"Yaron Herman has internalized the entire European-influenced jazz idiom," ZEIT once wrote about the Israeli pianist, who only began playing the piano at the age of 16. Today, Herman moves beyond all dividing lines between jazz and classical music, pop and Israeli folklore. After his dream of a basketball career was dashed, Herman, born in 1981, developed his passion for the piano. What followed was a meteoric rise to become one of the most respected pianists of his generation. The speed with which he learns and metabolizes music is astonishing.

His enthusiasm and talent quickly made him the pianist everyone spoke about with admiration and wonder. Yaron Herman is essentially self-taught, one of the few truly self-taught musicians left today. Herman has not studied classical music. In his solo piano playing, one senses as much Chopin as Keith Jarrett, one of the pianists who has influenced him most. Herman loves the melody in its sophisticated simplicity.