Gil Sharon

The violinist and violist Gil Sharon began his musical studies in Bucharest, and soon joined a chosen group of young musicians who performed frequently all over Romania. He emigrated to Israel where he continued his studies with Oedoen Partos at the Rubin Academy of Tel Aviv University. Sharon was one of the founders of the Israel Army String Quartet, which gave frequent concerts throughout Israel and received the David Award. In 1971, he won first prize at the International Emily Anderson Violin Competition in London.

Sharon has been first concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra of Maastricht and guest concertmaster of both the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as soloist and recitalist in Europe, Israel, Canada and the United States.  He is the founder and leader of both the Sharon Quartet, which toured widely, and the Amati Ensemble, which has released several CDs, including works of Bach, Mozart, Spohr, Handel, Haydn, and Clara Schumann.  The Amati Ensemble, which has had its own chamber music series in Maastricht since 1995, was involved in the recording of several television productions. Over the last 20 years, Sharon has appeared frequently in the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades and its Paris series, Pablo Casals en Champs Elysées, and he has participated over a dozen times in the Upper Galilee Chamber Music Days Festival in Kfar Blum, Israel.

Sharon has given master classes at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, in Fontainebleau, and in Valencia. In 1997, he was honored with the Dutch Royal Award, Knight of the Order of Orange Nassau, by HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for his outstanding merits in the domain of chamber music.