Uzi Wiesel (1927 - 2019)
Uzi Wiesel was a musician with a remarkable analytical ability to understand the language of music. He was also a gifted teacher with the ability to transfer this knowledge to students, not just through telling them what to do, but through helping them understand the technique of Cello playing.
Born in Israel in 1927, Uzi was part of the budding musical culture in Israel, full of ideals, energy and hope. He fought in the Independence War, and following the war traveled to the US to study at the Juilliard School of Music, where his main teacher was Bernard Greenhouse. On his way back to Israel, he spent a few months in Prades with Pablo Casals.
Following his return to Israel in 1954 his life was rich with performances in Israel and internationally, as well as teaching in prestigious institutions and master courses across all the continents, leaving a very large legacy of students. He had the chance to meet and perform with some of the world’s leading musicians such as Menuhin, Rostropowitch, Barenboim, Mehta, Lupu, Zuckermann and many others. He won numerous awards throughout his life.
Uzi was a founding member of the Tel Aviv String Quartet, an important international chamber music ensemble that toured across the globe for over 30 years.
Since giving the Israeli premier of the complete Six Solo Cello Suites by J.S. Bach the Suites were always very close to his heart, and his unique edition of the Suites was a lifetime project for him.
On this website you will find documents of his rich life, in images and sound recordings. Scroll down for a Time Line and further links.
Time Line
1927 - 1949
Born in Tel Aviv in 1927 to Miriam and Mordechai Wiesel
1934 Starts studying at the Music Conservatorium in Tel Aviv, headed by Menashe Rabina
1930s Studies cello with Joseph Weisberger
1930s - 1947 Studies at the Jerusalem Conservatorium, the Israeli Conservatorium of Music in Tel Aviv and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
1944 - 1949 Serves in the Palmach before and during the Independence War
1950s
1950 - 1954 Studies in the Juilliard School of Music
1953 Tangelwood Music Festival
1954 Studies with Pablo Casals in Prades
1955 First professional concert in Israel
1955 - 2014 Concerts (soloist with orchestra, solo and chamber music) in Israel and internationally
1955 - 2018 Teaching (master classes and courses) in Israel and internationally
1958 Founding member, Tel Aviv String Quartet
1960s
1961 Casals Competition Israel: 2nd prize
1968 - 1996 Professor at the Tel Aviv Music Academy, Tel Aviv University
1968 Performance BBC Orchestra
1970s
1974 - 1975 Prizes for Best Performances of Israeli Music: Solo and Chamber music
1977 Performance of Berio’s ritorno
1977 - 1988 Director of Chamber music at the Bayreuth Youth Music Festival
1978 - 1980 Guest Professor at New York State University, Stonybrook
Continuing Concert performances and teaching
1980s
1983 - 1985 Artistic Director Kibutz Orchestra (Israel)
Continuing Concert performances and teaching
1990s
1991 - 2001 Jury member, Rostropwitch Competition (Paris)
Radolfzell Summer Academy, Germany
1996 Confered with the ‘Chevalier du Violoncelle’, Indiana University
1996 -2019 Emeritus Professor, Buchman-Mehta School
Continuing Concert performances and teaching
2000 - 2019
Radolfzell Summer Academy
1999 - 2019 Residence in Australia
2007 Awarded Peleg Prize for Life Achievement (Israel)
2010 Jury member, Beijing International Music Competition
2011 Cello Festival Zutphen, Holland: Performance and master class
2013 Chair of Jury, Feuermann Competition (Berlin)
2000 - 2017 Sydney Conservatorium of Music Faculty