Ofra Harnoy
Cellist Ofra Harnoy has appeared on pop releases as well as in classical concerto and chamber repertory. She has performed internationally, including concerts for U.S. President Bill Clinton, three Canadian prime ministers, multiple times for the imperial Japanese family, and by request for Prince (later King) Charles of England.
Harnoy was born in Hadera, Israel, on January 31, 1965. Her father, Jacob Harnoy, was a record producer, record collector, and violinist who gave Ofra her first lessons. She made rapid progress under teacher Vladimir Orloff and gave her debut in Toronto at age ten. At 14, she was invited to perform at Britain's Aldeburgh Festival; there, she met cellist Jacqueline Du Pré, her idol. She went on to study with Du Pré, Du Pré's teacher William Pleeth, Pierre Fournier, and Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1983, Musical America magazine named her its Young Musician of the Year, and the following year, she made her recording debut on the album Beatles by 5. She would go on to perform with such artists as Sting, Loreena McKennitt, and eclectic guitarist Jesse Cook. Harnoy's classical recording debut came in 1988 on the ProArte label with the album An Evening with Ofra Harnoy. That year, she released her first album on the RCA label, joining pianist Michael Dussek on a recording of Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata, D. 821, and Prokofiev's Violin Sonata, Op. 119.
That began a run of 15 albums on RCA, concluding in 1999. Several of them won the Canadian recording industry's Juno award. Her recordings included repertory ranging from encores to difficult virtuoso showpieces and featuring little-known works by Offenbach, Viotti, Myslivecek, and Lalo; she also gave the premieres of many Vivaldi cello pieces. After her contract with RCA ended, an event that coincided with a break from her father, who had also served as her manager, Harnoy recorded less often. She continued to perform frequently and to teach, however, and recordings she had made earlier continued to fill the market in reissue. In 2019, Harnoy returned to the recording studio with Back to Bach, released on the Analekta label. In 2023, she moved to Sony Classical for a release featuring the cello concertos of Elgar and Lalo. In 1995, Harnoy was inducted into the Order of Canada.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Elgar & Lalo Cello Concertos
Classical - Released by Masterworks on 8 Sep 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vive la France!
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Ofra Harnoy, Philip Collins, Erich Kunzel
Ballets - Released by Vox Box on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Complete Cello Concertos
Concertos - Released by RCA Red Seal on 25 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Ofra Harnoy plays Vivaldi
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 26 Aug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Offenbach: Concerto Militaire - Lalo: Cello Concerto
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 13 Aug 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ofra Harnoy & Friends
Classical - Released by DOREMI on 8 May 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ofra Harnoy and Winona Zelenka Play Halsey Stevens (feat. Winona Zelenka)
Country - Released by H&H Productions on 1 Jul 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
St. John’s Waltz / Cara’s Waltz
Ofra Harnoy, Maureen Ennis, Alan Doyle
Classical - Released by Groupe Analekta, Inc on 18 Aug 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
It Ain't Necessarily So (feat. Mike Herriott)
Country - Released by H&H Productions on 17 Nov 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ofra Harnoy: Bach to Offenbach
Classical - Released by CarltonClassics on 1 Jan 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Summertime
Classical - Released by CarltonClassics on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert - String Quartet In C
Ofra Harnoy, The Orford String Quartet
Alternative & Indie - Released by CarltonClassics on 1 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo