Amit Peled, cellist & conductor

“Glowing tone, a seductive timbre and an emotionally pointed approach to phrasing that made you want to hear him again.” New York Times

From the United States to Europe to the Middle East and Asia, Israeli cellist Amit Peled – a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence – is acclaimed as one of the most exciting instrumentalists on the concert stage today. At 6’5″ tall, Peled started life as a basketball player and was called “larger than life” when he enveloped his cello and “Jacqueline du Pré in a farmer’s body.”

Peled often surprises audiences with the ways he breaks down barriers between performers and the public, making classical music more accessible to wider audiences. Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun reflected on a recent performance: “Peled did a lot of joking in remarks to the audience. His amiable and inviting personality is exactly the type everyone says we’ll need more of if classical music is to survive.”

Peled has performed and is a busy soloist with many orchestras and in the world’s major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, New York; Salle Gaveau, Paris; Wigmore Hall, London; Konzerthaus, Berlin; and Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium. Amit Peled teaches at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. He is a sought-after Masterclass Professor and inspires other musicians all over the world.

Peled plays the historic cello of Pablo Casals. The instrument, a Goffriller ca. 1733, was personally handed to him by the Maestro’s widow, Mrs Marta Casals Istomin. In October 2017 his book “A Cello Named Pablo” came out. A story to inspire children and adults about his journey with the cello and legacy of the great Pablo Casals.

Amit Peled is a cello Professor for iClassical Academy and was chosen among "Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year 2015.

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