Hailed by the New York Times as “an attractive, engaging presence on stage,” violist Ori Kam has performed as soloist on some of the world’s premier stages. After his debut at the age of 16 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, he was immediately re-engaged. Since then, he has performed with every orchestra in Israel, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the New Jersey Symphony, the Manhattan Philharmonia, and Sinfonia Varsovia to name a few.
Ori Kam is a frequent recitalist and has performed extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Israel. Beside his activities with the Jerusalem Quartet, he has collaborated with artists such as Daniel Barenboim, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Pierre Boulez, Gil Shaham, and Emmanuel Pahud. He has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and was guest artist in the numerous festivals including Salzburg, Verbier, Tangelwood, Aspen, Santa-Fe, Schleswig-Holstein, La Jolla, the Schubertiade, and the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival to name a few.
Ori Kam was born in La Jolla, California, and grew up between the United States and Israel. He started his musical Education at the age of 6 and began playing the viola at 15. Ori Kam has been the winner of several awards and prizes. From 1990 to 2000, he has been a recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Culture Foundation. Before joining the Jerusalem Quartet, he was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic and is now on the faculty of the Geneva University of Music.
In 2007, he released his first commercial recording under the “Berlin Classics” label of the Double concerto for viola and clarinet by Max Bruch, which he recorded with his sister Sharon. In 2012 he released his first solo CD for the same label of Telemann’s 12 fantasies for solo viola. He can also be heard on the Naxos Label, AVI-Music and on Harmonia Mundi, which exclusively records the Jerusalem Quartet. A DVD of Pierre Boulez’s chamber works conducted by the composer and Daniel Barenboim was released in 2013.
Ori Kam plays a viola made in 2009 by Hiroshi Iizuka.
