Conductor Biography

Conductor

Yaniv Attar

A native of Israel, Yaniv Attar is the first prize winner of the Duna Szimfonikus Conducting Competition Budapest, multiple recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Foundation Award, and winner of the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Award. Yaniv is Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta in Seattle, Music Director of the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, as well as Music Director of the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra in Bellingham, Washington. During his tenure in Bellingham, the BSO has seen tremendous audience growth, a rise in donations and sponsorships, and a threefold increase in its education and community activities, now reaching thousands of students and patrons every year. Because of these efforts, Yaniv was awarded the Mayor’s Arts Award for his contribution to the musical life in Bellingham. Yaniv has collaborated with some of the most exciting artists today, such as James Ehnes, Sharon Isbin, Alex Klein, Jennifer Koh, Johannes Moser, Jon Kimura Parker, and Gil Shaham.

Yaniv is known for his creative programming including a concert series begun in Bellingham in 2015 titled “Harmony from Discord.” This concert series amplifies the music of composers who wrote while oppressed, highlighting their ability to transcend the dark reality of their situation and celebrate the triumph of the human spirit. Since many of these works are rarely performed, the goal of the series was to bring a renewed interest to the music, while furthering discussion about the use of art as a tool to transcend oppression and bring a message of hope and unity.

Yaniv has studied with Israel Edelson in Jerusalem, Virginia Allen at the Juilliard School in New York, and Neil Thomson at the Royal College of Music in London, where he was also the conductor of the Tempus Chamber Orchestra. In 2008, Yaniv earned his Doctor of Music from McGill University where he studied under the tutelage of Alexis Hauser. He also studied with renowned conductors such as Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, and Jorma Panula. He has worked with many orchestras in North America, Europe, and Israel, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Dohnanyi Orchestra Budapest, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra (Germany), and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (Israel).

Yaniv is also an accomplished classical guitarist. He was the first guitarist to win the Aviv Competition Prize in Israel and the Concerto Competition at the Juilliard School.

Yaniv lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife, Meredith, and children, Jonah and Lyla.

Yaniv’s website: www.yanivattar.com