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Israel Gursky

Israel Gursky

Born in Tel-Aviv, Israel Gursky trained in his native city and later at Stony Brook University and Manhattan School of Music, studying with Arie Vardi, Gilbert Kalish, Dalton Baldwin and Otto-Werner Mueller. After graduating he became assistant conductor with the Washington National Opera where, in 2007, he made his professional conducting debut with Don Giovanni. He has conducted for Los Angeles Opera, Bellas Artes, Opera Maine, Wolf Trap, Opera Birmingham, Yale School of Music and Manhattan School of music. From 2014 until 2017 he was Kapellmeister of Theater Regensburg and from 2017 until 2019 he was Kapellmeister and Head of Music Staff for Theater Bremen.


He has conducted many concerts with Plácido Domingo throughout the world and had a long association with the Operalia Competition. Between 2012 and 2020 he was music director of Teatro Grattacielo in New York City, where he has conducted several US-premieres of important verismo operas. Since 2017 he serves on the faculty of the Salzburg Festival's prestigious Young Singers Project. He currently resides in New York City with his husband, Dr. Ian Tang.