Musicקובי אשרת

Kobi Oshrat

Kobi Oshrat is an Israeli composer and conductor who composed and conducted "Hallelujah", the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1979.

born 1944Composing "Hallelujah"Conducting Israeli Eurovision entriesMusic for children's television

Born: 15 July 1944, Haifa
Occupation: composer, conductor, music arranger

Kobi Oshrat was born in 1944 in Haifa

Kobi Oshrat was born Yaakov Ventura in Haifa in 1944. His parents had immigrated from Salonika. His father was a customs agent who also played mandolin, and his mother taught French and played mandolin too.

He studied precision mechanics at a school in Haifa. At 14 he formed a duo with a childhood friend that won a young talent contest.

In the army he served in the Northern Command band. After his service he married Elisheva and moved to Kibbutz Afek, where he took the name Oshrat and studied music in Tel Aviv with Egon Kartan.

His first hit as a composer came in 1969. He then wrote and arranged music for singers, children's television, films and stage shows. His song "Hallelujah", performed by Milk and Honey, won the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, and he conducted it there.

He also composed and conducted Israel's Eurovision entries in 1985 and 1992, and conducted the 1987 and 1991 entries. He has written more than 1000 songs and received the ACUM Award in 2009.