This ‘masterclass’ is aimed at viola and violin players in chamber music formations. The Israeli teacher Rivka Golani – one of the most outstanding contemporary violists – will lead the classes that will culminate in a concert on Friday July 28 at 6 pm in the Sala Gran del Teatre Auditori Felip Pedrell in Tortosa. Students will be admitted through curriculum selection.

RIVKA GOLANI BIOGRAPHY

Rivka Golani is recognized as one of the most outstanding viola players of modern times. Her contributions to the advancement of viola technique have already given her name a place in the history of the instrument and have been a source of inspiration not only for other players but also for the many composers who have been inspired by her mastery to write pieces for the viola, More than 350 works have so far been composed for Rivka, including over 80 concertos, a record matched by no other viola player in history.

Rivka has performed as a soloist with many of the world’s most prominent orchestras: BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Hallé Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Royal Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Jerusalem Radio Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan, Montreal Symphony, and Sinfonia Toronto, among others. She has played as a soloist three times in the world-renowned Proms, the BBC Promenade concerts in London, including the famous Last Night of the Proms Concert.

What do the critics think of Rivka Golani? James North of America’s Fanfare Magazine, in a glowing appraisal of her work, wrote that she is “carving out a place of her own that no other performer on the instrument can reach.” The Financial Times of London clearly agrees, “Rivka Golani … is a supreme viola virtuoso – white-hot in delivery, kaleidoscopic in tone colours,electrifying in rhythmic attack.” For an even more effusive testimony, the Boston Herald, “… riveting, intensely physical stage presence…hurtling momentum, constant risk-taking, complete technical assurance … one can only be grateful that she dedicated herself to art rather than warfare, for she would be an awesome adversary.”

Finally, a tribute from Geoffrey Crankshaw of Musical Opinion, following a recital at Wigmore Hall, “No nobler music-making could be imagined than this eloquent performance … the grand tradition brought to the service of inspired musical insight.”

Rivka has made countless recordings with many distinguished orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Berne Symphony, Budapest Radio Orchestra, BBC Sinfonietta and others. Landmarks among her many CDs include her world premiere recording on viola of the Elgar Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a set of the complete Bach Cello Suites which includes performances of Bach’s Chaconne and Chromatic Fantasy.

As artistic director of the Fort MacLeod Music Festival in Alberta, Canada, for seven years, she has developed a special collaborative relationship with the Canadian First Nation Blackfoot. She is the artistic director of the SOWECA Music Festival in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.

Born in Israel, Rivka trained at the Music Academy of Tel Aviv with the great violist and composer Oedoen Partos. At the age of 23, she became a member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Rivka moved to Canada in the mid-1970s where she began her solo career. She currently lives in London, England.

She is also an inspiring teacher who draws students from all over the world to her classes at London’s Trinity Laban College of Music and Dance.

Rivka plays a viola made by the renowned instrument maker Otto Erdesz.