Singer/composer Tami Machnai's performances invoke a powerful fusion between Western and Middle-Eastern music. She specializes in contemporary interpretations and traditional performances of Middle Eastern, Israeli and Jewish folk music. She sings in Hebrew, Ladino (the Jewish dialect of Spanish) and English. In her flexible ensemble which she leads and directs you will find classical guitar, clarinet, violin, cello, bouzouki, piano, accordion, upright acoustic bass and hand percussion.
Inspirational and heart- wrenching melodies, extraordinary passion and haunting voice comparable to Lisa Gerrard take you on a Thousand and One Night trip. Timeless.

Biography

"Tami Machnai is a performer of extraordinary creativity, vocal talent and passion, a consummate artist of great emotional depth. Her work has a special spark that always moves her audience in ways they don't expect."
--Hankus Netsky Founder and Director, Klezmer Conservatory Band.

“I admire her depth and magnetism and the rich mix of her Western and Middle Eastern repertoire”
--Osvaldo Golijov, Composer

Singer/composer Tami Machnai's performances invoke a powerful fusion between Western and Middle-Eastern music. She specializes in contemporary interpretations and traditional performances of Middle Eastern Israeli and Jewish folk music. She sings in Hebrew, Ladino (the Jewish dialect of Spanish) and English. Her flexible ensemble includes classical guitar, upright acoustic bass, clarinet/flute, violin, cello, piano and hand percussion.

Recent credits include performing at the Fleet Center, Boston at the opening ceremony of the International JCC Maccabi Games, for an audience of twelve thousand, Performing with the L.A. Philharmonic at the new Disney Hall, in a production of Osvaldo Golijov 's opera Ainadamar, a Performance at the Argentinean Jewish Relief Campaign of Greater Boston concert (AJRC) for an audience of nine hundred and performing at the Boston ‘First Night’ celebrations. In 2004, Ms. Machnai took first prize in the Billboard Song Competition, World Music category.

In the Boston area, Ms. Machnai has performed at a wide range of venues including Ryles Jazz Club, where she also leads and produces a popular monthly Israeli music evening, the Boston Public Library, the Berklee Performance Center, and the French Library, as well as numerous Jewish temples. She was also featured on the Boston NBC affiliate, WHDH Channel Seven News in a broadcast of the First Night celebration.

Outside the U.S., Ms. Machnai has performed in Tokyo, Japan at Club Kokatoo; in Caracas, Venezuela at the Yohan Sebastian Bar and La Casa De Cultura; and in World Music Performance workshops at colleges and community music schools in Zurich, Switzerland and in Marakai, Venezuela.

In her native Israel, Ms. Machnai has performed several times on Israeli national television and has performed in Tel Aviv at the Jazz O'mania Music Festival and the Suzanne Dalal Dance Festival. She has recorded a SONY Television commercial as soloist of the Arnon Palti Jazz Quartet, worked in collaboration with the Nimrod Frid Dance Ensemble, and has recorded with Boston Reggae singer/songwriter Casper John on four of his albums.

Ms. Machnai's music draws on her rich cultural and educational background. She began her studies as a classical pianist at the Dunia Weitzman Conservatory in Haifa, Israel, and continued at the Rimon School of Music in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Tami Machnai holds a Master's degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory, a Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from Berklee College of Music, and a Graduation Certificate from the Rimon School Of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Israel.

Albums

This Artist has 1 Album

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