Born in Israel, Yaïr Benaïm gained recognition among his generation winning the Chamber Music Prize of the Israel Broadcasting Authority competition followed by the prestigious “artist emeritus” status attributed by the national counsel for music and the arts. He is also a 7 times recipient of the America-Israel cultural foundation scholarships.
In 1997 his decisive encounter with the famous French violinist and pedagogue Maestro Gerard Poulet led him to reside in Paris, with the help of the French ministery of foreign affairs. Shortly after, he won the Nadia Boulanger International Foundation Prize and the third prize of the Pierre Lantier international competition. Since then he leads a career as a soloist and chamber music artist.
In 2000 he founded the Benaïm Quartet, which won distinguished international prizes (ARD-Munich, Bordeaux, Salzburg). The quartet toured and performed in France, Germany, Israel, Portugal, Austria, etc.
During this period he served two years as assistant maestro Gerard Poulet in the Conservatoire Superieur de Pais (CRR) and was also in charge of maestro Poulet’s class at the Alfred Cortot Ecole Normale de Musique. Due to his love for conducting, he conducts the string ensembles of the Conservatory of the 15th Ward of Paris, where he also teaches chamber music.
He recorded three CDs for the Polymnie Label (Jacque-Dupont, Gallois-Montbrun et Chausson), “Clasico y moderno” for the Maniana label and “La Chevre de Mr. Seguin” for Didier Jeunesse, distrubited by Harmonia Mundi.
Yaïr Benaïm plays on a Camillo Camilli violin from 1747, courtesy of M. Gérard Poulet.
Born in New York, Yuri Kuroda began her violin studies at the age of five at the ‘Suzuki Talent Institute’ with Satoru Arai, and then with Shigeki Oshita and Toshiya Eto. At nine she played the Bach Concerto with the Concertino Orchestra of Kyoto.
In 2003 she met Gerard Poulet who encouraged her to study in his class at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where she was awarded the ‘Diplome Superieur de Concertiste’ upon the unanimous decision of the members of the jury. In 2008 she received her diploma with highest honors from the ‘Conservatoire National de Paris’ (CRR). She has perfected her performance also under the training of Roland Daugareil, Jean Mouillere and Eichi Chijiiwa.
She has won prizes in a number of international competitions: “Toshiya ETO” in 2000, “J.S. Bach”( Paris) in 2004, “Prix Rodolfo Lipizer”(Gorizia) in 2006.
Yuri Kuroda has performed with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan, and recently she played the Sibelius concerto with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Czestochowa, in Poland.
She joined the Benaim Quartet in 2008.
Ms. Kuroda plays on a A. Guarnerius violin from 1697,courtesy of M. Yoshio Hirasawa.
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