Jonathan Bar Giora

Jonathan Bar Giora (Hebrew: יונתן בר גיורא‎; born 8 July 1962) is an Israeli composer and pianist. Since 2000, Bar Giora has composed scores and soundtracks for Israeli films such as Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi, Time of Favor and Aviva, My Love. He also worked as a composer with Israeli actors such as Yossi Banai, Rita and Rickie Gal. Bar Giora lectures at the Sapir Academic College and at Maale Film School.

Jonathan Bar Giora
Background information
Born (1962-06-08) 8 June 1962
Jerusalem
Occupation(s)Composer
InstrumentsPiano, Keyboards
Years active1990–present

During the years 2011-2015 he managed the division for film music and sound design in the School of Audio & Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, where he continues teaching as a senior lecturer. He also teaches at Beit Berl College and in Ma'aleh School of Television, Film and the Arts.

His composition style presents diverse influences, from Mizrahi music, Jazz, Classical music, Rock music to Electronic music.

He collaborated with various prominent Israeli musician, such as Meir Banai, Riki Gal, Haïm Ulliel, Miri Mesika, Yehonatan Geffen, Orli Perl and Eli Louzon.

Biography

Jonathan Bar Giora was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1962. When he was 16, he left high school and started playing in local piano bars. All through the 1980s he played jazz and wrote music-related articles for the local press. In 1990 he staged a one-man show "I'd be delighted to meet you after the plague", which he wrote, composed and performed (Director: Shlomo Vazana). A secondary character in that show, Michel Clayderlast, became successful when Bar Giora created "Live Elevator Music". A performance-art show debuted at the 1990 Israel Festival, featuring Clayderlast playing 20-second bits of popular music live inside in elevator (20 seconds is the average time elevator users spend inside). In 1991 he staged Erua Mochi, a rock spectacle presenting a new musical style: "Live Acid". The band, led by Bar Giora, played looped music live in an attempt to reduce fears among live musicians, in a time when increasingly popular electronic and sampled music threatened to wipe all their job opportunities.

1992 was dedicated to Jesse's Carnival, a gloomy cabaret show with singer-songwriter Jonathan Licht.

In 1993, Bar Giora created a Fringe theatre show named Entebbe- The Musical with Etgar Keret. Bar Giora composed all of the songs and original score, and the show won first prize at Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre. The rest of the 90s were dedicated to theater music, TV work (Musical Director of Ad Eser, a weekly talk show with Merav Michaeli, music for Meni Peer's TV show, and many others). In 1999 he wrote the music for Pgisha Leiyn Kets, a special CD dedicated to the poetry of Nathan Alterman, read by one Israel's leading actors Yossi Banai. That same year he composed Joseph Cedar's feature film Time of Favor. It was a first in a series of more than 120 movie scores (TV dramas and documentaries included)he composed from 2000 on. In August 2018 the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem & Haifa Cinematheques held a special tribute to his work for films and television.

In August 2018 Helicon released the album Themes (in Hebrew: "תֵּמוֹת"), the first anthology of music composed by Bar Giora for films.

Early in 2020 the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra dedicated a concert to Bar Giora's works titled "Soundtrack of the Heart" (in Hebrew: "פסקול הלב").

Selected works

Original Soundtrack for Feature-Length Films

Original Soundtrack for Feature Length Documentaries

Original Soundtrack for Television Movies and Television Series

  • Poker Face - 2001
  • Run (Ani Purim - 2001
  • Overseas - 2001
  • Levana My Darling - 2002
  • Meorav Yerushalmi - 3 Seasons, 2003-2010 (Best Drama Series - Israeli Academy Awards)
  • Ha-Yeladim Mi'Givat Napoleon - 2004 (Best Children's Drama Series - Israeli Academy Awards)
  • Until Tomorrow Comes - 2004
  • Room Service - 2009, 21 episodes
  • Allah Islam - 2012
  • Great Hopes - 2013, 3 episodes
  • Lost (Israeli Television Series) - 2013-2019, 41 episodes

Original Music for Theatre

  • I'd Be Delighted to See You After the Plague. Directed by Shlomo Vazana. The Pargod Theatre, 1990
  • Michelle Kleiderlast's Elevator Show. Israel Festival, 1990
  • Operation Entebbe: The Musical. Written by Jonathan Bar Giora and Etgar Keret. Directed by Shlomo Vazana. Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre, 1993
  • Confetti D'Rembrandt. Directed by Moshe Naor. Nissan Nativ Acting Studio, 1997
  • Jungul. Written by Boaz Gaon. Directed by Moshe Naor. Tzavta Theatre, 2000
  • Soldier Returns Home. Directed by Oded Kotler. Tzavta Short Theatre Festival, 2001
  • Personal Details. Directed by Elit Veber. Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre, 2005

Music Albums

  • Endless Meaning - Yossi Banai Reads Alterman, 1999
  • Slowly - Yossi Banai, 2001
  • Yossi Banai Reads Psalms, 2005
  • Yehonatan Geffen - Saying Love Songs, 2009
  • Endless Meaning - Yossi Banai Reads Alterman, 2010 - A new release, re-mixed with three additional never-before-released tracks
  • Themes - First Anthology of Movie Soundtracks, 2018
  • Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi - The Soundtrack, 2003
  • Aviva, My Love - The Soundtrack, 2006
  • Bringing the Fairies Back - Collaboration with Shez, 2002
  • Spotting Yossi - The Soundtrack, 2002

Original Music for Video-Art and Musical Works

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