Shachar Israel, CTS Director 

     Shachar Israel serves as Assistant Principal Trombone of the Cleveland Orchestra. He has performed with orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, and the Montreal Symphony. Prior to joining the Cleveland Orchestra, he was Principal Trombonist of the Hartford (CT) and the Haddonfield (NJ) Symphonies.

    A soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Israel performed with Canadian Brass and recorded 4 albums with the group. He has been a soloist with the Jupiter Symphony in New York City, the US Army Orchestra and the Cleveland Winds among others. He is also a founding member of the Great Lakes Trombone Ensemble, and Quantum Duo. 

In addition to a busy performance schedule, a passionate teacher, Mr. Israel is on the faculty of Cleveland State University. He is the founder and Director of the Cleveland Trombone Seminar (CTS), held annually in Cleveland. CTS brings together motivated students and world-class professional musicians for 9 days of learning and performing. Mr. Israel frequently presents masterclasses, clinics and recitals throughout the US.

Mr. Israel received his Bachelor of Music from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Nitzan Haroz, Principal Trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. His primary teachers also include Mark Lawrence, Mitchell Ross, Micha Davis and Joseph Nashkes. He has been a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra and attended 2 summers at Music Academy of the West. Born in Nahariya, Israel, the trombonist started his musical journey at the Kiryat-Yam Wind Band and he is a graduate of the Thelma Yellin High School. His studies while in Israel were made possible by the generosity of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation through its scholarship program, the Keren Sharet Competitions.