Avner Strauss

Avner Strauss was born in 1954 in Israel

Avner Strauss was born in Jerusalem in 1954. He is the son of philosopher Micha Strauss, the grandson of poet Ludwig Strauss and the great-grandson of Martin Buber.

He began on electric guitar at 14 and played in rock bands in the late 1960s. In 1971 he formed the first Israeli blues band. In 1975 he went to Boston and studied composition at the Berklee College of Music, graduating in 1978.

Back in Israel he recorded music and taught guitar at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. In the 1980s he ran Effect, a Jerusalem store devoted only to guitars. He released albums, including the guitar album Courtyard in 1990, and songs for children.

In 1988 he founded Sal Tarbut Strauss, which brings arts programs to Israeli schools, and he ran Strauss Mifaaley Tarbut until 2011. He has published children's books and poetry and collects whistles. He lives in Tel Aviv.