Biography
Few musicians have contributed as much to enriching the repertoire of their instrument as Sharon Bezaly. Described by The Times (UK) as "God's gift to the flute," Sharon has been named the best flutist in the world by BBC Music Magazine. The artistic influence and adventurous musical spirit of the Israeli-Swedish flutist are reflected in the extensive list of concertos and other works written for her by composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Kalevi Aho, Brett Dean, Anders Hillborg, Zhou Long, and Sally Beamish…
Bezaly has also revived many high-quality works that had fallen into obscurity. She has performed worldwide with top orchestras and conductors, in prestigious venues such as the BBC Proms, Sydney Opera House, Vienna Musikverein, Suntory Hall, and Carnegie Hall.
She made her solo debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta at the age of 14, just three years after receiving her first flute lesson. Her profound and soulful playing is marked by eloquent lyricism, flawless technique, and great expressiveness.
A first-prize graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and later an alumna of BBC Radio 3’s "New Generation Artists Scheme", Sharon Bezaly was the first wind instrumentalist to be appointed artist-in-residence at the Residentie Orkest in The Hague. She has won prestigious awards at the Cannes Classical Awards and Echo Klassik.
Sharon Bezaly’s numerous recordings on the BIS label have earned her top honors and acclaim from leading international music publications. Her recording of Mozart's G major concerto and Poulenc’s sonata (with Ronald Brautigam) was named the best recording in the world (classicalmusic.com, BBC).
Her perfect mastery of circular breathing (taught by Aurèle Nicolet) enables her to reach the highest levels of musical performance — a fact attested by comparisons to David Oistrakh and Vladimir Horowitz in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
In 2018, she was elected a lifetime member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
