Tali Roth is an artist of great talent and prestige in the guitar world. She was born in Israel and then moved to the United States, she studied with some of the best guitarists in the world, including Sharon Isbin and Oscar Ghiglia.
Her technique has been described as 'spectacular' and her unique timbre has made her a highly regarded artist by audiences and critics alike. She has played in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world, such as the Carnegie Hall of New York, Teatro Presidente in San Salvador and Roppongi Theatre in Tokyo. In this interview, she will talk about her career and the challenges she has faced over the years
Lorenzo Sorbo: When did you start making and studying music? Why did you choose the guitar?
Tali Roth: : I started music at the age of 8 studying piano with a Russian pianist. I liked it a lot, but then I heard a record of Julian Bream playing Tarrega mazurkas and Mendelssohn's songs without words. I felt enchanted by the magic of guitar sounds, tonal variations of colors, etc. , and I switched to classical guitar. I started with a Russian teacher named Israel Rashkovsky on Carruli's books and Sor's studies.
Lorenzo Sorbo: Which guitarists have inspired and influenced you the most?
Tali Roth: Segovia, Julian Bream, John Williams, David Russel, Manuel Barrueco and of course my former teachers Sharon Isbin, Oscar Ghiglia and Hubert Kaeppel.
Lorenzo Sorbo: What is your guitar repertoire that you usually play in concert?
Tali Roth : I have hours of concert programs and I like to vary them. I can do full solo recitals or combinations of solo and chamber music with violin (of the Israel Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic), flute ( Grammy Winner Carol Wincenc), my own Tango Nuevo Trio (with Buenos Aires violin master Humberto Ridolfi and bassist Pablo Aslan), and with great tango, flamenco and modern dancers such as the Japanese Spanish and Flamenco dance companies Kumatubara and Israeli iconic dancer Silvia Duran and Company , just to name a few .
My favorite pieces, which are my own arrangements, include J.S.Bach Chaconne in D minor, Prelude BWV 1106a, the four seasons and other works by Astor Piazzolla such as Milton's Retrato, Adiós Nonino, Libertango, Milonga del Ángel. Also Cancion y Danza di Pipo, Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata for violin, cello or flute with guitar. In addition, there are also pieces not arranged by me, such as Albeniz's Suite Española and original works such as the Centone di Sonatas of Paganini for violin and guitar and Boccherini's Guitar Quintet in G 448.
Lorenzo Sorbo: Do you use a particular type of instrument? Which guitars do you prefer?
Tali Roth: I have 3 guitars that I have collected over the years and two more that have been given to me. I like to use them all in different contexts, for concerts and recordings. It depends which guitar I feel is the right one for the occasion.
My favorite guitars are:
Manuel Conteras with double back in cedar and another with regular back
Max Cuker with spruce top
John price with cedar top
Camillo Perrella with double spruce top
Lorenzo Sorbo: Our music magazine “Age of Audio” covers musical instruments, home recording, software, hardware, etc. In short, everything related to music and technology. Do you use particular technologies in your profession? I mean computers, software, etc. Do you have a home recording studio?
Tali Roth: I use many microphones, including the Blue Yeti for recording, and a Trace Elliot Cube condenser microphone for live performances. I'm currently working on building a home recording studio, I hope to complete it soon!
Lorenzo Sorbo: Tali, you are an international concert artist and have played everywhere, but are there any performances you particularly remember?
Tali Roth : My happiest memories are my sold out debut at Carnegie Hall in 1994 and again in 2004. Both were presented and sponsored after winning the Artists International Competition in New York. The first concert was with the Members of The Juilliard orchestra and former assistant conductor of The Met Orchestra Maestro Giovanni Reggioli , playing the Villa Lobos Concerto .
The second concert at Carnegie Hall was as winner of the competition's Alumni Series Concert. It was a tribute to Astor Piazzolla. All new arrangements for my trio with renowned Buenos Aires tango violinist and the son of Piazzolla's band bassist, Humberto Ridolfi. With the wonderful Israeli cellist Chagit Glaser. With the special appearance of the wonderful mezzo-soprano Bavat Marom and arrangements by the great Israeli film/media composer Adi Cohen. Bavat and Adi got married after the concert and are now raising two talented children in Israel…
We have added the great tango dancers Mariella Franganillo e Cecilia Saia with their partners ronen Hayat e Diego Falco, which contributed to our excellent reviews for the "magical atmosphere". We presented a great trio written for the occasion by my dear colleague and wonderful composer Jay Kaufman. We were sold out. There were 200 people waiting in line on the waiting list outside the hall, and we could have had another concert. The wonderful story of this concert is that we were running 15 minutes over time and conductor Pierre Boulez had a rehearsal there and he was watching the end of the concert. They asked him if we should be stopped but he said no, because he liked the concert. Other great memories are of my two concerts with El Salvador Philharmonic Orchestra where I played the world premiere of Concert by German Cáceres for guitar and strings and the Concierto de Aranjuez. Directed by the great Maestro Igor Sarmientos. We played to an audience of 2500 in a packed hall President Theater of El Salvador.
I remember the story that two days before flying I called to ask what the concert program would be for the two concert nights. They told me that both concerts were the same and that the second half of the concert would be Brahms Fourth Symphony.
I hung up the phone feeling butterflies in my stomach. It only meant one thing: that I would play both concerts in the first half. In the first concert, I asked for a 5-minute break after the concerto of German Cáceres, which was very demanding and lasted 30 minutes. In the second concert I already played Cáceres and Rodrigo Concerto de Aranjuez without breaks…
I also remember with excitement my concerts for the United Nations in Washington for dignitaries such as Secretary of states and former US General Colin Powell, Prime Ministers Ehud Barack and being the first Israeli Musician to give a solo concert for The United Nations in New York York City. Coming from a country at war , I loved playing for diplómats and consultes with special collaborations of the Israeli consulate presenting me in solo and chamber concerts with the Spanish , Argentinean and German Embassies. I also remember a concert with great Indian musicians tabla players Samir Chatterjee and Sitar player Abhisek Malick at the Indian Embassy where they played Albeniz with me and Eastern culture met Western. Coming from a country at war often, feeling music can unite countries and people and deliver peace instead of war was always one of my drive forces and passion to pursue my career.
Lorenzo Sorbo: In your career you have had many collaborations. Is there an artist you have collaborated with and to whom you feel professionally close?
Tali Roth: Yes, many. The iconic flutist Carol Wincenc, the great violinists Humberto Ridolfi of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic and master of the tango, master violinists Kalman Levin and Robert Mozes of the Israel Philharmonic, Yulia Ziskel of the New York Philharmonic, the great violinist Ben Breen and the bass master Paul Aslan, the Grammy-winning composer Sharon Farber and multiple Grammy winner soprano Hilla Plitmann and composer pianist Fernando Otero.
I also collaborated with the iconic flamenco dancers Silvia Durán, Yoshi Tani, Keiko Inoue, the tango dancers Mariella Franganillo, Cecilia Caia, Kelly Zarfati and Maya Grego e Martin Almiron.
Lorenzo Sorbo: What do you think of the current concert scene?
Tali Roth: I think we are fighting to bring concerts back after the COVID crisis and we are united around the world with the aim of keeping classical music alive no matter what the situation is or how hard it is to rise from the ashes of the Covid crash...
Lorenzo Sorbo: In addition to being an internationally renowned concert artist, you also teach at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and taught for years in New York University as Head of The Classical Department. Can you tell us about your teaching experience?
Tali Roth:It's been an intense 30 years of my life at Juilliard. First I was a student and then back as head of the pre-college guitar department for 19 years. It has been wonderful to teach great talent for a few years and watch them develop into wonderful professional guitarists. The program is very intensive, as we have concert-level students and teachers, winners of international competitions. We have world-renowned faculty such as iconic violinist Itzhak Perlman who teaches at Juilliard Pre-College. My students have won numerous prestigious awards, such as the Lincoln Center Young Artists Chamber Society, performing at the Lincoln Center, and prestigious competitions such as "From The Top", performing at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall . Watch my student Kang Min Shin play Paganini's sonata with the violinist James Yang, both in my weekly chamber music class at Juilliard, recorded at Carnegie Hall.
Lorenzo Sorbo: “What are the most prestigious teaching awards you have received and what are the most prestigious awards from your students?”
Tali Roth: I am honored to say that I have achieved 4 international awards for teaching last year. The first two have been from Carnegie Hall, the last two from Global International Music Competition in Canada and since Young Maestro International. I am so proud of my Juilliard Pre College students who performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center after winning those competitions and I am grateful to Carnegie Hall for giving me those two awards. My students have also won and entered contests for the iconic “From The Top" and "Young Arts International” in Miami and New York City. Two of my students , Kevin Sherwin and Kang Min Shin, got top prices at GFA.
My Weekly Chamber Music Class duo for violin and guitar at Juilliard, James Yang on violin and Kang Min Shin on guitar, won the Young Artist Chamber Music Society Award at Lincoln Center performing in Alice Tully Hall among others, and Heather Wang, my student, along with violinist Amy Baskurt, both in my chamber music class, are Lincoln Center Chamber Society award winners and have their own weekly podcast show.
https://fromthetop.org/musician/shin-yang-duo
Lorenzo Sorbo: Can you give some advice to young guitarists who would like to pursue a concert career?
Tali Roth: I have a performance-lecture I've done in the US and Europe called "how to make a career in music“ . It's a long story, but in short – follow your passion and don't be afraid to work as hard as you can. It will give you choices later in life when you decide what you want to focus on. This is a short interview summarizing my teaching philosophy that I did for the online celebration of Beethoven's 250 years for "The Foundation for the Revival of Classical Culture".
Lorenzo Sorbo: Is there any particularly talented student of yours who has to his credit a concert activity to his credit?
Yes, I would like to mention Kevin Sherwin who was my student at Juilliard Pre College for 7 years. He is currently an international baroque guitarist and conductor and has performed at Carnegie Hall, to name a few. www.kevinsherwin.com/bio
My former NYU student, Robert Nance, formed the internationally acclaimed Mobius trio. They had a featured article in the iconic “Musical America” magazine a few years ago as one of the leading young trios in the world. Robby is a successful concert guitarist now.
Lorenzo Sorbo: Last summer you Founded and Directed (CEO) Guitar Oasis International Music Festival in Torchiara, a wonderful seaside village in southern Italy. It is run and sponsored by your non for profit foundation GuitarOasisInternational. You have collaborated with Luciano Tortorelli as Artistic Advisor, a well-known guitar teacher at the “G. Martucci” in Salerno and a high-profile composer, and the municipality of Torchiara and its Councillor Gennaro Guida. How was this experience?
Tali Roth :It was wonderful. We had aimed to have 10-15 students and had 22 guitarists, violinists and composition students, reaching a total of 30 participants. Many of our students were very advanced, coming from Avellino, Matera, Salerno, Monopoli, Santa Cecilia Rome and of course my students from the Juilliard School. The magical atmosphere was created by the solo masterclasses (held by myself and Maesrto Luciano Tortorelli), chamber music masterclass for violin (held by Maestro Paolo Piomboni) and guitar, as well as all lessons for guitar ensembles, all combined with lessons from the Grammy-winning composer Sharon Farber, available to all students who choose guitar, violin or composition. Also we had some wonderful musical presentations of the Maestro Carlo Siliotto and Maestro Federico Ferrandina. The special guests are the icon singer and actress Valeria Altobelli and the child prodigy Eden Kontesz they added a magical atmosphere and more excitement. Special thanks to Torchiara Councilor Gennaro Guida for the warm welcome and help in providing facilities and advertising. This year the municipality of Isola del Liri with the kind help of actress singer Valeria Altobelli and its mayor Massimiliano Quadrini, has offered us to open another location. We are excited to offer another possibility and different environment that's closer to Rome, to the students . We will add the Maestro Eugenio Becherucci and a wonderful lecture performance by special guest Roberto Cardinali there. Our Guitar Oasis International Festival is happy now to welcome our a Special Advisor Rex Niswander and Staff Assistant Margherita Maria Indino.
Lorenzo Sorbo: what are your future projects?
Tali Roth : I'm working on an upcoming concert for the García Lorca festival with a solo and chamber program that will include Spanish music favorites by Albeniz, Llorca, Pipo and new special arrangements by my dear friend and colleague Jon Geist of Brazilian standards that will be a big surprise… I'm also preparing the publication of my arrangements for the D minor chaconne of J.S.Bach , the soundtrack of the film by Woody Allen for my co - original arrangement with Jon Geist of Boccherini's Guitar Quintet “Introduction to Fandango” for 5 guitars, and my original arrangements of Astor Piazzolla of Libertango. Of course the public and students will be able to hear great concerts in our music festivals GuitarOasis International in the two locations of both our Faculty and participants together with their original music for film and composition concerts!
It was an honor to interview Maestro Tali Roth and discover the path of her extraordinary musical career, full of emotions and successes. Her passion and her talent are an inspiration to musicians and music lovers of every generation. We thank Maestro Tali Roth for sharing her story with us and we wish her all the best for the future.
