Role

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Composer

Birth

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in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

Avraham Cáceres was a classical music composer born on December 25, 1918, in Istanbul, Turkey. He was the son of a Sephardic Jewish family who had migrated from Spain to Turkey in the 15th century. Cáceres grew up in a musical family, and his father was a cantor in the local synagogue. He began his musical education at a young age, studying piano and violin with his father. In 1936, Cáceres moved to Paris to study music at the Conservatoire de Paris. He studied composition with Nadia Boulanger, a renowned teacher who had taught many famous composers, including Aaron Copland and Philip Glass. Cáceres also studied piano with Lazare Lévy and violin with Jacques Thibaud. After completing his studies in Paris, Cáceres returned to Istanbul, where he worked as a composer and conductor. He composed music for the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation and the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra. He also taught music at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. In 1956, Cáceres moved to Israel, where he continued to compose and teach music. He taught at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Tel Aviv University. He also served as the conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Cáceres composed music in a variety of genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, and vocal music. His music is characterized by its use of traditional Sephardic melodies and rhythms, as well as its incorporation of elements of Turkish and Middle Eastern music. One of Cáceres' most famous works is his Sephardic Suite, which was composed in 1952. The suite is a collection of traditional Sephardic melodies arranged for orchestra. The work has been performed by orchestras around the world and has become a staple of the Sephardic music repertoire. Another notable work by Cáceres is his Violin Concerto, which was composed in 1963. The concerto is a virtuosic work that showcases the technical abilities of the soloist. The work has been performed by many of the world's leading violinists, including Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. Cáceres also composed a number of vocal works, including his Ladino Songs, which were composed in 1958. The songs are settings of traditional Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) texts and are scored for voice and piano. The songs have been performed by many singers, including the renowned soprano Montserrat Caballé. In addition to his work as a composer, Cáceres was also a respected musicologist. He wrote extensively on the music of the Sephardic Jews and was a leading authority on the subject. His book, Sephardic Music: A Century of Recordings, was published in 1992 and is considered a seminal work on the subject. Cáceres continued to compose and teach music until his death on December 10, 1997, in Jerusalem, Israel. His music continues to be performed and recorded by musicians around the world, and his legacy as a composer and musicologist is celebrated by the Sephardic Jewish community and the wider classical music world.

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