Ohad Bar-David began his cello studies at the age of seven with Uzi Wiesel in Tel-Aviv, through funding from the American Israel Cultural Foundation. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School of Music with Leonard Rose and later studied conducting at the Curtis Institute of Music with Max Rudolf.

Mr. Bar-David is an acclaimed soloist in Israel, having performed with that country’s leading orchestras, recorded at the Jerusalem Music Center founded by Pablo Casals, and toured the country as a member of the Israeli Army Quartet.

In 1976 he won the International Villa Lobos Competition in Brazil. He was principal cello in the International Youth Orchestra, at Juilliard, in the National Orchestra of New York, and with the American Ballet Theatre. In addition he served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival. Winner of the 1984 WFLN Young Instrumentalist Competition, he appeared as soloist with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®.

Mr. Bar-David was a member of the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia (now the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia) and joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1987. He has been affiliated with Astral Artistic Services (now Astral Artists) and the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity. He was featured in solo recital tours of Spain and California, in a string quartet appearance on the TODAY show, and on radio broadcasts with Network for New Music. Mr. Bar-David is an emeritus member of the Philadelphia Orchestra Board of Directors, and he was the artistic coordinator for the “Hear O Israel” concert at the CoreStates Center (now the Wachovia Center) in Philadelphia.  

Mr. Bar-David has recently developed the Arab Jewish Musical Dialogue, which brings artists of both cultures together on the same stage. He is also the founder of Intercultural Journeys, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization committed to producing performances, master classes, lectures, and other interactions that provide opportunities for musical dialogue and understanding among a variety of cultural traditions.

Photo: Paul Arnold