About

Described as a “rising star in the classical music world” by France 24) and as an "already a well-known classical composer” by the BBC, Gilad Hochman is widely considered as one of Israel's most prominent composers and as an original and innovative voice in the international music scene, also praised by The New York Times, the Tagesspiegel and Ha'aretz, to name a few.

Born in Israel in 1982, Hochman resides in Berlin since 2007. He started learning the piano at the age of 6 and composing at the age of 9. At 24 he graduated with honors from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. Since then, his music developed its own language – constantly searching and yet, at the same time, presenting a clear aesthetic approach. It is uniquely merging classical music traditions with those connected to Jewish music and culture and to his Israeli origin, as well as to other cultures, while striving for a balance between rational and emotional expressions.

Among his many achievements, at age 22 Hochman became Israel's youngest Composer-in-Reesidence of a professional orchestra and, at age 24, the youngest to win Israel's prestigious Prime Minister's Prize. In 2015 he was the first Israeli composer to present an orchestral work at the German Parliament. Hochman is also the winner of various international competitions, such as the 2017 S&R Foundation's Washington Award.

As an internationally engaged composer, Hochman's works are regularly played by leading musicians, ensembles, choirs and orchestras in venues such as Carnegie Hall (New York), Berlin Philharmonie, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, St James's Piccadilly (London) and Henry Crown Symphony Hall (Jerusalem).
His oeuvre is commissioned and performed by groups such as RIAS Kammerchor, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, International Saxophone Academy, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Rishon LeZion Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble, Oriol Ensemble, Israeli Chamber Orchestra, Israeli Chamber Project, Meitar Ensemble, Ensemble Sirenot, Musica Nova Ensemble, Studium Chorale, and Copenhagen Festival Ensemble.
His works were also presented at the Heidelberg Biennale for New Music, World Saxophone Congress, Aachen International Chorbiennale, Israel Music Fest, Festival de Chaillol, the Israeli Schubertiade, Musica Sacra Festival (Maastricht), Magister Ludi Festival (Moscow), Molyvos International Music Festival (Greece), Summerwinds Festival Münster, and in numerous other festivals and concert series worldwide.

Hiochman's music is supported by different foundations, art supporters, philanthropists and private funds, including the Goethe-Institut, Germany Ministry of Culture, Israel Ministry of Culture, Austrian Cultural Forum, America-Israel Cultural Foundation, Yehoshua Rabinovich Arts Foundation, the Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund, Ursula Lachnit-Fixson Stiftung, Anni Eisler-Lehmann-Stiftung, Zfunot Tarbut Foundation and Ronen Arts Fund.