Israeli conductor and trumpeter Boris Kertsman is TONICA’s new music director since January 2018. A member of Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra since 2003, Boris has held contracts and participated in tours with the Staatsoper Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Israel Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Teatro alla Scala and Suzhou Symphony.
Boris is inter alia 2nd Prize winner of The Lions Club International Trumpet Competition in Stuttgart (DE), 1st prize winner at the Prince of Denmark’s Brass Ensemble Competition, and 1st Prize at the RAMA soloist competition (DK). Solo performances i.a. with the Israel Philharmonic under Maestro Zubin Mehta, Orchestre pour la Paix in Théâtre du Châtelet (FR) and the Haifa Symphony (IL).
Boris is the music director of TONICA and Senex Brass Band. Further conducting engagements are with i.a. Nordvestjysk-Brass Band, Skanderborg Brass Band, DSB-Harmoniorkester Randers, Aarhus Musikkreds, Da-Capo, FDF Vejle and Randers Swing band.
Boris is currently member of the soloist-class at The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus (DK), under supervision of Prof. Kristian Steenstrup. Prior MA in pedagogy and conducting under Søren K. Hansen at RAMA (DK). Further studies with Ram Oren of the IPO, William Forman at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns-Eisler Berlin (DE) and Bo Nilsson in Malmö (SE).
Recently Boris has started attending in projects with T. Currentzis’ MusicAeterna.
This summer Boris will be playing with the West-Eastern Divan at The Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival and the BBC Proms.