | Performance as pianist at the Jewish Music Days Festival with the Israeli ensemble Ma-Trio, at Ono College Hall, Israel. |
2016 | Commission of sound track to the Italian documentary film "Alla Ricerca delle Origini del Male" produced by Rai TV Italy. |
June 2015 | Participating as a pianist in the Italian documentary film "Souna Ancora" produced by Rai TV Italy. |
2015 | Commission of composition for two orchestras – professional orchestra and children orchestra, by the famous conductor Chen Zimbalista. |
2015 | Arranger for the concert series "Singing & Song" produced by Israeli pianist Ido Ariel. |
2013-2014 | Musical instructor at the project "Voices of the Heart" – B.A. composition students at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance are writing new original compositions especially for children choirs from all over Israel. |
2013 | Commission of live soundtrack to the Israeli silent film "Jewish Life in Palestine" (1913) produced by Jacob Gross. |
2011 | Commission of live sound track to the German silent film "Breaking Home Ties" (1922) by the National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF). |