Rafael Skorka, pianist

Third prize winner of the 1st International Music Competition Harbin China (2018), Rafael Skorka began studying the piano at the age of 8 with Mrs. Svetlana Pachter at the Karmiel Music Conservatory in Israel. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where he studied with Prof. Asaf Zohar, and both a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), studying in the studio of Sergei Babayan. In 2018, upon graduating from CIM, he won the Sergei Babayan Prize in Piano, recognizing his outstanding artistic achievements. More recently, he won the piano duo prize and the baroque prize for his performances at the Cleveland International Piano Competition (2021). Rafael Skorka has appeared as soloist with many orchestras in Israel, including the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, the Tel-Aviv Soloists Ensemble, the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva and the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra. He has also taken part in several prestigious music festivals, including the Steans Music Institute Program for Piano and Strings at the Ravinia Festival (2009, 2011) and the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland (2012). He won a number of competitions in Israel, including the “Piano Forever” Competition in Ashdod (first prize, 2009) and the Voice of Music Young Artists Competition (second prize, 2008). He also received a special grant for outstanding performance in piano in the 2018 Aviv Competitions in Tel-Aviv. Between the years 2003-2014, he was an annual recipient of America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships.