Pnina Salzman
is considered the First Lady of the piano in Israel. She was born in Tel Aviv
and began playing the piano soon after she learned to walk.
At the age of
8 she played her first public concert. Alfred Codot on tour in Israel, heard
her, and immediately recommended she study at the Ecole Normale de Musique de
Paris, under his personal supervision. At 14 she studied with Magda Tagllafero
at the Conservatoire National de Musique, where she was awarded the ler Prix du
Piano that same year Bronislaw Huberman attended one of her concerts and at
once wrote to the Israel Philharmonie Orchestra to engage the brilliant young
pianist saying that it is a once upon a lifetime experience to meet such
talent.
Upon her
return to Israel, Pnina Salzman played three concertos with the IPO in one
evening and was greatly acclaimed both by the public and the press. Since then,
she has regularly performed with that orchestra and was chosen to be the
soloist on their world tour under the batons of Giulini and Krips.
Miss Salzman
has toured several times all the five continents. She played with major
orchestras under the batons of Paray, Sargent, Solti, Giulini, Markevitch.
Munch, Mehta, Leinsdorf, Weller, Krips, Colin Davis, Marinner, Andrew Davis,
Kempe, Dorati, Golshmau, Bertini, Atzmon, Shallon and many others.
She is active
as a recitalist, and in 1963 she was the first Israeli invited to perform in
the USSR. Again, in 1994, she was the first Israeli pianist invited to play in
China. She is an enthusiastic performer of Chamber Music.
Professor
Pnina Salzman is head of the piano department of the Rubin Academy of Music in
the Tel Aviv University, and is constantly invited to give Master Classes at
important music centers in many countries. She is frequently requested to act
as member of the jury at International Piano Competitions like Arthur
Rubinstein, Santander, Jose Iturbi, Valencia, Dublin, Munich, Pretoria, Athens,
Sydney, Seoul and many more.