Elisha Abas
Elisha Abas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer, former professional footballer |
| Known for | Piano performances of Chopin and Schumann; former left back for Israeli football clubs |
Elisha Abas (; born 1971) is an Israeli pianist and composer who formerly played professional football.
Abas studied piano under the tutelage of Israeli pianist and educator Pnina Salzman and received mentorship from Artur Rubinstein. He is particularly acclaimed for his renditions of works by composers such as Chopin and Schumann.
Life and career
As the great-great-grandson of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915), Abas descends through Ariadna Scriabina, Gilbert-Elizabeth "Betty" Knut-Lazarus, and his mother Ariane Abas. His father is Shlomo Abas, an Israeli author specializing in children's literature.
Starting his performance career at the age of six, Abas has appeared alongside distinguished artists including Isaac Stern, Leonard Bernstein, and Zubin Mehta. He achieved first place in the America Israel Cultural Foundation music competition for eight consecutive years, as well as winning the Claremont Piano Competition.
At 14 years old, Abas temporarily halted his musical pursuits to focus on a professional football career. He played as a left back for Israeli clubs including Hapoel Petah Tikva, coached by Avram Grant, and Hapoel Kfar Saba. Due to injuries, he retired from football at age 28.
Following his retirement from sports, Abas returned to piano performance under Salzman's mentorship. He currently performs internationally across regions such as North America, Europe, Cuba, Russia, Israel, and China.
Although he seldom publicly performs his own compositions, Abas presented original pieces in 2009 at notable venues like St. Petersburg's Smolny Cathedral, the United Nations Assembly Hall, and Havana's Teatro Amadeo Roldán. That same year, he performed and recorded Brahms' First Piano Concerto live in Havana with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba conducted by Yoel Gamzou. In 2010, he issued a live recording of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with Berlin's International Mahler Orchestra.
Abas is a co-founder of New York City's Concert Meister Series, which aims to provide increased opportunities for visiting orchestral musicians.
External links
- Living people
- 1971 births
- Israeli classical pianists
- Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. players
- Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. players
- Maccabi Akhi Nazareth F.C. players
- Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. players
- Hapoel Hadera F.C. players
- Footballers from Jerusalem
- Musicians from Jerusalem
- Jewish classical pianists
- Israeli people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Israeli people of German-Jewish descent
- Israeli people of French-Jewish descent
- Israeli people of American-Jewish descent
- Men's association football full-backs
- Israeli men's footballers
- Composers from Jerusalem