A Young Prolific Pianist

Education for a Young Pianist

At the age of seven, Nabeel Hayek began playing his favorite instrument: the piano. At the time, Nabeel was studying as a pianist at the Polyphony Conservatory in his hometown of Nazareth, a school that is recognized around the world for uniting young Jewish and Arab musicians.

Over the past few years, Nabeel performed solo recitals and chamber music with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Israel Symphony Orchestra on a regular basis. Plus, he participated in global festivals not only in Israel, but also in Italy, Belgium, New York, and Hong Kong.

Nabeel’s Path to Professional Piano

This summer, Nabeel was accepted with a full scholarship to attend the Aspen School of Music, a nationally acclaimed program that includes professional performance experience at a music festival. Several AFIPO board members are traveling to Aspen in August to experience art and culture, and to see Nabeel perform firsthand.

Today, Nabeel studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. He has received professional classical music training from applauded teachers and musicians including Ron Trachtman, Arie Vardi, Murray Perahia, and Asaf Zohar — some of the best professors in classical music.

Nabeel then received the opportunity to play on stage and perform with KeyNote. KeyNote is the Israel Philharmonic’s music education and community outreach program that reaches over 20,000 children every year. The opportunity allowed Nabeel to flourish in his musical career for years to come.

Awards and Appearances

Nabeel has won numerous national and international competitions over the past five years. He also has received the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships since 2014 and Zefunot Tarbut scholarships since 2015.

• First prize at Forever Piano Competition – Ashdod (2017 and 2020)
• First prize at Maurice Clairmont Piano Competition (2020)
• First prize at Voice of Music – Young Artist Piano Competition (2017)

Aside from awards, Nabeel performed multiple times on the Israeli radio broadcast channel for classical music (Kol Hamusica). He has played under the direction of conductors Uri Segal, Yaron Gottfried, and Yoni Farhi.

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