About
Formed as a unique modular piano ensemble, MultiPiano is dedicated to the rich literature written for keyboard ensembles, from one piano with four hands to several pianos in a variety of multi-hand combinations.
The MultiPiano project was launched in 2011 under the umbrella of the Buchmann–Mehta School of Music, a joint institution of Tel Aviv University and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Featuring some of Israel’s radiant young pianists and their mentor Tomer Lev, one of the country’s prominent musicians, the MultiPiano project attracted much international attention immediately upon its foundation.
The ensemble has performed on four continents, from the Beijing Concert Hall and Buenos Aires’s Teatro Colón to New York’s Merkin Concert Hall and high-profile venues in London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Riga and Tallinn, collaborating with world-class orchestras and organisations such as the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSB), English Chamber Orchestra, Mozarteum Argentino, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta and others. The ensemble has performed at the Taipei, Xiamen, Ottawa, Baltic Sea, Hualien, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem music festivals, as well as on television and radio networks across the globe. In 2015, MultiPiano was awarded the Israeli Ministry of Culture prize for “Best Israeli Chamber Ensemble”.
In April 2021, the ensemble’s first commercial recording, with the English Chamber Orchestra, was released by Hyperion Records - “Mozart: The complete multipiano concertos”, including the first-ever concertante completion, for two pianos and orchestra, of Mozart’s Larghetto and Allegro in E flat major (1781). The album was met with enthusiastic reviews worldwide and ranked 6 in the UK “Top Ten” classical chart. This was followed by MultiPiano’s second album, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, released in November 2022 by Naxos, including three world premieres by Shostakovich, Martin and Levanon, alongside Poulenc’s double concerto. This album was included in Naxos’ best-selling albums for 2022-23.
The ensemble extensively toured North America in 2013, 2018, 2019; the Far East in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015; South America in 2012 and 2014; and routinely tours around Europe.
Considerable collaboration with Israel’s prominent orchestras has led to rare and daring repertoire selections, such as the first professional performance of Mendelssohn’s newly discovered Duo concertant, Variations on Weber’s ‘Preciosa’ for two pianos and orchestra WoO25 (the original 1833 version) with the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, the orchestral version of Chopin’s Rondo in C major Op 73 with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the premiere of Frank Martin’s Petite symphonie concertante for three pianos (originally harp, harpsichord and piano) and two string orchestras with the Israel Camerata Jerusalem, as well as concerto commissions by Israeli composers Aryeh Levanon and Oded Zehavi.
In 2018, the ensemble presented a new version of Holst’s The Planets for piano and percussion ensemble, celebrating the iconic work’s centennial in a special concert at Merkin Concert Hall in New York. This unique version was created by seven prominent Israeli composers especially for MultiPiano and Tremolo percussion ensemble.
In 2022, the ensemble collaborated with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in recording works by Mendelssohn, Schubert-Liszt and Moscheles.
Tomer Lev
Tomer Lev enjoys an intensive career of unusual diversity as concert pianist, lecturer and pedagogue. At the age of 37 he was appointed head of the Rubin Academy of Music at the Tel-Aviv University. Soon thereafter, with the collaboration of Maestro Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, Prof. Lev was among the founders of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music and was appointed as its first director (2004-2009, 2015-present).
Tomer Lev was heard in such central venues as Lincoln Center in New York, Philharmonie Hall in Berlin, Beijin Concert Hall, Shanghai Municipal Theatre, Musikhalle in Hamburg, Rudolphinum in Prague, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Sala Sao Paulo, Glenn Gould Hall in Toronto and the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv. He performed in major international festivals including Tanglewood, Norfolk, Prague Winter Festival, Madrid’s San-Isidro, Sofia Music Weeks, Varna Summer, and the Israel Festival. He has recorded for leading TV and radio stations in the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Eastern Europe, South America and Israel.
Tomer Lev collaborated with all major Israeli orchestras. His critically acclaimed debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta led to further collaboration with the IPO (including projects with Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Yoel Levi, Jerzy Semkow and others), as well as to performances with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Camerata, Beersheva Sinfonietta, and Haifa Symphony Orchestra.
As a member of the Israel Piano Trio, one of Israel’s leading chamber ensembles, Tomer Lev toured Europe and South America.
Berenika Glixman
Hailed by Maestro Zubin Mehta as “one of the greatest promises among the young generation of pianists today” and described by the press as “hypnotic” performer, Berenika Glixman emerged as one of Israel’s leading young pianists.
Ms. Glixman was born in the Soviet Union in 1984 and immigrated to Israel in 1991. She has performed as soloist with the Israel Philharmonic, the Fort Worth Symphony at the PianoTexas Van Cliburn International Festival, Bucharest Philharmonic, Bulgarian National Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Buchmann-Mehta School of Music Symphony under Zubin Mehta.
In 2010 she was called to replace pianist Yuja Wang as soloist with the Israel Philharmonic at last-minute notice, performing Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto to critical and public acclaim for IPO’s subscription series in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. Following her success she was also invited to play Bartok’s Second Piano Concerto under Zubin Mehta in 2011.
She is a prize winner of the 2011 Arthur Rubinstein International Master Competition, 2008 Van Cliburn International Festival Concerto Competition, 2008 Israel Radio Young Artist Competition, and 2005 Isidor Bajic International Competition in Serbia.
Berenika Glixman completed her B. Mus. and M. Mus. degrees with distinction under Prof. Tomer Lev at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University, where she is currently a faculty member. A recipient of America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships since 1997, Ms. Glixman participated in master classes with leading artists, including Murray Perahia, Richard Goode, Emanuel Ax, Nikolai Petrov, Daniel Pollack, and Yefim Bronfman.
c.Lior-Ronen
Nimrod Haftel-Meiri
Nimrod Haftel-Meiri was born in Israel in 1994 and started playing the piano at the age of five. He is a graduate of the Israel Conservatory of Music and the Thelma Yellin High School for the Arts with distinction, a member of the Young Musicians Unit of the Jerusalem Music Center founded by the late Isaac Stern and a recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Nimrod won several prominent Israeli competitions such as the Turgeman, Ashdod, Israel Radio Young Artists Competition and the Israel Conservatory competition. He attended master classes with Boris Berman, Andrzej Jasinski, Gyorgy Sava and the Tel-Hai International Piano Master Classes.
He has performed in numerous broadcasts for Israel Radio and at some of Israel`s most prestigious venues such as Tel-Aviv Museum, Jerusalem Music Center, and Jaffa Music Center. Nimrod is now studying with Prof. Tomer Lev at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University.
In 2015 he was chosen to perform Mozart Concerto K. 242 with renown American pianist Emanuel Ax in a concert with the Jerusalem Symphony under Frederic Chaslin, live broadcasted nation-wide.
c.Dalia-Gal-Sverdlin
Lior Lifshitz
Past Members
Alon Kariv
Daniel Borovitzky
Almog Segal