Hailed as a “wonderful pianist” with “absolute devotion to the music” and “admirable technique” (Globes), pianist Shir Semmel has performed in Europe, the United States, and her native Israel to critical acclaim. Praised for her “unstoppable energy and personality” (timesunionPLUS), her performances have been described as “gripping from beginning to end” (The Jerusalem Post). 

Semmel has recently been invited by Sir András Schiff to play recitals throughout Europe as part of his “Building Bridges” series, created to highlight young pianists of unusual promise. First Prize winner of several competitions, she has participated in international festivals such as the Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Music@Menlo, IMS Prussia Cove, IMS Open Chamber Music, the Gstaad Piano Academy at the Menuhin Festival, Mänttä Piano Festival in Finland and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New-York. She has appeared in such venues as Carnegie Hall (Weill and Zankel), Merkin Hall, Steinway Hall, Shriver Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater and Rose Studio, the Jerusalem Theater, Tel-Aviv Museum and many more. Future engagements include concerts in Israel, the United States (west and east coasts), Germany (including at the Konzerthaus Berlin) and Switzerland. 

​An avid chamber musician, Semmel cofounded the Jerusalem Piano Duo together with her brother, pianist Dror Semmel, and is also on the roster of the Manhattan Chamber players. She has collaborated with such artists as Gilbert Kalish, Colin Carr, Isabel Leonard, Hagai Shaham, Zvi Plesser, members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and members of the Israel Philharmonoic Orchestra. As a former member of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW, she performed regularly at Carnegie Hall among other venues, and worked to engage with the community and enhance music education throughout New York. ​Many of her concerts were recorded for the radio and some have been released on CD. A consistent recipient of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation excellence scholarships, Semmel has worked with renowned pianists such as Sir András Schiff, Murray Perahia, Richard Goode, Robert Levin, Jonathan Biss, Yefim Bronfman, and many others.

​In addition to her busy performance schedule, Shir has also taught undergraduate piano and chamber music students at Stony Brook University. She has given masterclasses in schools and universities in the US, and led workshops at the Juilliard School in New York. She currently teaches at the Israel Conservatory of Music, Tel-Aviv. ​

Born in Jerusalem, Semmel studied with Lena Nemirosky-Wiskind. She graduated summa cum laude from the Jerusalem Music Academy as a student of Alexander Tamir and Asaf Zohar. She completed her Master of Music degree with honors at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music where she studied with Emanuel Krasovsky. She spent four years at the Peabody Institute as a student of Leon Fleisher, and has recently completed her DMA at SUNY Stony Brook under the tutelage of Gilbert Kalish.

Piano

Shir Semmel

Masterclass given by pianist Shir Semmel to students of the Conservatoire de Lausanne (Gabriel Kreis and Valentine Garçia).

In partnership with the Conservatoire de Lausanne, Classeek is proud to present these masterclasses to the students of the conservatoire, offering important insightful experiences on their educational journey. Bringing together two generations of young artists, Classeek's masterclasses see artists of the Ambassador Programme transmitting their knowledge and sharing their wealth of experience, to an even younger generation.

Shir Semmel masterclass highlights

in partnership with the Conservatoire de Lausanne

Shir Semmel talks with Charlotte Gardner in an insightful discussion about her programme, her relationships with the composers of these works, and more about her musical upbringing. 

Shir Semmel interview

with Charlotte Gardner

Shir joined the Classeek Ambassador Programme in season 2021-22, following her nomination by Sir András Schiff. 

Hailed as a “wonderful pianist” with “absolute devotion to the music” and “admirable technique” (Globes), pianist Shir Semmel has performed in Europe, the United States, and her native Israel to critical acclaim. A first Prize winner of several competitions, she has participated in international festivals such as the Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Music@Menlo, IMS Prussia Cove, IMS Open Chamber Music, the Gstaad Piano Academy at the Menuhin Festival, as well as perfoming in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Shriver Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater and Rose Studio, and many more.

Shir Semmel | Schumann, Davidsbündlertänze Op.6, No.14 'Zart und singend'

Davidsbündlertänze Op. 6

Classeek Showroom performance, May 2022

An excerpt of No.13 'Wild und lustig' from Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze Op. 6, performed by Shir Semmel.

Shir joined the Classeek Ambassador Programme in season 2021-22, following her nomination by Sir Andràs Schiff. Hailed as a “wonderful pianist” with “absolute devotion to the music” and “admirable technique” (Globes), pianist Shir Semmel has performed in Europe, the United States, and her native Israel to critical acclaim. A first Prize winner of several competitions, she has participated in international festivals such as the Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Music@Menlo, IMS Prussia Cove, IMS Open Chamber Music, the Gstaad Piano Academy at the Menuhin Festival, as well as perfoming in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Shriver Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater and Rose Studio, and many more.

Shir Semmel | Schumann, Davidsbündlertänze Op. 6, excerpt from No.13 'Wild und lustig'

Shir joined the Classeek Ambassador Programme in season 2021-22, following her nomination by Sir Andràs Schiff. 

Shir Semmel | Schumann, Davidsbündlertänze Op.6, No.2 'Innig'

Davidsbündlertänze Op.6

Shir Semmel | Schumann, Davidsbündlertänze Op.6, excerpt from No.17 'Wie aus der Ferne'

Shir Semmel | Schumann, No.8 & No.9 from Davidsbündlertänze Op.6

Shir joined the Classeek Ambassador Programme in season 2021-22, following her nomination by  Sir András Schiff. 

Shir Semmel | Janáček, Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 'From the Street'

Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 'From the Street'

Janáček’s two-movement ‘From the Street’ piano sonata was his immediate, impassioned response to the bayonetting to death, in October 1905 in Brno, of a young carpenter who had been taking part in a protest supporting a Czech-speaking university for the city – something the ruling German-speaking, Austro-Hungarian authorities opposed. Janáček’s emotionally charged writing draws on Moravian folk music.‍

Schumann composed his eighteen short Davidsbündlertänze in 1837, the year he became engaged to Clara Wieck.  A musical  representation of his wedding thoughts, they’re based on a mazurka  by Wieck, and depict imaginary conversations between the two psychologically pole-opposite alter-egos he invented to represent himself, Florestan and Eusebius, who also appear in his famous Kreisleriana of the following year. The suite’s wedding night feel reaches its soft, final climax by way of twelve low Cs, preceding the very closing bars, representing the clock chiming midnight.

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Shir Semmel

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