Ofra Harnoy (born January 31, 1965) is an Israeli-Canadian cellist. She is a Member of the Order of Canada. By joining the international artists roster of RCA Victor Red Seal, Harnoy became the first Canadian classical instrumental soloist since Glenn Gould to gain an exclusive worldwide contract with a major record label. She is a five-time Juno Award winner.

Life

Harnoy was born in Hadera, Israel. She moved with her family to Toronto in 1971. When she was six, she began cello lessons with her father, Jacob Harnoy. Her teachers included Vladimir Orloff, William Pleeth, Pierre Fournier, Jacqueline du Pré, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Harnoy made her professional debut as a soloist with an orchestra at age 10. Her solo-orchestral and recital debuts at Carnegie Hall in 1982 brought her public and critical acclaim. Harnoy performed and recorded the world premiere of the Offenbach cello concerto in 1985 and the North American premiere of the Bliss cello concerto in 1984. She also made the world premiere recordings of several Vivaldi concertos. In 1987, she joined the roster of RCA Victor Red Seal and recorded several best selling albums. Harnoy has played in many genres of music. She has played with artists such as Plácido Domingo, Sting, Igor Oistrakh, Loreena McKennitt, and Jesse Cook. In 2019, Harnoy released Back to Bach, on the Canadian classical label Analekta. In September 2023 released her latest album,"Elgar & Lalo cello concertos" on Sony classical. She is married to the trumpeter, producer, and composer Mike Herriott.

Awards

Discography