Yair Kless

Yair Kless was born in 1940 in Mandatory Palestine

Yair Kless was born on November 12, 1940, in Mandatory Palestine. He started performing when he was young. His son Eyal Kless is also a violinist and teacher.

He studied with Israel Amidan and André Gertler at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He later continued his studies in Brussels, at the Conservatory and the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel.

Kless worked as a soloist and chamber musician, with a repertoire from baroque music to works written for him. He played in the Baroque Musicians Israeli Group and was first violin in the Sol-La-Re string quartet, the Tel Aviv piano quartet and the American New Art Trio. He is a member of the Modus Trio, a string trio in Israel.

For many years he led the string department at the Rubin Academy of Music, which he directed from 1989 to 1993. His students include Vadim Gluzman. He has served on juries of international competitions and taught master classes in many countries.

Since 1995 he has divided his time between Israel and Austria, where he is a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. He takes part in festivals such as the Salzburg Festival.