Zvi Avni

Tzvi Avni was born in 1927 in Saarbrücken, Germany. He immigrated to Israel with his family in 1935 and settled in Haifa. As a child, he learned to play the harmonica, mandolin and recorder, but his serious musical education began only at age 16, with pianist Frank Peleg and composer Abel Erlich. During his military service, Avni began studying composition at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music. Later on, he continued his studies with Paul Ben-Haim and Mordechai Seter, under whose instruction he graduated from the academy in 1958. During and after his studied he worked for eight years as a music schoolteacher and managed Lod’s municipal conservatory in 1958-61.

Between 1962 and 1964 Avni stayed in the US where he continued his composition studies with Aaron Copland and Lukas Foss. At Edgar Varese’s recommendation, he became involved with the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, under his mentor Vladimir Ussachevsky. Upon his return from the US, he became deeply involved in the local artistic music scene. His formal roles included Director of Israel’s Central Music Library, Chair of the Israeli Composers’ League, Chair of the Board of Youth and Music Israel (a position he holds to this day) and editor of its magazine Gitit for many years.  His oeuvre includes orchestral works, chamber pieces for various ensembles, vocal and choral music, electronic music, as well as compositions for ballet, theater, art movies, radio plays and more.

In 1970, Avni was invited to compose original music for Batsheva’s Ein Dor, choreographed by Moshe Efrati. Since then, he composed for Pace & Step Together (1971), Moon Full and Lyric Episodes (1972); Friendship (1973, not staged), and Meditation on an Open Stage (1978). Avni was a member of the public committee established in November 1974 to examine the feasibility of merging the Batsheva and Bat-Dor companies. The committee recommended dissolving the joint association and allowing Batsheva to operate as an independent company supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
In 1971, Avni was invited to establish the Jerusalem Music and Dance Academy’s electronic music laboratory. In 1976, he was made a professor there and headed the Theory and Composition Department.

Avni is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Israel Prize for Music (2001), he Culture Prize of the Saarland (1998), the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize for lifetime achievement (1998), the Küstermeier Prize (1990), the ACUM Prize for lifetime achievement (1986), the Engel Prize (1973), the Lieberson Prize, and others.