The Aviv Competitions were founded by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and provide vital support and exposure to top-tier musicians to help propel their careers to the next level. Early career musicians perform before panels of distinguished professional judges in their field, critics, and audiences, providing them with invaluable exposure and access to leading members of the industry, media, and the general public. The Aviv Competitions are a springboard for developing the contestants’ careers. Winners in each category receive a $6,000 prize, as well as Performance Prizes, Professional Mentoring Support, and a Recording Prize.
This year, musicians between the ages of 21-30 will compete in the following categories: Piano | Violin | Viola | Woodwinds
The Aviv Competitions 2024 will be held between December 23, 2024 – January 2, 2025 (candidates should be available for this entire period) in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Music Center Tel Aviv-Yafo and are supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport.
The 1st stage – Competitions in Piano, Violin, Viola and Woodwinds, will be held between December 23-29, 2024 in Music Center Tel Aviv-Yafo.
The entrance to the First stage is FREE of charge, but the number of seats is limited. Please ensure your entry by registering for each category of the Competitions you would like to watch by clicking the button below.
The 2nd stage – Finals in all categories – will take place on January 1 and 2, 2025 at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, “Recanati Auditorium”.
At the end of the Finals, on January 2, 2025, there will be a Winners’ Ceremony in all categories, including the Prize for The Outstanding Performance of the Israeli Instrumental Piece. There is an entrance fee applied to the Finals.
Goldie Ruth Feldman (1928 – 2022) was born in the small town of Ozorow, Poland. In 1935, her family immigrated to Canada. They struggled to get by, but nonetheless lived a rich life, surrounded by relatives and a thriving Jewish community. Goldie married at a young age, and while her husband built the family business, Goldie devoted herself to her growing family while simultaneously pursuing outside interests: pottery, studying Hebrew, and volunteering for charitable causes. She had a natural appreciation of music and ensured that her five children received a musical education. Their home was always filled with music, especially live piano. Later in life, Goldie took piano lessons herself, fulfilling a life-long dream. Goldie never forgot the poverty of her early life and once in a position to help others, was immensely generous to numerous charities. In recognition of her generosity and in honor of her memory, the Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation is proud to provide the Goldie R. Feldman Aviv Prize for Piano, one of the most prestigious music prizes awarded in Israel. Goldie’s legacy will continue by helping further the dreams of Israel’s most outstanding young pianists.
Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation
2024
Ilona Kornhauser was born in 1923 in Bratislava, then Czechoslovakia, as one of five children to Emil and Paula Kornhauser. She began to play the violin as a young child and developed the beginning of a solo career. In 1940 she had to go into hiding and in 1942 she was deported to Auschwitz where she perished. Her brother, Bob Kornhauser of blessed memory, who lived in Toronto, Canada, has established a fund to award prizes bearing her name to young talented Israeli violinists. Since 1999, these prizes are included in the Aviv Competitions every two years.
Kornhauser Family
2024
François Schapira was the Director of Music Activities at the Tel Aviv Museum of Arts. After Schapira’s death, in June 1975, his family, friends and the Tel Aviv Museum decided to establish a memorial in the spirit of one of the areas closest to him – encouraging musicians at the beginning of their artistic careers. The François Schapira Competition was founded and organized by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art until it was merged into the Aviv Competitions in 1999.
America-Israel Cultural Foundation
2024
Susan and Emanuel (Bob) Kornhauser were born in Czechoslovakia. After surviving the Holocaust, they moved to Israel and then to Canada. This prize pays tribute to the three loves they shared- family, Israel and music.
Kornhauser Family
2024
Rafi Guralnik (1948-1990) spent most of his childhood in Beit Hakerem, Jerusalem. He played the piano from a very young age and developed a brilliant technique, which enabled him to acquire a vast repertoire of virtuoso works considered challenging even for professional pianists. He served in the IDF as a combat engineering officer and during the Six-Day War served in Sinai. Following the army service, Rafi began his studies at Tel Aviv University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He employed his engineering skills as Assistant Director General of several factories of the Israeli Koor Company, yet at the same time, he continued to dedicate his time and energy to his greatest love – the piano. Rafi married Esti and was a devoted father to his three daughters: Dafi, Anat and Nurit. The family’s home was a center for all their friends, and Rafi was renowned for his witty sense of humor and his love of people. Rafi’s sudden death, at the age of only 42, left his family and many friends with a tragic sense of loss. Rafi’s two great loves were the piano and human beings, therefore his family decided that the right way to commemorate his memory would be a prize for a talented young musician at the beginning of his way. The Guralnik family established a special trust, giving The Rafi Guralnik Prize for The Outstanding Performance of the Israeli Instrumental Piece.
Guralnik Family
2024
| Viola Monday | 23.12.2024 |
Piano Tuesday | 24.12.2024 Wednesday | 25.12.2024 |
Woodwinds Thursday | 26.12.2024 Friday | 27.12.2024 |
Violin Sunday | 29.12.2024 |
| Violin Wednesday | 1.1.2025 |
Viola Wednesday | 1.1.2025 |
Woodwinds Wednesday | 1.1.2025 |
| Israeli Instrumental Piece Thursday | 2.1.2025 |
Piano Thursday | 2.1.2025 |
Winners Ceremony Thursday | 2.1.2025 | ~19:30 |
* The hours are not final and subject to change
Pianist Amir Ron (b. 2001) regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician in venues across Israel, Europe, and the US. Solo appearances with orchestras include concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin in Israel and Italy. An active chamber musician, Amir is a Ravinia Steans Music Institute fellow for 2022, and he regularly performs with chamber partners. He currently studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music as a student of Asaf Zohar and Arie Vardi and previously studied with Sara Tal at the Givatayim Conservatory. Amir is a Graduate of the JMC programs, among them the prestigious summer course for pianists led by renowned pianist and head of JMC, Murray Perahia. In 2019, Amir finished his studies at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts with distinguished excellence and has served as an “outstanding Musician” in the IDF. Amir is a prizewinner of numerous competitions and recipient of the Ronen, America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and BMSM scholarships with distinguished excellence.
Amir Ron
Pianist, AICF Grant Recepient in 2014-2022
Born in 1997, Cellist Assif Binness performs as an academist with the Staatsoper Unter Den Linden Berlin and also plays regularly as assistant principal cellist in the Divan Orchestra and as a chamber musician with the Divan Ensemble. Assif is a First Prize Winner of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music’s (BMSM) strings and chamber music competition and Second Prize Winner at the 2018 Paul Ben-Haim Competition. He participated in the David Goldman Excellence Program of the Jerusalem Music Centre and was the principal cellist of the Thelma Yellin Symphony Orchestra (with whom he also performed as a soloist), the Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the BMSM Orchestra. Assif was a student in Hillel Zori’s class at the BMSM and recently completed his undergraduate studies in Frans Helmerson’s class at the Barenboim-Said Academy. He began his cello studies at age 5 at the Givatayim Conservatory under the guidance of Shmuel Magen and went on to graduate from Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts. Assif is a recipient of merit scholarships from the Givatayim Conservatory and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Assif served in the army as an outstanding musician.
Assif Binness
Cellist, AICF Grant Recepient in 2013-2019, 2021
Israeli trumpeter Arik Amitay (b. 1994) has appeared as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Ra’anana Symphonette, and Haifa Symphony Orchestra in which he also played principal trumpet from 2018-2022. Arik is a graduate of the Conservatoire de Rueil Malmaison and the University of Nanterre, France, where he studied ethnomusicology and performance with Eric Aubier. He previously studied with Tamir Akta at the Ra’anana Music Center and is a graduate of the Thelma Yellin National High School for the Arts. A recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships since 2008, he is also the First Prize Winner of the 2016 Israeli National Wind Competition and the 2017 Lion’s Club of Israel Trumpet Competition. In 2015 Arik completed his military service with the Israel Defense Force Orchestra.
Arik Amitay
Trumpeter, AICF Grant Recepient in 2008-2020
Israeli mezzo-soprano Gal Kohav is a member of the Israeli Opera’s Meitar Opera Studio, where her repertoire includes Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Mozart) as well as Cenerentola in La Cenerentola (Rossini), Hansel in Hansel und Gretel (Humperdinck), Papagena in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), and Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress (Stravinsky). In the 22/23 season of the Israeli Opera, Gal will sing the role of Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Puccini). Past roles include Ramiro in La Finta Giardiniera (Mozart), the title role in Amadigi (Handel), Opera Box Ghost in The Ghosts of Versailles (Corigliano), and Constance Fletcher in The Mother of Us All (Thompson). She received the Keren Ronen scholarship and won several singing competitions in the USA. She graduated from the University of California Los Angeles Music Conservatory and the University of Maryland Opera Studio.
Gal Kochav
Mezzo-soprano
Avigail Arnheim – Chair
Iris Reff Ronen – Executive Director, AICF
Jessica Hadler – Competitions Manager, AICF Israel
Tibi Cziger – Artistic Adviser
Tali Hermetz – Music Department Manager, Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Sharon Schwartz – Music department, Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Production: AICF Israel team (Jessica Hadler, Evelina Zayats, Ophir Lotan)
Social Media: “Modus”
Public Relations: “Dolphin”
Graphic Design: “The League”