Yifeat Ziv – Portfolio
Updated: 23/1/2018
Halutzim 50, Tel-Aviv, Israel | +972-524-751-426 | yifeat.ziv@gmail.com | www.yifeatziv.com
 Zero Space |  Singing of Ascents |  ABRA Ensemble |  Ballad of Three Sisters |  How Much Time? |  Harbor (for dance) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Revolution Orchestra (arrangement) |  Visit Website... |
1)
Zero Space
6 min. | 2017
An imaginary vocal representation of the in utero experience. The womb - the first space every human resides - is experienced solely through the sense of hearing, the first sense the fetus develops. In the piece, the womb-like space is created by three feminine voices, as a direct expression of the warmth and intimacy of the body. A multi-layered auditory experience surrounds the listener and summons an inner convergence with echoes of the outside world.
The work was commissioned by the Sensing Sound exhibition by curators Lila Chitayat and Anat Safran. Technical specifications: 10 speakers around the space, 10 speakers inside the acoustic hill, 6 subwoofers under the seats,16 channels sound system.
Zero Space was written for the three voices of The Hazelnuts vocal group. The process of creation included: writing the materials, recording the singers at a studio, editing the multi-layered recordings, and finally mixing the project for 26 speakers in the installation’s space, in collaboration with sound designer Gavriel Mandel.
Presented at the DMH Museum (Holon, IL) from June - October 2017.
Watch the full video See the full score
Text (Hebrew poem was written and translated into English by poet Yael Gaulan):
Floating in all seas
Inside me
Like the moon, innocent
Slowly, in its own time
Into velvet eyelids sink
Inside me
Slowly, on your own time
Beat by beat worlds go around
Inside me
And I
Inside them
לצוף על פני כל הימים
בתוכי
כמו הירח תמים
לאיטו, בעִתו
בין עפעפי קטיפה לשקוע
בתוכי
(לאיתך, בעִתך)
פעימות פעימות סובבים עולמות
בתוכי
ואני
בתוכם
(2)
Singing of Ascents
12 min. | 2017
The Brody Synagogue, Odessa, 1910.
Every Saturday, a large and diverse crowd – observant and secular Jews, and their non-Jewish neighbors – filled the sanctuary of the elegant Brody synagogue to hear the beautiful singing of the choir. The performances were the pinnacle of the week for the assembled. A moment when dreams were dreamed, intentions were clarified and desires became clear. A moment in which music, emotion, and spirituality merged into one place and time.
Singing of Ascents is an original audio-visual site-specific event inspired by those moments. For one evening, the Eretz Israel Museum Planetarium was transformed into a sacred sanctuary, a new galaxy where audiences embarked on a personal journey examining the eternity of yearning and
issues surrounding place and identity.
The 12-minute audio piece was created and executed using Ableton Live. It combines new vocal audio recordings and midi instruments with a historic recording of Brody Synagogue choir (originally recorded in the 1930s), manipulated with audio and modulation effects. Video was created by architect and video-artist Yoav Ronat. Artistic accompaniment by Yael Biegon Citron & Alex Rif. Sound design in collaboration with Gavriel Mandel.
Premiered at the Odessa Tel Aviv Festival, Eretz-Israel Museum (Tel-Aviv, IL), September 2017.
Text (1,3,4 by Yifeat Ziv ; 2 is taken from Psalms 126):
1.
At the circle.
Where we broadened the scale of our being.
Let the waves flow through our bodies and fill us.
At the circle.
2.
A song of ascents when the lord returned
The captivity of Zion we were like those who dream
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue was filled with singing
Then they said among the nations
The Lord has done great things with them
The Lord has done great things with us, we were glad
3.
From here, To there
Now
This is a prayer
4.
At the circle.
Where we broadened the scale of our being.
Let the words flow through our bodies and fill us.
We’ve been waiting for this moment.
1.
בַּמָעַגָלוֹת.
שם הרחבנו את טווח הימצאנו.
נִתֵּן לגלים לעבור בַּעֲדֵנוּ ולמלא אותנו.
בַּמָעַגָלוֹת.
2.
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת
בְּשׁוּב אֲדֹנָי אֶת שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן הָיִינוּ כְּחֹלְמִים
אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה
אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם הִגְדִּיל אֲדֹנָי לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם אֵלֶּה
הִגְדִּיל אֲדֹנָי לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים
3.
לשם עכשיו
מכאן
זוהי תפילה
4.
בַּמָעַגָלוֹת.
שם הרחבנו את טווח הימצאנו.
נִתֵּן למילים לעבור בַּעֲדֵנוּ ולמלא אותנו.
חיכינו לרגע הזה.
(3)
ABRA Ensemble
Project | 2013-present
The name “Abra” comes from the Aramaic “Abra ka dabra” meaning “I shall create what I speak”. It is a vocal performance ensemble led cooperatively by its four vocalists/composers. Through the art of improvisation, ABRA Ensemble expands the existing limits between experimental virtuoso vocal expression and the immediate accessible human encounter with the audience. In the five years since its founding, the ensemble has performed at a diverse range of venues and spaces in Israel and Europe, released a debut album and gained considerable recognition.
Selected works:
Neshef -
Comes from the Hebrew root associated with exhalation - and is the fruit of a year-long period of intensive research. Neshef is ABRA’s second full-length piece that deals directly with the relationship the quartet has with singing and the voice. In this piece we search for moments of departure from expected and rigid patterns of vocal expression - how can crying become singing, a voice lesson turns into a moment of extreme self-reflection, how can the voice represent the many faces we have and how can the voice ultimately be a vehicle for authenticity.
Premiered at the CCA, (Tel-Aviv, IL), July 2015.
Weather Vane -
ABRA, equipped with portable microphones, use their bodies and voices to map and fill the central and stately Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, which holds political speeches and demonstrations (it is the site of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination) but also functions as a casual meeting place. The work echoes the history of the place, illustrates its urban soundscape and reflects its impromptu human encounters.
Premiered at the Place Dependant Festival (Tel-Aviv, IL), May 2014.
(4)
The Hazelnuts - Ballad of Three Sisters
4.5 min. | 2016
The Hebrew poem Ballad of Three Sisters by poet Tzruya Lahav is a song about three sisters who shout out the story of one of their sisters who was raped. They are on a quest to meet God and confront him with a question: why is “Thou shalt not rape” not included in your ten commandments?
The song was composed, arranged and produced by Yifeat Ziv and was recorded by The Hazelnuts group in a studio session.
Ballad of Three Sisters was officially released as a single on International Women’s Day 2017, and all its proceeds are donated to the Nairobi-based Rescue Dada Center for girls who have been physically assaulted. The Hazelnuts visited the center to host a workshop while on their Kenyan tour in February 2017.
The Hazelnuts is a vocal trio founded by Yifeat Ziv and Shira Z. Carmel in 2013, taking its inspiration from vocal swing trios such as The Boswell Sisters and The Andrews Sisters. The group’s repertoire contains original songs and special arrangements for rock, pop and swing tunes.
During the last five years The Hazelnuts have been performing nonstop and gaining critical acclaim in Israel and abroad. The group has had the honor of performing before thousands of people at such varied venues as the Marseille Jazz des Cinqs Continents, the Festival des Cultures Juives in Paris, the Safaricom Jazz Festival in Nairobi, the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, and the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival.
The group also collaborated as a vocal trio with respectable musicians such as Shlomo Gronich, Yoni Rechter, Shlomi Shaban, Jerron Paxton (US) and recently even double billing with the legendary Manhattan Transfer (US).
(5)
How Much Time?
15.5 min. | 2013
A song cycle by poet Yehuda Amichai, composed for voice and violoncello.
The cycle contains six short poems that deal with separation, communication, and remembrance.
It is an intimate dialogue which examines different means of expression and uses traditional and extended techniques for both voice and violoncello.
Performed by Yifeat Ziv (Voice) and Elizabeth Cook (Violoncello).
Premiered at the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Music Center (Jerusalem, IL), April 2013.
(6)
Harbor (for dance)
4 min. | 2014
Two morse codes representing the Hebrew words “אי” ; “ים” - meaning “Island” ; “Sea” - are the starting point for this piece that deals with the search of a place and the impermanence of a journey.
Audio materials include “hum” noises of a broken external audio interface and one tom-tom’s hit. Those materials were manipulated and edited using Cubase.
The piece was created for a solo dance by choreographer Kerem Shemi.
Premiered at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, February 2014.
(7)
The Revolution Orchestra (arrangement)
7.5 min. | 2016
An orchestral arrangement for Miles Davis’ “So What” Jazz tune (written in 1959).
Commissioned by The Revolution Orchestra & Geshem Ensemble.
Premiered at The National Opera House (Tel-Aviv, IL) ,July 2016.
