|
The Israeli mezzo-soprano (and recorder player), Bracha Kol, began her musical career as a child prodigy playing the recorder, performing with the Israeli Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta at the age of 13. She travelled to Holland to study with Marion Verbruggen at the Utrecht Conservatory, where she graduated her Artist degree with honours in recorded playing, at the age of 17. She holds an artist degree with distinction, in singing, from the Tel-Aviv Academy. In 2000, she received the IVAI scholarships to study in New York with the renowned singer and teacher Mignon Dunn, and in 1992 was awarded the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship. She was teaching at the Tel-Aviv Rubin Academy of music (both recorder and singing) for 5 years.
Bracha Kol has earned the praise of critics and audiences alike for the beauty of her voice, unique timbre, musicianship and the depth of her interpretations and brilliant acting. As one of the leading singers in her country, she regularly performs opera, lied and oratorio. She has appeared in numerous recitals in the USA and in Europe and is most frequently heard in Israel. An extraordinarily sensitive interpreter of different styles and periods, she performs concert, oratorio and operatic repertoire ranging from early to contemporary music.
Bracha Kol has worked with some of the world's leading conductors, including Harry Bicket, Leon Botstein, Robert Canetti, Philippe Entremont, Dan Ettinger, Asher Fisch, Gabor Hollerung, Nir Kabaretti, Jiri Kout, Nicolas Kraemer, Hermann Max, Zubin Mehta, Paul Nadler, Mendi Rodan, Peter Schreier, David Sebba, Gil Shohat, Saulius Sondeckis, Christoph Spering, Stanley Sperber, David Stern, Yaron Traub, Jonathan Webb, and Alberto Zedda, and and with stage directors such as David Alden, Jean Claude Auvray, Jakob Peters-Messer, Omri Nitzan, Emilio Sagi, Carlos Saura among others. As a concert singer, she sang with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Rome, the Greece Chamber Orchestra, and with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. She performs regularly with all of the leading orchestras in Israel.
Bracha Kol is often invited to perform at the Israeli Opera. Between her her varied roles there: Cenerentola and Tisbe in La Cenerentola (Rossini), Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri (Rossini), Mercedes in Carmen (Georges Bizet), Sesto and Nireno in Guilio Cesare (Händel), Olga in Yevgeni Onegin, (Tchaikovsky), Varvara in Katya Kabanova (Janacek), Amore in L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi), Mrs. Sedley in Peter Grimes (Benjamin Britten), and Moritz, in the world premiere of the opera Max&Moritz (Gil Shohat). With the Israel Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta she sang Flora in La Traviata (Verdi), and The Page in Salome (R. Strauss). In the IVAI project, she sang Zita in Gianni Schicchi and The Witch in Hänsel und Gretel. She has also sung the role of Carmen in a concert version.
Bracha Kol sang the Alto role in the directed version of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) under the baton of Christoph Spering. She also gave a recital of Spanish music in the Tel-Aviv Museum and a recital of contemporary Israeli music at the Jerusalem Music Center that was broadcast over radio. Recent solo appearances with orchestras include the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Rome, the Patras Chamber Orchestra, Greece, and most recently, a concert tour with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. Performances with leading Israeli orchestras include appearances with the Jerusalem Symphony in the Dvorák Requiem and Missa Tango by Kabalov. She sang Bach’s Magnificat (BWV 243), Mozart’s Requiem, Bruckner’s Requiem, and Dvorak’s D Major Mass with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Kibbutz Orchestra.
Bracha Kol's projects in 2005-2006 season, were performed to stunning critical and audience acclaim and included: Flora in La Traviata, with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta, she returned to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with an Israeli premiere of Requiem Ebraico (Zeisl), conducted by Maestro Mehta. Other projects that season included Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) (J.S. Bach) with the Jerusalem Symphony, under Peter Schreier, J.S.. Bach's Solo Alto Cantata BWV 35 with the Israel Chamber Orchestra under Gabor Hollerung, Les nuits d'ete (Berlioz) with the Israel Sinfonietta conducted by Doron Solomon, Kindertotenlieder (Mahler) with the Ra'anana Symphonet conducted by Nir Kabaretti, Mozart's Requiem with the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Bach Solo Alto Cantata BWV 170 with the Israel Camerata conducted by Avner Biron, and Cantata BWV 119 conducted by Stanley Sperber.
Her 2007-2008 engagements included a debut at the Florence theatre, Italy in the role of Mercedes in Carmen, conducted by Maestro Mehta, a concert tour to Russia with the Israel Chamber orchestra singing the Pergolesi Stabat Mater, a broadcasted concert of Shostakovich From Jewish Folk Poetry Op.79 with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, a Johannes Brahms Lieder recital with Maestro Dan Ettinger (piano), and an Israeli contemporary music recital organized by the Israel Music Institute. Her most upcoming engagement is the role of the Fox in Cunning little vixen (Janacek) at the Israeli opera, conducted by Maestro Jonathan Webb.
Bracha Kol's latest projects were performed to stunning audience and critical acclaim, and included an Israeli premiere of Requiem Ebraico (Zeisl) with the Israel Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta. With the Israel Chamber orchestra she sang J.S. Bach solo Cantatas BWV 35, BWV 53 and BWV 170, Il Tramonto (Respighi), and El Amor Brujo (De Falla). With the Israel Sinfonietta, she sang Les Nuits d'ete (Berlioz) and with the Israel Symphonet she sang
Kindertotenlieder (Mahler).
Bracha Kol's performances are most often broadcasted on the Israeli national TV and radio. In January 2006, two different Israeli TV channels dedicated programs to her special life story. She was honoured by flutist Er'ella Talmi and Maestro Yoav Talmi, to jointly perform on their latest CD; Talmis play Talmi, to be released in January 2006 on Centaur Records, USA. |
