about

Richard Paley, bassoon

 

Born in Boston, Massachusetts and educated at the New England Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music, he immigrated to Israel in 1978 at the invitation of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. He served as the principal bassoonist of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra from 1982 until his retirement in 2023 and has taken part in many of its greatest moments, including concerts with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, the opening of the BachFest in Leipzig, the Jerusalem 3000 celebrations with maestro Lorin Maasel and many more.

 

Paley frequently premiers and records new works by Israeli and foreign composers with the Israel Contemporary Ensemble of which he was a founding member in 1991. He has participated in the prestigious Chautauqua and Bard Music Festivals in the United States. Among the pioneers of baroque and classical music performance on period instruments in Israel, he is frequently heard performing with the Barrocade ensemble. Paley is one of the première teachers of modern and baroque bassoon in Israel and continues his long relationship with Israel’s leading Academies and Conservatories and the Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.