Heddi Raz Shahar

Heddi Raz Shahar

Heddi Raz Shahar was born in the north of Israel, and started her cello education at the age of six. At the age of ten Heddi started her studies with the cellist Hamutal Tzur Marom at the Emek Yizre’el Arts House, At the age of thirteen Heddi continued her Cello studies in the class of Prof. Shmuel Magen at the Givatayim Conservatory, and at the age of seventeen began her studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in the class of Prof. Zvi Plesser.
Heddi graduated from the Jerusalem Music Centre, where she took part in the Huberman Program, the David Goldman Program for outstanding young musicians, and led the cello section of the Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In the past few years Heddi also took part in Keshet Eilon courses, the Mozarteum Summer Academy, ISA Digital of the MDW and the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival as well.
Over the years, Heddi played for many well-known musicians, including: Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Murray Perahia, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Orfeo Mandozzi, Hillel Zori, Emanuel Gruber, Claudio Bohorquez, Xenia Jankovic, Christoph Richter, the Jerusalem Quartet, and many others.
Heddi’s studies have been supported over the years by scholarships from the Jerusalem Music Centre, the Keynote program of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In addition, over the past year Heddi won the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance Concerto Competition, 1st prize at the Rudolf Barshai International Strings Competition, and 2nd prize at the Dina Turgeman Chamber Music Competition of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance as well.
Currently, Heddi plays on an Italian cello built in the 17th century, that was given to her in 2018 from the cellist Orfeo Mandozzi in Switzerland.