Hagai Shaham is internationally recognised as one of Israel’s leading violinists, noted for his virtuosity, tonal refinement and interpretative depth. A prizewinner at major international competitions, he performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician and is also active as a distinguished pedagogue.
Hagai Shaham studied with Professor Ilona Feher and continued his training with Emanuel Borok, Arnold Steinhardt and members of the Guarneri Quartet. His awards include first prizes at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, the Ilona Kornhauser Competition and the Israel Broadcasting Authority Competition, as well as awards from the Clairmont Competition and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
As a soloist, he has appeared with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, SWF and Rheinische Philharmonie, the Prague Philharmonic and Prague Radio Orchestra, the Slovak and Belgrade Philharmonics, and orchestras in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul (KBS Symphony), São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Jerusalem. He has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, including an appearance with Mischa Maisky at the orchestra’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
He has given recitals and concerto performances at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Pleyel, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Vienna Musikverein, the Tonhalle Zürich and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Festival appearances include Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Bad Kissingen, Bodensee, Montpellier, Kuhmo, Casals and the Israel Festival.
Hagai Shaham has recorded more than 30 albums for labels including Hyperion, Nimbus, Avie, Chandos, EMI, Naxos and Decca. He is a member of the Shaham–Erez–Wallfisch Trio, which has performed extensively in Europe, North America and Israel and records for Nimbus Records.
He has served on the juries of numerous international competitions, including the Max Rostal Competition (Berlin), the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, the Ilona Feher Competition in Budapest (President of the Jury in 2022) and the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition.
Hagai Shaham is Professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University and Artist in Residence at Stony Brook University, New York. He gives regular masterclasses at institutions and festivals including the Heifetz Institute (USA), the International Summer Academy (ISA) in Austria, the Kuhmo Festival in Finland and Keshet Eilon in Israel. He is co-founder of the Ilona Feher Foundation, dedicated to supporting young Israeli violinists.