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>Practicing Karate
>"All the Way" Band
>Studying Classical guitar at the Academy Of Music
>Singing at the Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir
>Today

Before music - practicing Karate (Shotokan)

Born in Jerusalem 1964. Though I liked singing from an early age I started to practice Shotokan Karate, with Meir Yahel, from the age of 10 (1974) in Beit Hayeled school in Jerusalem. Meir taught not only how to "fight" but also how to use the imagination and creativity as a part of the martial arts. The things I learned from it are with me in every step I make giving me the physical and mental understanding of the principles of body and soul. It tought me about constituency and of doing some movements for hundreds and even thousands of times until it is understood (click for a picture).

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Starting my music studies and "All The Way" band

At the age of nearly 16 I started to look for something different something to do along with my Karate. It always looked to me "magical" to be able to sing just by looking at the music notes with out any help from a musical instrument. So I started to look for a "Solfege" teacher.

Because I did not know any music teacher, I just opened the "Yellow Pages" I closed my eyes and put my finger on the name of Raphael Mizrachi who was my first music teacher (click for a picture).

Raphael was a very special teacher with overwhelming and  warm personality. It took me a few lesson to realize that Raphael was actually blind!!! How? When I came for the first lessons he was wearing sun glasses - and I thought he might have a minor problem with one of his eyes - and all of this was because he was so confident with his moves and actions that I did not have any clue of his eyes situation. So after a few lessons he told me that he needs to write my phone number and so he took out some "strange" pages and started to make holes in them, that was the point I understood that Raphael was blind - when I saw him writing "Braille" - this was an amazing and an unforgettable moment.

After some lessons Raphael advised me to learn a melodic instrument in order to be sure that I accurately sing the notes, he told me to buy a piano but at that time my parents could not afford it so he gave me two choices - Mandolin or Classical guitar - I chose the classical guitar and I immediately started to take my first lessons.

At he same period I bought a 12 strings acoustic guitar and started to write (in English) and compose songs and at the end of 1981 I established "All the way" band - performing in different places and in competitions called "Pizmon Tichon" (click for a picture).

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Starting professional classical guitar lessons and my studies at the Academy of Music in Jerusalem

After my service in the Army I got acquainted with Daniel Akiva, who taught me the classical guitar in a professional  way, through his lessons I realized how much challenge is hidden in this instrument.

At that time I also got my black belt (Shodan) and I gave lessons in classical guitar - it's important for me to say that I learned a lot from my students.

After my studies with Daniel Akiva I met Mr. Haim Asulin, who was my teacher for classical guitar during my years in the Rubin Academy Of Music And Dance in Jerusalem. Haim taught me amazingly the basics of the guitar. Students are often looking for the "virtuoso" attitude, but Haim taught me how to play a single note with its profound qualities - thus giving me great tools for understanding  the classical guitar and its abilities. I graduated the Music Academy in 1993 (B. Mus.).

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Singing in the "Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir"

When I was a very small child my father, who was a "Hazanut" (cantor) fan took me to the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem (Heichal Shlomo) to hear the Choir of the Synagogue which also had small children in it and for me it was so mystical - the fact that I was not yet high I could only hear their voices - and they sounded like angels to me. Naturally (from what I understand today) I Joined the Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir for 11 years. During this time I had the privilege to perform as a member of the choir and also as a soloist singer with my classical guitar, among other places I also sang in the Mozarteum in Vienna and in Los Angeles performed for the first time with Raymond Goldstein's piece "Kol Nidrei" for solo guitar. There were many "touching" performances but the most moving this to sing was the "Hatikva" (the Israeli hymn) which for unexplained reason sounded different when we were abroad.

I learned a lot from being a member of the choir - from Eli Jaffe the conductor, about the deep meaning of the sound and from his extraordinary musical point of view. From Raymond Goldstein the pianist and the arranger about the use of special harmonies and from the cantor Naftali Herstik the special use of the voice.

Though I deeply enjoyed being in the choir I understood that if I wish to sing as a soloist I have to go to my own way - singing in a choir is totally different from a solo singer.

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Today

Today I sing old and new Israeli songs and writing (and composing) Hebrew and English songs. I find singing the Israeli and English songs (covers) very enjoyable and I don't agree with those who claim that an artist should sing only his own original music. If you feel that you can "give" a song your own interpretation - it's an ART. Coming to think of it - the classical performances are doing "covers" for hundred of years, so why not in the pop music?

In my pictures section you can watch some of the pictures who visually describe what you read and in the Music section you can hear a few of my performances.

Hope you enjoy, yours - Avraham Afriat.

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