Tal Arbel
Tal Arbel was born in 1978 in Tel Aviv, where her education in performing and visual arts began already at the age of six. She soon chose to focus on music and her professional career started as a recorder player, performing in concerts from the age of fifteen. At the same time she also discovered the viola da gamba. She is now a versatile musician who performs and explores the wide range of the viola da gamba repertoire and character.
Tal holds a soloist diploma in viola da gamba and early music from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, where she studied with Paolo Pandolfo. She was awarded scholarships on behalf of the Basel Cantonal Education Fund, the Fund for Jewish Students in Switzerland and the American-Israeli Culture Foundation. She is currently conducting a practice-based doctoral research at the Royal College of Music in London, where she is supported by a Linda Hill scholarship.
Tal was a prizewinner at the Chamber Music Competition of the Rubin Music & Dance Academy in Jerusalem and at the Haifa International Recorder Competition, and a finalist at the York Early Music Competition. Her viola da gamba studies started with Myrna Herzog, and she participated in numerous projects and master classes directed by artists such as Wieland Kuijken, Nima Ben David, Vittorio Ghielmi, Laurence Dreyfus, Anthony Rooley and Chiara Banchini.
Playing both the viola da gamba and the vielle Tal has performed with different ensembles in concert tours and festivals in France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Slovenia, Cyprus, England and Israel. She frequently plays solo recitals, presenting both historical and contemporary repertoire of various styles, including her own musical arrangements, original material and improvisations. She recorded for Kol Ha'Musica, the Austrian radio and Musiques Suisses, and her solo CD Gambit (released on Seven Cedars Music label) demonstrates her fresh and imaginative approach. Tal also enjoys collaborating with colleagues from other fields, joining arts together and communicating with the audience through new creative experiences.