Ella Milch-Sheriff
| Ella Milch-Sheriff | |
|---|---|
| Born | Haifa, Israel |
Ella Milch-Sheriff (Hebrew: אלה מילך-שריף) is an Israeli composer. Born in Haifa, Israel, Milch-Sheriff began her career as a composer at the age of 12. During her military service she composed, performed and interpreted her own songs after which she returned to classical music studying composition under the direction of Professor Tzvi Avni and graduating in composition from the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University.[1]
Milch-Sheriff has composed operas, chamber, orchestral and vocal music as well as popular music and solo works.
Career
Her chamber opera "Baruchs Schweigen", 2010 (Baruch's Silence) (Hebrew: שתיקתו של ברוך) commissioned and premiered by the State theatre of Braunschweig, Germany (Director: Ido Ricklin) had in 2014 its Israeli premiere in a Hebrew version (original language: German, Libretto: Yael Ronen) and in 2015 a new production in Fuerth, Germany with director Bruno Berger-Gorski.[2] All production won great success. Next premiere: 7.9.2016, Vienna, EntarteOper.
Her composition "Conversation with a Stone", 2014, based on a poem by that name by the Polish Nobel Proze winner poet Wislawa Szymborska (Polish: Rozmowa z kamieniem, German: gespraech mit einem Stein, Hebrew: שיחה עם אבן) for Soloist, choir and chamber ensemble was recently performed in a staged performance in Bonn, Bundeskunsthalle and Opera Bonn, November 2015 and in Theater Esch in Luxembourg in January 2016.Both performances staged by Bruno Berger-Gorski and conducted by Marino Formenti. The work was commissioned by POLIN Museum in Warsaw for its opening and was performed in a concertante version in Tel-Aviv in November 2014 and in February 2016 both conducted by Doron Salomon.
Her piece "Halbtener" (Halftones, Hebrew: חצאי טונים) for singer and orchestra based on poems of the Yiddish poet Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman was premiered in Israel in January 2016 sung by Louisa Lyne and conducted by Omer M. Wellber.
Her piece, "Night's End Anthem" based on Roy Arad's poem for Soloists, Chorus and Symphony orchestra was commissioned and premiered by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Zubin Mehta in July 2009 at the season's final concert series.
Her piece "Waves", 2010 for Mezzo-Soprano and chamber orchestra was commissioned and premiered by Israel Camerata under Avner Biron.
"Can Heaven be Void", a work for Narrator, Mezzo-Soprano & Orchestra based upon the diary of Ella’s father, written during World War II was first performed in Israel in 2003 and has been since translated into a number of languages and performed in Germany (Berlin, Duesseldorf, Bochum), in Poland (Warsaw, Opole), in Lithuania (Vilnius) and in the USA (Chautaqua Festival, NY, Vancouver, Washington).
Her string quartet "Songs from the Edge", for mezzo-soprano and string quartet, premiered by the Audubon Quartet in the United States in July 2006 and since then was performed numerous times in the US and in Israel.
Her opera "And the Rat laughed" (based on Nava Semel's book) had about 90 performances in the Cameri Theatre and Israel Chamber Orchestra. The opera toured Poland and Romania and had new productions in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in November 2009.
In June 2007 her large-scale work "Dark am I…" for singers and instrumental ensemble, based on text taken from "The Song of Solomon" had its premiere at the Israeli festival sung by Israeli Soprano keren Hadar. The text is sung in seven languages: Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, It is scored for four singers - soprano solo with a Greek-tragedy-like chorus o counter-tenor, tenor and bass-baritone - and a small orchestra: violin, viola, cello. double bass, flute with sections for piccolo and alto flute, oboe with sections for English horn. French horn, piano, and one percussionist on a broad battery of instruments.[3] This work was performed numerous times in Europe and Israel.
Her opera "Flying Lesson" based on Nava Semel's libretto and book had its premiere in December 2009 as a co-production between the Cameri Theatre and the Israeli Opera.
Her first Piano Concerto was premiered in October 2008 at the opening season concert of the Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva.
"Reflections on Love", 2014, for piano solo was commissioned by the Rubinstein competition as an obligatory piece for the 2014 competition.
Future projects
"The Banality of Love" a new opera based on a theatre play by Savion Liebrecht, will be premiered in Stadtstheater Regensburg, January 2018. Stage director: Itay Tiran.
"Baruchs Schweigen" next premiere: September 7, 2016, Vienna.
"Conversation with a Stone" next performance: 10.December, 2016, Warsaw.
Next opera: Hannah Arendt - The banality of love, (based on the play: The banality of love by Savyon Liebrecht). World premiere 2018, Germany.
"Past Life", new film by Israeli international film director Avi Nesher is based on her family story and her character is one of the main characters in the film.
Milch-Sheriff has composed the original music to this film which was publicly premiered in autumn 2016.
Awards
In 2005, Ella Milch-Sheriff was awarded the prestigious “Israeli Prime-Minister Prize” for her compositional works and the same year, her opera, "And the Rat Laughed” conceived with Nava Semel and based on her book received the “Rosenblume Prize” for achievement.[1][4]
References
- 1 2 "Israeli Composer To Deliver Lecture Titled "Composing the Holocaust"". Library of Congress. May 3, 2007.
- ↑ Eva-Elisabeth Fischer: Der Himmel, so leer, in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 15. Juni 2015, S. R18
- ↑ "Dark Am I ...".
- ↑ "Ein Lied für meinen Vater". Goethe Institut Jerusalem. November 27, 2008.