Dan Moshayev has served as the Principal Timpanist of the Israel Philharmonic since 2004, when he was appointed to the position at the age of 18, making him the youngest musician in the orchestra’s history to hold a principal role.
He was born in Uzbekistan and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1990. He began his musical journey studying percussion under the guidance of his father, Yosef Moshayev, while also learning to play the clarinet and piano. In 1999, he started his percussion studies with Alon Bor. He graduated from the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts and, in 2003, began his military service as an Outstanding Musician, during which he continued to perform with the Israel Philharmonic.
From 2003 to 2010, he served as the Principal Timpanist of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, and in 2008, he performed with the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic Orchestra under Lorin Maazel. Throughout his career, he has played under the world’s greatest conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Pierre Boulez, Christoph von Dohnányi, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Kirill Petrenko, and many others.
He was a recipient of scholarships and support from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation from 1999 to 2004. He has performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic on timpani, marimba, and in a percussion duo with his brother, Mark Moshayev. In 2004, the duo won first prize in the chamber music competition of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. In addition, he regularly performs in various chamber ensembles and appears on stages in Israel and abroad.
Alongside his performance career, he teaches at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, was an instructor at the National Center for Percussion Instruments “Tremolo,” conducts masterclasses in Israel and worldwide, and serves as a judge in music competitions. Additionally, he is a brand ambassador for the international timpani company “Hardtke.”
Dan Moshayev is married to Eden and is a father of four – Binyamin, Naftali, Shmuel, and Rivka. Since 2009, he has been deepening his studies of Jewish tradition, and in his free time, he enjoys crafting homemade wine.