Vera Vaidman – Violinist

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Vera Vaidman studied in Moscow -- first at the Central High School of Music and later at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Her major teachers were Boris Belenky and David Oistrakh.
Immediately upon arriving in Israel, in 1973, she took part in Isaac Stern's master courses at the Jerusalem Music Centre and went on to appear frequently as a soloist with orchestra, recitalist, and chamber music performer. She was heard with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta and Andre Kostelanetz, the Israel Chamber Orchestra under Rudolf Barshai, the Jerusalem Symphony, led by Gerard Schwarz, Lukas Foss and other conductors, and with all the other orchestras in the country.
She has toured Europe on numerous occasions as recitalist and soloist with various orchestras, performing, inter alia, the entire Bach violin solo repertoire and the 10 violin sonatas by Beethoven. Performed recitals at the Oxford and Cambridge Universities. On Paul Hindemith's 100-th birthday, she performed his violin concerto at the Hindemith festival in Stuttgart, Germany; she also appeared as soloist in the Dvorak violin concerto in Concepcion, Chile. Vera Vaidman has given recitals in New York (at the Merkin Hall), Chicago, New Haven, Rochester, N.Y., at the Oberlin, Smith and Dartmouth Colleges, Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Music Academy of the Zagreb University, Seoul National University (Korea), as well as the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and was heard as a soloist with Jerusalem Symphony in the USA. Her Israel-recorded CD has won international critical acclaim.  In 2014, she premiered the transcription for violin solo, by Noam Sivan, of the Liszt B-minor Piano Sonata. Her recording of the Sonata was issued on the Romeo Records label (New York).
Twice she was invited to participate in the Marlboro Chamber Music Festival, performing and recording there with Rudolf Serkin, Andras Schiff, Philipp Naegele, and other artists. She also took part in Israel's Upper Galilee Chamber Music Festival and went on European tour with a group of the Festival participants.
Vera Vaidman was a founding member and artistic co-director of the semi-annual chamber music festival in Zichron Ya'acov, Israel. For eight years she was the first violinist of the former H.Gertler string quartet, appearing with that group in the framework of Israel Festival and on tour in France, Spain, England, Belgium and Germany. Vera Vaidman has also served the music director and leader of Ramat Hasharon Camerata women string orchestra.

Irena Galkin Vaidman – Pianist

Irena Galkin Vaidman was born in Russia and received her professional education at Music College in Bryansk and Music Academy in Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod). Upon graduating, she served as accompanist and coach at Gorky Music Academy and Gorky Youth Theater. In 1985 she moved to Moscow and worked as a piano teacher in Moscow music school in addition to performing in chamber-music concerts and in recitals with singers. Upon immigrating to Israel in 1990, Irena continued her concert activity, taking part in festivals and recording for Israel Radio. In 1994 she joined the faculty of the Ron Shulamit Music School in Jerusalem, and from 2000 has been serving as headmistress of the School’s Beit Ha Kerem branch. She  appears frequently in chamber-music concerts and recitals on many musical stages in Israel.