Illay Sabag

Illay Sabag

llay grew up in a town called Karmiel, located in the north of the country. At the age of 9 he started taking classical piano lessons in the local music conservatory, then a few years later – following a growing interest in jazz – began studying with Dr. Dan Cohen, an accomplished jazz pianist and professor at the Haifa University.
At the age of 18, after starting my military service, Illay enrolled in the Israeli Conservatory in Tel-Aviv to a joint program with the New School in New York. The program consists of 4 years of studies split into 2 years in Israel and 2 years in the New York campus, to achieve a bachelor’s degree in music.
During my years in Tel-Aviv he performed and recorded with many local musicians. He took part in dozens of concerts and events, as well as studio recording sessions, one of which is due to be released by the NYC based label “OutNow Recordings” together with Israel’s veteran clarinetist Harold Rubin. This time is when he became aware of topics like human rights and social awareness and their relation to music, a thing that led me to incorporate my own reflections and views in my music, and started to use art as a vehicle for self expression.
Upon graduating my studies in Tel-Aviv the New School has offered me a scholarship, according this offer he intend to begin my studies in NY in spring 2019
He strongly believe that music plays an important role in human communication and i would like to use that for doing the best i can for my community.