Shmuel Katz
Shmuel Katz
Praised as “World-class musician” by the leading German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, and heralded by the Ottawa Citizen for his “Uncommonly rich and introspective” playing.
Shmuel serves as principal violist with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra and previously with the Pennsylvania Ballet. He is acting associate principal violist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and a member of the New York City Opera and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He has been an associate musician at the Metropolitan opera touring with the company to Japan and performing regularly on both their radio and HD broadcasts
Mr. Katz has appeared as concertmaster and soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall. He has toured with the orchestra in Europe, Asia and North America.
Shmuel is an active recording artist. He has recorded for EMI, Deutche Grammophon and Ondine labels with The Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. His studio work in New York includes albums of Sting, Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reed as well as more than 20 movie soundtracks
Mr. Katz has been a member of the Katz- Shteinberg Duo since 1999 with pianist Dr. Dmitri Shteinberg and performed recitals in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the National Library in Ottawa and the Jerusalem Music Centre amongst others. The duo’s debut CD privately released in 2006 received rave reviews in American Record Guide.
An active chamber musician, Mr. Katz has performed recently with the Concertante, Richardson and American Chamber Players, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble and the Israeli Chamber Project. He has collaborate in chamber music performances with Pinchas Zukerman, Michael Tree, Ralph Kirchbaum, Leif Ove Andsnes and Tabea Zimmerman
Mr. Katz is on the viola faculty at Manhattan School of Music and New York University Steinhardt School.
He received his bachelors and masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music where he studied violin and viola with Pinchas Zukerman, Michael Tree and Patinka Kopec. Before leaving for New York, he studied in Israel with Haim Taub, Ora Shiran and Yair Kless. He also performed in masterclasses given by Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Dorothy DeLay, Josef Gingold, Joseph Silverstein and Alexander Schneider.
