Sarah Feigin

Sarah Feigin was born in Riga, Latvia, where she also received her musical education. In 1972, she immigrated with her family to Israel.

In 1973, she founded the first conservatory in Holon, where all the teachers were new immigrants. She ran this institution for 10 years. Feigin developed a unique method for teaching children in groups. She frequently held workshops in musical institutions throughout the country. She specialized in writing works for piano and organ (especially for 4 and 6 hands).

In her compositions Feigin tended to be influenced by the great composers of the Soviet Union, such as Shostakovich and Prokofiev. In her works she sometimes includes folklore. In Riga she wrote two ballets based on Russian epic themes: "The Golden Tree" and "Happy Days" and three shorter works: Exercise (1968), Poem (1968) and Storm (1969) according to Gorky. Among her works is the children's opera "House of the Cats" (1959, re-worked in 1988).

She wrote various orchestral and chamber works, among them the symphonic poem "HaKeshav" for the soprano and orchestra to the text of Emmanuel the Russian, a clarinet concerto and a string quartet and two sonatas for violin and piano.

Feigin was sensitive to what was happening in Jewish life and events in Israel. This concern is expressed in works devoted to these events, such as "The Last Way" (a piano sonata devoted to the victims of Babi Yar), "Tefila" for violin and piano (1987), "Yagun" (dedicated to the victims of the Beit Lid bombing in March 1995) and "Elegy", written a few hours after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.

Sarah Feigin's works and arrangements have been performed in Israel, the United States, France, Germany, Latvia and the Czech Republic.

Biography taken from Israel Music Institute.