MICHAL TAL- PIANIST Standing at the top of the Israeli piano scene, Michal Tal is one of the most active musicians in numerous fields: solo and chamber music playing, new music performing and promoting, teaching, coaching and supervising young teachers, directing musical and pedagogical projects , as well as searching always after new experiences in her field. This upcoming season She is releasing new CD, and  will perform in a special tour in the east coast, USA, along with a performance with the Haifa symphony. Michal Tal was born in Tel Aviv and started her piano lessons when she was five years old. At the age of sixteen she performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then she played with all leading orchestras in Israel, Europe and the U.S. such as the Virginia and Dallas Symphonies, the Strasbourg Philharmonic, the Munster Symphony and the Dutch Radio Orchestra. She played under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, Eduardo Mata and Luciano Berio. Michal Tal participated in numerous concerts and special festivals such as Carnegie Recital Hall, the Tel Aviv Museum, the Tanglewood festival, Lincoln Center "Focus" Festival, the festival for Israeli Music in KÖLN, the Israel Festival and the Kefar Blum Chamber Music Festival. She has been recording live and studio more than 40 recordings to Israel Broadcasting Authorities. Michal Tal is the prize winner of many competitions such as the first prize at the international competition in Dallas, the Jerusalem Symphony Competition first prize, and the ministry of education and culture prize in 2000 and 2005, and won scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Michal Tal collaborates with numerous Israeli  composers. She recorded 5 new CDs of Israeli new music. In 2003 she founded with Nitay & Hillel Zori the Israeli Chamber Music Club, specializing in Israeli new music. The Ensemble performed and recorded over 50 Israeli works and  has been promoting performances of young students.   Michal Tal studied at The Tel Aviv Academy of music,  Indiana University, The Juilliard School and State University of New York in Stony Brook . She studied with Prof. Arie Vardi, Richard Goode, and Gilbert Kalish. Among her coaches  were Leon Fleischer, Peter Serkin, Julius Levinne, Janos Starker, James Buswell and Joel Krosnick. She received her PHD  at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Jehoash Hirshberg. Her dissertation is about    Erik Satie and  french music in the 20th century. Dr. Michal  Tal is the pedagogic director  of the Givatayim Conservatory and on its distinguished faculty. She teaches, coaches and gives masterclasses at The Buchman-Mehta school of music and other  schools of music all over Israel and in the USA. Michal Tal  directs special educational workshops, such as The Young Piano Course at the Jerusalem Music Center.