Desert Song

Itamar Erez, guitar and piano

Sunday, October 6 at 2pm

Blend Middle Eastern music, jazz, and flamenco, and you find the unique sound of Itamar Erez, world-renowned guitarist, pianist, and composer. His music is praised for its depth and sensitivity, and has been heard at prestigious venues around the world. In a program especially created for our series, Itamar will perform music by J.S. Bach, Brazilian composers such as Pixinguinha and Garoto, and also his own compositions for guitar and piano.
 

Programme

Biography

Itamar’s music holds a depth and sensitivity that touches listeners deeply. It blends the delicateness of Middle Eastern music, the freedom found in jazz and the passion of flamenco, creating a unique sound all his own. Recipient of the 2014 ACUM Prize for Special Achievement in Jazz and the prestigious 2014 Landau Prize, Itamar Erez is an internationally renowned composer and guitarist who has shared the stage with such musicians as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tomatito, Avishai Cohen, JeanLouis Matinier, Zohar Fresco, and others.

“The music really catches fire…Erez stretches out, using his impressive instrumental technique to great effect…” (Songlines Magazine- 2010)

Itamar has released Six albums to date, including “Desert Song” (2006) and “Hommage” (2010) with the Adama Ensemble, “New Dawn” (2013) with percussionist Yshai Afterman and special guest Antonio Serrano on harmonica, and “Mi Alegria” (2019). “May Song,” was released in October 2022 and features music written during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Migrant Voices”, Itamar’s 6th album, was released in 2024. It is an collaboration album with Hamin Honari (Iranian-Canadian percussionist). This unique project blends diverse cultural influences, highlighting the spontaneous interplay between guitar and percussion.
In recent years, Itamar performed in Canada, USA, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus, Israel, India, Tunisia, Colombia & Surinam. Itamar made his Carnegie Hall (NY) debut Apr 2018 performing with the Omar Faruk Tekbilek Ensemble with Ara Dinjkian & Brian Keane as special guests.

Among the venues and festivals that Itamar played throughout his career were: Barbican Hall (London UK), Sydney Opera (Sydney, Australia), the Jerusalem Jazz Festival (Israel), Oman Opera House, The Megaron (Athens, Greece), Schauspielhaus Leipzig (Germany), Amsterdam Jewish Music Festival (Holland), the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and others. As a workshop facilitator and masterclass teacher, Itamar shares his unique approach to music and instrumentation with students around the globe. Recent gigs for Itamar included showcasing his quartet at the JazzAhead music conference April 2022 in Bremen, Germany and touring in Israel with his quartet in November 2022, playing with International Guitar Night (2023).

2024 brings a variety of performances in Canada, US & Europe, including gigs at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Penticton’s Dream Cafe, Bellingham’s Jazz Center, Edmonton’s Yardbird Suite, and many others. A new collaboration with Guitar Poet Brian Gore will see more concerts in the US and Canada in 2024. In addition to his performing and teaching career, Itamar has also composed music for various chamber ensembles and classical guitarists, as well as for film. He has written commissioned works for the ‘Sound of Dragon Ensemble’ and other groups, and his compositions for classical guitar, including “Yahli’s Lullaby,” “Morning Song,” “Choro for Lulo,” and “Choro Sentimental,” have been played by concert guitarists around the world. Itamar has also written music for the film “Greek To Me,” directed by Harry Killas.

He is currently on faculty at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music, teaching guitar, jazz, and world music.