In a different world, the cellist Maya Belzitzman could have been a well-known name mainly in the fields of classical music.
Education as a classical cellist from the age of 6 and military service as part of a military string quartet paved her way, on his face, to a chamber career where she would probably have excelled - but was also exposed to a significantly smaller number of people, mainly enthusiasts of the field.
In the absence of clear proof of the existence of parallel universes, the current reality is the one that remains to be dealt with.
And in the current timeline Blazitzman (36) made a significant turn and started playing with mainstream pop and rock artists - Efrat Ghosh, Ninet Taib, Shlomi Shaban, Keren An, Ehud Banai, Danny Sanderson, David Broza and many others.
Over the years, she also entered the world of jazz, and that's how she arrived at the jazz festival in Eilat - in its winter edition, where she will be one of two musicians who will hold a master class.
"I always like to start a little with music and then tell my process," she provides an initial explanation of what is happening in her class.
"I started playing the cello in the classical world, and in my late teens I moved to the pop world and then I discovered jazz a little later. I intend to tell what it means to be a cello player in the jazz world, and to play with the amazing musicians that exist in this country. A lot Crazy musicians, and all of them have been darlings of the festival for many years. I will also play my own material, standards, arrangements that I make that are more connected to jazz. Although I did not grow up in jazz, I feel a relative part of it. It is a very rich world for me: on the one hand, very complex, And on the other hand, touching."
Belzitzman in concert.
"I like to tell about the process I went through", photo: Ofir Abrahamov
Why did you actually switch to mainstream music?
"I liked the classical world, but I liked playing in company more. I was a bit lonely, and I was looking to play, create and express myself in music with people from popular music. When I started playing with Efrat Gush, I suddenly met artists who meet for many weeks in a rehearsal room, play and bring ideas. This Which made me fall in love with other styles of music. I chose not only to sit at home and practice - which is what I did most of my young years - but instead to play in a group. It suited my character better."
Are there colleagues from the classical world who did not understand the move?
"Yes, there were some raised eyebrows, but there were also a lot of us who cheered. Music is music, and in the end it's about expressing emotion. Many also took this step after me and started playing popular music or movie soundtracks. And again, the classical world is a wonderful world, God forbid I didn't say about it A bad thing. For me personally he was a bit lonely, but it's really mine."
We hear more cello in the mainstream today than before. Do you think you have a part in this?
"Before me there were Karni Postel, Yuval Messner and others. I may have contributed, but there were also violin and viola players with me. Maybe it really became a little more popular, but there are a few more like me."
The jazz festival in Eilat - the winter edition will take place on February 23-25.
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