Elisha Abas: Israeli Soccer Player and Pianist

A Child Prodigy Becomes a Soccer Star Before Returning to Piano

Oct 27, 2008 Sarah Canice Funke

After a successful stint as a professional soccer player, the Israeli musician Elisha Abas has traveled full circle, returning to his first love in piano.

The Israeli pianist Elisha Abas was playing at Carnegie Hall by the age of 11, hailed as a child prodigy. But by the age of 14, taxing practice schedules and the demand for perfection had taken their toll, leaving Abas unable to cope with the performance life anymore. Cutting out all but the occasional rare concert from his life, he entered a boarding school in Jerusalem and threw himself into soccer.

A Detour Through Soccer and the Israeli Professional League

The discipline that had driven him to exhaustion at the piano bench served him well on the soccer field. Combined with a natural speed, that discipline turned Abas into a professional soccer player, taking him all the way to the Israeli professional league's first division.

Yet Abas wasn't completely done with the piano. Last year, at the age of 35, he returned to Carnegie Hall, determined to finish a page of his life that had been left half written. Breaking back into professional performance will be difficult, but after performing in various New York venues, Abas has secured financial backing and some public attention.

Elisha Abas: Student of Pnina Salzman, Mentee of Artur Rubinstein

How did it all begin? Born in 1971 in Jerusalem, Elisha Abas displayed early talent on the piano, and a neighbor, also a musician, suggested that the 4-year-old Abas take lessons. The first teacher referred the boy to Pnina Salzman, and the family moved closer to Tel Aviv so Abas could take lessons from the woman who is considered one of Israel's top piano teachers. His father even sold their apartment in order to purchase a Bechstein piano for the boy.

Abas quickly began to get noticed by international performers. His teacher introduced him to Artur Rubinstein when the legendary Polish-American pianist was in Israel, and Rubinstein complimented the boy. Abas and Rubinstein met two other times, and Abas still cherishes the gifts and encouragement he received from the elder pianist.

Abas also won first place in the American-Israel Cultural Foundation music competition eight times in a row and first place in the Claremont Piano Competition. He performed as a guest artist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and performed in London's Royal Albert Hall and New York's Carnegie Hall.

Both then and now (as he makes a comeback), Abas distinguishes his performances through tender and lyrical interpretations of Romantic composers such as Chopin, Schumann and Brahms. Though capable of more technically difficult composers such as Liszt, his playing favors introspection rather than flashy display.

Sources

Elisha Abas website.

Wakin, Daniel J. "Burned Out at 14, Israeli Concert Pianist Is Back Where He 'Really Belongs'." Nov. 2, 2007. New York Times.

The copyright of the article Elisha Abas: Israeli Soccer Player and Pianist in Classical Music is owned by Sarah Canice Funke. Permission to republish Elisha Abas: Israeli Soccer Player and Pianist in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Piano Keyboard

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Oct 27, 2008 12:19 PM

Guest :

Hello, I am the manager for Elisha Abas, and realized that unfortunately, you were pulling from his website that is in the process of being significantly updated and doesn't reflect . Abas returned to the performance stage in 2004, but had his Carnegie Hall redebut concert in 2007. Since his comeback, he is also performing original music and this October he had his debut in Russia at the Smolny Cathedral where he had his world premier of one of his original pieces. The discriminating St. Petersburg Audience loved the music and therefore asked for three encores. This summer he had a preview tour in Italy with performances in Naples, Liguria and Salerno. The Italian press commented on his Napoli performance praising him as the "the most refined and interesting pianists of our generation…his "playing is the perfect marriage of exuberant musicality restrained with the right dose of rationalism that is rich with colors and shades. His palette shines in all his splendor with a captivating performance of Chopin and Schumann".

Just to note that he is a performing composer, similar to his great great grandfather, Alexander Scriabin.

Oct 27, 2008 3:00 PM

Sarah Canice Funke :

Thanks very much for the update!

2 Comments