Talia Amar (; born 1989) is an Israeli composer and pianist. Since 2017, she has been a composition faculty member at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she serves as the Head of Innovation and Technology in Pedagogy. Many of her works focus on the connection between music and technology and their points of interaction.
Biography Amar was born in Jerusalem. Her mother and grandmother are piano teachers who immigrated to Israel from Paris. She began playing the piano at five,Jacob Bar-On (December 14, 2021). Interview for the premiere of the piece "Voices of Saudade" with the Jerusalem Symphony. Maariv Online. studying under Luisa Yoffe. She commenced composition studies at fourteen with composer Mark Kopytman.2015-2016 Fellow, Talia Amar.
Career From a young age, Amar participated in international competitions. At seven, she won the Shostakovich International Competition in Germany; at eleven, she secured first place in the International Piano Competition in Vicenza and the national competition in Paris.'Winner of the International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition 2009.
Amar earned her Bachelor of Music with honors in composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, studying under professors Mark Kopytman, Ari Ben-Shabetai, and Yinam Leef.Klon Prize 2012. Israel Composers' League. She also studied piano at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music under prof. Emanuel Krasovsky. Between 2007 and 2013, she received scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation in piano and composition with distinction.CV. America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In 2013, she won first place in the CIRCE composition competition in the United States.CV. Babel Scores. Pursuing advanced studies in the U.S., Amar obtained her Master of Music from the Mannes School of Music in New York, studying composition with Mario Davidovsky and piano with Victor Rosenbaum. She completed her Ph.D. at Brandeis University in Boston in 2020, where she learned with Yu-Hui Chang, Eric Chasalow and David Rakowski.Department of Music Alumni. Brandeis University. Her doctoral dissertation, titled: "The Light, Path, and Voice: Underlying Processes in Voi(Rex) by Philippe Leroux" and an original composition Fractured Words,The Light, Path, and Voice: Underlying Processes in Voi(Rex) by Philippe Leroux and an original composition “Fractured Words”. Talia Amar's Dissertation. earned her the Herbert and Sandra Fisher ’56 Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Creative Arts in 2020.Herbert and Sandra Fisher ’56 Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Creative Arts 2020 At Brandeis, she was awarded the Teaching Fellow Award for 2015–2016,The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Honors Recipients of the 2016 Teaching Fellow Award. Brandeis University. 2016–2017, and 2017–2018 academic years.CV. Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
Amar participated in France's Royaumont composition course in 2011,Artistes de 35 ans ou moins au moment du concert. Royaumont composition course. in a composers course at Wellesley College with Mario Davidovsky in 2016, and the IRCAM ManiFeste workshop in 2017.Interpretation master class. IRCAM. She was the composer fellow for the Collage New Music ensemble in Boston during the 2015–2016 season. With Collage, she featured her piece “Reminiscence,” for six players, described by prof. David Schulenberg: "The piece was beautifully crafted, its roughly ten minutes twice tracing an arc from relatively lively to quiet, sustained music, ending unexpectedly but very effectively with one of the latter passages. The players executed this with exquisite attention to the often subtle sonorities, which have something in common not only with Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire... but also with the Marteau sans maître by Boulez—whose recent death occasioned appreciative comments from all four composers. Amar... has a fine ear for sound as well as sure compositional technique, and I look forward to hearing more of her music."David Schulenberg (January 11, 2016). Collage of Four Works by Four Composers. The Boston Musical Intelligencer.
As a pianist, she performed as a soloist in the United States, Israel, and France with the Orchestre Lamoureux at the Salle Gaveau in Paris,Talia Amar - Prime Minister's Award for Composers. Israel Film Service. the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra,Liran Gurkiewicz (September 19, 2023). An auspicious opening for Israeli Music Festival - review. Jerusalem Post. the Ra'anana Symphonette,(November 12, 2002). Concerts. Haaretz. the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion.(April 1, 2008). Greer Fay Cashman. Grapevine: Walking history. Jerusalem Post.
In 2011, her work took part in the North-South Consonance competition in New York. In 2014, her string quartet "Obsession" was chosen by Lorin Maazel for performance at the Castleton Festival. In 2017, she participated at the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Vancouver with her ensemble work.Composers Biography. International Society for Contemporary Music, Vancouver, 2017. In 2018, she performed at the ACL Festival in Taiwan with her piece for flute and electronics.CV. Henry Lemoine. In 2019, she presented at the ECCO Festival in Brussels with her piano and electronics piece.ECCO Concert. Brussels 2019.
Her works have been performed at festivals in Israel and abroad, including Vox Femina,Ayelet Dekel (December 24, 2014). Vox Feminae Festival. The New York Electroacoustic Music Festival,2015 Concert Schedule the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts,(February 19, 2019). Talia Amar Biography. Concert of Ecco, Ensemble Hopper, conducted by François Deppe, Brussels. p. 8. the New Music Edmonton Festival,Undergraduate Student News. The Score: 2015-2016. Brandeis University. CEME Festival,Amir Mandel (January 2, 2019). Classical recommendations. Haaretz. Castleton Festival,(June 7, 2014). Music: Castleton Chamber Players. Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. EAR Festival in London,Program of London Ear 2013, Festival of Contemporary Music. Visible Sounds Congress Matera International Festival 2019. p. 25. and Renaud Capuçon's New Horizons Festival in France.Talia Amar. Israel Music Institute. In 2022, her piece "Labyrinth" was performed by Ensemble l'Itinéraire at the Présences Festival as part of Radio France.(February 2022). Bilan du Festival Présences. Radio France. Her compositions have been performed in Australia, Italy, England, the United States, Belgium, Germany, the Philippines, Taiwan, Greece, Norway, France, Canada, Sweden, and Israel by various ensembles, including ICE International Contemporary Ensemble,(September 6, 2017). ICE at Brandeis New Music. Ensemble l'Itinéraire,(March 30, 2022). Festival Présences 2022 #11 : L'ensemble L'Itinéraire dirigé par Léo Margue. Radio France. Standing Wave,(May 8, 2017). ISCM world new music days 2017 call for works selected works1. Yarn/Wire, Collage New Music,Lloyd Schwartz (January 17, February 27). Whether in-person or livestreamed, catch these classical music performances this winter (Collage New Music). WBUR-FM. Lydian String Quartet,(November 2020). Talia Amer. Research in Israeli Colleges. North/South Consonance Ensemble,Call For Scores 2010 Roster. North/South Consonance Ensemble. Ensemble of the 21st Century,Amir Mandel (November 25, 2018). The piece that stood out above all in the concert of the 21st Century Ensemble. Haaretz. Les Cris de Paris,Composer’s Note. 32 Bright Clouds. Atar Trio,Composers. Atar Trio. Meitar Ensemble,(April 22, 2023). Contemporary Music from Israel: A festival of music by living Israeli composers. IOWA Center for New Music. University of Iowa. Ensemble Recherche, Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble,Barry Davis (January 17, 2025). Chopin by way of Korea: Pianist Yeon-Min Park brings her take on romantic music to Israel. Jerusalem Post. and Uroboros Ensemble. Michèle Tosi reviewed in ResMusica her piece "Reverberations," played by Meitar Ensemble: "The composer Talia Amar, barely thirty years old, brings together an instrumental ensemble and electronics in Reverberations, a piece she describes as "an echo of my previous works." The music immediately captivates with its powerful gestures and immersive world, enhanced by subtly integrated electronics that give it an orchestral scope. The writing is precise, featuring striking solos (bass, clarinet, bassoon) within a well-structured dramaturgy and skillful spatial control. A true revelation, carefully executed by Pierre-André Valade and the musicians."Michèle Tosi (January 9, 2020). L’Itinéraire et Meitar sous la conduite de Pierre-André Valade. ResMusica.
Her piece "Metamorphosis" is included in the WAW CD, performed by flutist Ivona Glinka.Iwona Glinka – Waw. WAW won the 2019 Clouzine Music Award for the Best Contemporary Classical Album.Clouzine International Music Awards Fall 2019 Winners. Clouzine Magazine. Her piece "Phantasmagoria" is featured on the 2015 Tangent Shores CD, performed by pianist Jay Jeffries.Dominy Clements. Tangent Shores: Amethyst Composers Concordance. Musicweb-International. Her work "Ouroboros" is included in "A Leap Into the Dark" CD by Peter Katina.A Leap Into the Dark.
Since 2017, Amar has been a faculty member at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Graduate Student News. Brandeis University, Department of Music. Fall 2017. and a tenure member since 2020,(November 16, 2020). Recent PhD alumna Talia Amar awarded tenure. Brandeis University, Department of Music. where she serves as the Head of Innovation and Technology in Pedagogy. She is teaching at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Syllabus Post-tonal Theories (Theory III). course number 23603. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is also a council member of the Israeli Composers League. She performs electronic music with the Meitar Ensemble. She is an honorary member of the National Conservatoire in Greece.Talia Amar. Israeli Composers League.
Personal life Amar is married, a mother of three, and lives in Ra'anana.
Awards 2009 - Gold Medal in the International Music Composition Award in Thessaloniki, Greece, for her composition Sparks for bassoon and marimba. 2010 - third place in the 8th Italian Percussion Competition for her piece Sparks for bassoon and marimba. 2011 - Special mention at the IBLA-Grand Music Competition in the United States for her composition Monologue for Two Pianos.2011 IBLA Grand Prize accepted contestants. 2011 IBLA grand prize Competition results. 2012 - Klon Prize from the Israel Composers' League. 2013 - Third place at the Ear Festival in London, England, for her composition When a Dream Becomes Reality...Composers’ Competition Results. London Ear Festival of Contemporary Music. 2016 - Rosenblum Prize for Performing Arts for Promising Young Artists, from Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.Merav Yudilevich (March 23, 2016). The Rosenblum Prize for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to Tzedi Tzarfati. Ynet. 2018 - Prime Minister's Award for Composers, from the Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel).Composer Award. Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel). 2019 - ACUM Prize for Encouragement of the Work "Triangulation".Yuval Plotkin (April 3, 2019). The ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award will be granted to author Yeshayahu Koren. Ynet. 2023 - ACUM Prize in Memory of Menachem Avidom for Rage Contre La Lumière qui se Meurt, recognized as the year's composition.Ariel Feiglin (March 19, 2023). Galila Ron-Feder Amit will receive the ACUM Award. Arutz Sheva.
Notable works 2013 - "Obsession" for string quartet.Talia Amar. Israel Music Institute. 2014-2015 – "MutaMorphosis” for flute and electronics.Zachary Woolfe (June 24, 2015). Review: A Mix of Sounds at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival. The New York Times. 2015 – “Reminiscence” for ensemble.Zoà Madonna (January 12, 2016). Sounds resonate in Collage New Music concert at Longy School. The Boston Globe.