Yaëla Hertz

Yaëla Hertz, violinist, teacher (born April 1930 in Tel Aviv, Palestine [now Israel]; died 30 May 2014 in Montréal, QC). She began studying the violin with her mother, Atara Glickson-Herz, who was concertmaster at the Palestine Opera, and continued her studies with Oedoen Partos. Winning the Prague Competition at 19, she studied with Mischa Mischakoff at the Juilliard School, New York. Wearing an Israeli army uniform, she gave recitals and concerts with orchestra in her native country, and then continued her career in Europe and in North America. Settling in Montreal, she became concertmaster of the McGill Chamber Orchestra in 1959. She appeared frequently as its soloist, notably in 1972 when she played double concertos by Bach and Vivaldi with David Oistrakh at the Salle Claude-Champagne. As a member and soloist of this orchestra she performed in the Soviet Union, Europe, South America and Asia. With the same orchestra she recorded some works by Boyce and Chevalier de Saint-Georges with the violinist Morry Kernerman (1973, CBC SM-258) and Haydn's Concerto in F with the harpsichordist Kenneth Gilbert (ca 1967, CBC SM-18). In 1976 she premiered Cupid's Quandary, a concerto for violin and orchestra which Alexander Brott had written for her. She was a teacher at the École Vincent-d'Indy and taught at the CMQ (1967-88), the Cons de Hull, McGill University, and for the NYO. She also performed in recital on CBC radio and TV.

With her brother Talmon, cello, and Dale Bartlett, piano, she formed the Hertz Trio in 1976 which performed in North America, Europe, the Soviet Union, and Israel. The trio recorded works by Smetana and Arensky on cassette (1987, RCI 643), and by Hummel, Kreisler, Contant, Arensky, and Rubbra on CD (1988, CBC Musica Viva MVCD-1042).

Talmon Hertz, born 19 February 1933 in Tel Aviv; M MUS (Manhattan School of Music) 1960, was educated 1952-6 at the Music Training Teachers' College, Tel Aviv, 1956-7 at the Academy of Music of Israel, and at the Manhattan School of Music. Among his teachers were Bernard Greenhouse, János Starker, Joachim Stutchevsky, and Paul Tortelier. After playing 1955-7 with the Ramat-Gan Chamber Orchestra and 1960-1 with the Pittsburgh SO, he became principal cello of the Calgary Philharmonic in 1962, a post which he held intermittently until 1974. He has appeared in recital at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1960 and 1965, at Wigmore Hall in London in 1965, and on CBC and European radio and TV, as well as performing as a member of various chamber music ensembles. In 1976 he premiered Alexander Brott's Evocative Provocations. Herzt began teaching at the University of Calgary in 1962.