Yaron Deutsch

Which sound is special for you?

At home, our bedroom has no blinds or shades and as such my sleep turns very light as the sun rises. At those moments exactly the beautiful sound of black birds singing invades my sleep, and despite the interruption, their sound is so beautiful, calming and above all remindful that I’m home.

Which skill, that you’ve learned by playing in an ensemble, helps you in everyday life?

Both from chamber music experience and from Richard Sennett’s book Together I have learned that – in simple words – one should be wary of ultimate justice and refrain from domination driven by the sheer belief that one is right and the other is wrong. When working together, may it be forming a coalition or playing chamber music, the “truth” can be very subjective and therefore respecting differences is extremely valuable. In music, showing flexibility to someone else‘s time feel, adjusting intonation to a colleague or waiting for a cue although objectively you already had to play, are all familiar examples of flexibility and collective attention that is instructive for a group effort. Playing with marvelous musicians who all possessed that flexibility and bringing this to real life has taught me this and it’s one of the greatest gifts music has given me.

Paper or Tablet?

Paper.

Born in 1978 in Tel Aviv, guitarist Yaron Deutsch is mainly known for his work in the field of contemporary (classical) music. He is the founder and artistic director of the chamber quartet NIKEL and is a frequent guest at the acclaimed Klangforum Wien Ensemble.

Occasional appearances – as soloist or attending member he had with numerous international ensembles and orchestras playing under conductors: Sylvain Camberling, Peter Eötvös, Zubin Mehta, Emilio Pomàrico, Peter Rundel, Ilan Volkov & Bas Wiegers among others.

Recordings featuring his playing are available on Bastille Musique, Col Legno, Kairos, Neos, Sub Rosa and Wergo labels.

Apart from his performative activities, he is a professor for contemporary music at the University of Music in Basel, and artistic director of Tel Aviv’s International Festival for Contemporary Chamber Music – “Tzlil Meudcan” (In Hebrew: “Updated Tone”).

Yaron Deutsch leads the Darmstadt Guitar studio for the fifth time.