Israeli musicians take center stage in Nicosia

Israeli musicians Gal Nyska (cello) and Ishay Shaer (piano) performed in Nicosia in December, in a concert organized in cooperation between the Embassy of Israel in Cyprus and the Pharos Arts Foundation.

The program included pieces by major composers such as Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, György Ligeti, Gaspar Cassado, and David Popper. The event took place at The Shoe Factory, the chamber music venue of the Pharos Arts Foundation, in the heart of the old city of Nicosia. About 100 people attended the recital, among them the president of Pharos Arts Garo Keheyan, Israeli ambassador Oren Anolik and his deputy Rotem Segev, the former director general of the Cypriot Foreign Ministry Euripides Evriviades, and members of the diplomatic community.

Pharos is a non-profit cultural and educational organization dedicated to the promotion of a wide range of activities in the fields of the arts and humanities. It presents cultural and educational programs that are characterized by a solid commitment to artistic excellence.

Nyska is the principal cellist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra since 2016. He made his debut as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center under the baton of Dennis Russel Davies, and has since appeared for concerts and recitals in venues such as the Grande Salle des Invalides in Paris, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

With appearances with such renowned orchestras as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchester National du Capitole de Toulouse, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Shaer is gaining an ever-increasing international reputation as a soloist, and he has also established himself as a highly regarded chamber musician.

After the recital, the embassy and the foundation held a reception with the musicians.

During their time in Cyprus, Nyska and Shaer also performed a special concert for about eighty students from music schools in Nicosia. Students and teachers had the opportunity to have an open dialogue with the artists, hear about their experiences and listen to their music