Ella
Milch-Sheriff
Born in Haifa, Israel,
Ella Milch-Sheriff began her career as a composer at the very young age
of 12. During her military service she composed, performed and
interpreted her own songs, and it is during this time that she achieved
her first success. After having finished the army, Ella 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.
Ella studied vocal training
under the direction of Professors Tamar Rachum and Daphna Cohen-Licht.
Her work as a singer throughout
Europe and in Israel coupled with her expertise in linguistics,
intimate sensitivity and innate understanding of the human voice,
naturally drew her to specialize in Lieder
and the music of 20th Century composers.
Ella composes for opera and
has written chamber, orchestral and
vocal music as well as popular music and solo works. Her music is performed
widely throughout Israel and Europe and of note, are her refined
arrangements of songs by Kurt Weill for mezzo-soprano and chamber
orchestra.
"Can Heaven be
Void", a work for orchestra based upon the diary of
Ella’s father, written during World War II, achieved tremendous success
during its premier performances in Israel in March of 2003. Since translated to a number
of languages, this piece which had its German
premier with the Berliner Symphoniker in Berlin in November of 2003, has gone
on to enjoy multiple performances with the Duesseldorfer Symphoniker in
Düsseldorf in November of 2004 as well as in the United States at the Chautauqua
festival in July of 2004. In 2009, the canatata will be premiered in Vilnius/Lithuania.
"Can Heaven be Void" was also recently performed at the Israeli Opera House in Tel-Aviv in
commemoration of the 60th anniversary marking the end of World War II.
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.
The extraordinary acclaim that this opera received from the press and
public alike, ultimately led to its being programmed in the Cameri Theatre and Israel Chamber
Orchestra’s annual series, which is currently running.
In 2006, the opera had it's Polish
premier in Warsaw, in
November
2008 it was performed in Bucharest/Roumania
and the first performance in Toronto/Canada.
Her piece "Songs
from the Edge"
for mezzo-soprano and string quartet commissioned and performed by by
the Audubon Quartet, was
premiered in the US in July of
2006.
Her last composition "Dark am I"
for soprano, counter tenor, tenor, bass, piano and chamber music
ensemble based on the "Song of
Solomon", after it's world
premier in 2007 in Israel,
will be performed 2008 in Brussels
and Potsdam/Germany.
Among
a series of works she has recently created two compositions for
piano should be highlighted: a new
concerto which will be performed for the first time in Israel in
October 2008 and a commissioned
piano trio to be premieredin August
2008 at the Chatauqua Festival/USA by
the Fine Arts Trio.
Finally, a new composition for choirs, soloists and orchestra is to be
premiered in 2009 by Zubin Mehta
and the Israel Philharmonc Orchestra
to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv.
Currently
she is working upon a commissioned chamber
opera (Flying Lessons)
to be premiered in 2009 in
Israel in a coproduction between the New Israeli Opera and the Cameri
Theatre, Tel Aviv.
Aside
her many musical works, an autobiographical
book "Ein Lied für meinen Vater" (A Song for my Father) written
together with the German author and journalist Ingeborg Prior was published at the
Leipziger Buchmesse.2008.
Ella Milch-Sheriff lives
with her husband, Israeli composer and conductor Noam Sheriff, and her
two sons in Tel Aviv.