Chen Zimbalista

Biography & Career

Artistic Director of the Tom Tom Festival in Natania, Israel ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY Chen Zimbalista is one of the leading percussion soloists in Israel. He studied with Mr. Alon Bohr (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), at the Tel-Aviv Academy of Music, Professor Morris Lang (New York Philharmonic), and with Prof. Bent Lillof in Copenhagen. Chen has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and all of the leading orchestras in Israel. In the United States, he has performed with the Detroit Symphony, the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Chen has won several prizes, including the Francois Shapira Prize, the Young Artists Performing Israeli Music Prize, and the first prize from the National Council for Culture and Arts for performing his work Impulse 1. Chen's unique creativity has inspired composers to write especially for him: Noam Sheriff, Menachem Weisberg, Benjamin Yosopov and Mark Hagerty. He has recorded a CD with the cooperation of the Jerusalem Music Center, as well as a solo CD, Desert Beat, on Koch Discovery. He has toured China, the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Italy, Africa, Turkey, England, France and Taiwan. Chen has performed at Festivals all over the world, including the Israel Festival, The Tel-Aviv Museum Biannual for Contemporary Music, and Kfar Blum Music Festival, where he serves as Musical Consultant in Israel; the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Bahnhof Rolandseck Music Festival in Germany; The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC) and Art Midwest festival in the U. S.; Stresa Music Festival in Italy and Kaohsiung Arts Festival in Taiwan. A believer that music transcends all boundaries, and can demonstrate the importance of respecting and appreciating others' differences, some of Chen's most successful performances have been in Turkey, in Africa at a special Peace Concert, in Germany with the Stuttgart Percussion Ensemble as well as at the Israel Festival 2000. He has also played the opening outdoor concert for the Israel Festival in 2001. He is currently the Music Director for the Tom Tom Festival in Natania, Israel.