Founder and Music Director of the Tel-Aviv Soloists Ensemble (“by far Israel’s finest chamber orchestra" The Jerusalem Post, Israel; "An impressive group of young professionals with a lot of enthusiasm and idealism, together with the highest level of individual playing" Tabea Zimmermann, violist) since 2001.
Barak Tal has conducted orchestras in the world’s major concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, New York, Konzerthaus, Vienna, and Tel-Aviv’s Mann Auditorium. As Music Director of The Tel-Aviv Soloists Ensemble he has collaborated with many international soloists, such as violinists Maxim Vengerov, Ida Haendel, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Ilya Gringolts, violist Tabea Zimmermann, countertenor Andreas Scholl, baritone singer Klaus Mertens, cellists Sol Gabetta, Alexander Huelshoff and Amit Peled, pianists Itamar Golan, Ian Fountain, Boris Berman and Alexander Gavrylyuk, clarinetists Giora Feidman and Chen Halevi, and bassoon player Sergio Azzolini.
As guest conductor, Mr. Tal has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra (Russia), Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra (Poland), Vaasa City Orchestra (Finland), Sinfonietta Cracovia (Poland), Neue Philharmonie Westfalen (Germany), and others.
Mr. Tal has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Israel Young Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Haifa Youth Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of Matan Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of the Israel Northern Symphony, Haifa.
He is the recipient of major Israeli awards, such as the 2006 Oedoen Partos Award for outstanding performance of an Israeli composition, granted by the Israeli Ministry of Culture, and of The 2007 Rosenblum Award for outstanding artist, granted by the Tel-Aviv Municipality. He is also a recipient of scholarships and grants by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Mr. Tal has studied in mastercourses in Europe with conductors Kurt Mazur, Neeme Jarvi, Jorma Panula, Vladimir Ponkin and Zsolt Nagy. He graduated from The Jerusalem Music Academy and The Buchman-Mehta School of Music, Tel-Aviv University, where he studied conducting with Prof. Mendi Rodan and Evgeny Zirlin.