Violist Miriam Hartman-Beazley has led the section for over 40 years
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the departure of its principal viola, Miriam Hartman-Beazley, who has led the section since she joined in 1984. In recognition of her particularity about seating, the viola section bestowed an unusual parting gift: the only chair Hartman-Beazley has ever agreed to use onstage. A plaque on the back reads as follows: ‘Miriam Hartman’s chair - for exceptional leadership and dedication. July 2025’.
Hartman-Beazley is a graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School, having studied with Max Aronoff, Paul Doktor, and Raphael Hilyer. She has performed as a soloist with artists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, and Yo-Yo Ma, and as a chamber musician alongside artists including Lynn Harrell, Gil Shaham, Christian Tetzlaff, and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. In addition to giving masterclasses internationally, Hartman-Beazley has taught at the Tel Aviv University’s Buchmann-Mehta School of Music and the Nordic Music Academy in Denmark, and was the violist-in-residence at Bargemusic in Brooklyn, New York, for two years.
Hartman-Beazley made the following statement:
‘Leading the viola section of the Israel Philharmonic for over 40 years has allowed me to combine the two great loves and dreams from my childhood in Philadelphia - music and Israel. Although this chapter of my life is coming to an end, I will never stop being grateful for the chance to represent the best of Israeli culture at home and abroad, and for the experience of living passionately through music, with Israel always in my heart.
‘I am grateful to my colleagues, to all of the great musicians who have performed with us, and to our incredible audience, who have supported us through war, pandemics, demonstrations, cancellations, but also through profound joy, and moments in their lives which we will never forget. Thank you all.’
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