Trio Mona
Sigalit Mizrachi - Violin
Netanel Pollak - ViolaYotam Haran - Cello
Being active all-around Israel, the recently formed string ensemble Trio Mona brings an innovative, unique voice to the classical music scene. The trio mainly focuses on research and performance of Parisian music from the 19th century, which for the most of it is considered unknown among classical music enthusiasts and academic circles. Post-revolutionary Paris enjoyed a blossom of salons (from nobility to bourgeoise), where a diverse range of chamber music was played, and thus serving as a hub for numerous composers who enriched the local music community. Some notable composers of this era were Adolphe Blanc, Charles Baudiot, and Benjamin Godard, who used an elegant and graceful musical language, yet full of ethos and passion. Their compositions are directly affected by the Parisian admiration of Beethoven and his legacy, though at the same time one can find melodies associated with the French ballet and Grand Opera, and even recognize a few musical signals that anticipate the impressionistic style of the century’s later decades.
The members of the trio: violinist Sigalit Mizrachi, violist Netanel Pollak, and cellist Yotam Haran are all alumni of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and other renowned international schools such as the Royal Conservatory of Music in Amsterdam, the Juilliard School, and the University of Miami. The players bring a years-long experience in historically informed performance, and playing on period instruments, which grants the ensemble an extraordinary instrumental approach, and makes the music fresh and accessible. Trio Mona presents traditional recitals, as well as lectured house performances, in which the audiences take part in the magical restoration of the 19th century Parisian salon. In this spirit, the ensemble is happy to offer its services for conferences, ceremonies, and receptions, combining French repertoire with more standard classical works, Israeli music, and popular hits.
At Godard's Salon
Pieces by Benjamin Godard, Adolf Blanc and Albert Roussel
The Parisian musical scene at the end of the 19th century was flooded with chamber music. Whether as a medium that made it easier for composers to have their music performed, or as a medium that made small salon concerts possible, chamber music was right at the center of the action. Join us for an evening of Parisian chamber music for string trio!
The Parisian Obsession
Pieces by Beethoven, Adolf Blanc and Charles Baudiot
France and Germany have been eternally at war... But during the 19th century, Paris found itself obessesed with an utterly german composer - Beethoven! Whether at the concert hall or in salons, the Parisian audience encountered the admired composer again and again in a variety of musical settings—string trio included! Trio Mona invites you into the living room, transformed for one evening into a charming, Parisian salon of the 19th century.
The Crew
Violinist Sigalit Mizarachi performs regularly in Israel with different orchestras and ensembles, in varied styles, both traditional and contemporary. She served in the IDF as an outstanding musician and was a member of the IDF String Quartet. Sigalit is an alumna of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she studied violin performance and pedagogy with the distinguished violinists Ora Shiran and Motti Schmidt. While a student, she already performed as a chamber and orchestral member on important stages in Israel and Europe.
Israeli violist Netanel Pollak is a member of many musical communities around the world such as the Perlman Music Program, Heifetz Institute, The Academy of Sacred Drama (USA), Musique a Flaine (France), and Aurora (Sweden). He served in the Israeli Defense Forces under the status of an “Outstanding Musician”, graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music, and from the master’s program at the Juilliard School, where he studied with Heidi Castleman and Cynthia Roberts. As an early music performer, Pollak has been principal violist for the European Union Baroque Orchestra, Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Phoenix, In Mixto Genere Ensemble (Israel), and Juilliard 415 ensemble. He recently received his D.M.A. degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, under the mentorship of Jodi Levitz, where he conducted a research of unknown viola repertoire from the USSR. Pollak plays on an 1801 Lupot viola, loaned to him by the Zisapel Family Foundation.
Specializing in historically informed performance of music from the 18th and 19th centuries, Yotam has a special preference for the French repertoire. He began his baroque cello studies with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra’s principal cellist, Orit Messer, and has been performing with the orchestra as second cellist since 2010. Yotam studied with Zvi Plesser and Michal Korman at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where he completed his bachelor's studies, and later completed his master’s at the Conservatory of Amsterdam under the instruction of Viola de Hoog. He studied historical acting with Prof. Jed Wentz during his time in Amsterdam, and after finishing his studies specialized in 19th performance practice under the instruction of cellist Job ter Haar. Yotam is also a member of Nymphes et Monstres - an ensemble focused on French repertoire from the first part of the 18th century.