Israel Sommer is an Israeli composer, educator, and music scholar with over four decades of experience in music education and composition. He was born in Brazil in 1952 and immigrated to Israel in 1970.

Mr. Sommer holds a B.Mus. in Composition and Piano from Tel Aviv University (1974), where he studied under Professors Leon Shidlovski and Andre Haidu. He later pursued postgraduate studies in composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (1976), and earned an M.A. in Composition from Bar-Ilan University (2004).

From 1979 to 2018, Mr. Sommer was a senior member of the music faculty at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, where he taught Music History and Literature, Harmony, and served as coordinator of the school’s symphony orchestra. He also held key educational roles including National Supervisor for Music Majors at Israel’s Ministry of Education (2002–2008) and lecturer in music pedagogy at Levinsky College of Education (2008–2015). Earlier in his career, he taught theory, solfège, and music literature at the Petah Tikva Municipal Conservatory (1976–1986).

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As a composer, Mr. Sommer’s works have been performed and recorded publicly. His compositions include:

•  Confession for soprano, baritone, and chamber orchestra

•  Sonata for violin and piano

•  In Every Generation – symphonic overture

•  Five Yiddish songs for baritone and piano

•  A Wagen Shikh for mixed choir, based on a poem by Abraham Sutzkever

•  Three songs based on the poetry of Rachel for mezzo-soprano and piano

 

Mr. Sommer is married, a father of four, and a proud grandfather.

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