Dov Seltzer

Dov (Dubi) Seltzer (Hebrew: דב (דובי) זלצר ; born 26 January 1932) is a Romanian-born Israeli composer and conductor.

Dov (Dubi) Seltzer began studying music at an early age. He studied theory and harmony with professors Alfred Mendelssohn and Mihail Jora. When Seltzer immigrated to Israel at age 15, a musical comedy he had previously written continued to be played for two more years, performed by one of Bucharest's professional youth theaters. Seltzer finished his high school studies in Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek in Israel. At the recommendation of his teacher, the pianist Frank Pelleg, Seltzer was awarded a scholarship to continue his musical studies at the Conservatories in Haifa and later on in Tel Aviv.

At 18 he joined the Israel Defense Forces and was among the founders, and the first official composer, of the Nachal Musical Theater Group (Lehakat Hanachal). The songs he wrote for the Nachal group, and the hundreds he wrote later on, are considered cornerstones of Israeli folk and popular music and are standard repertory on radio and TV worldwide. He composed, arranged, and played accordion for the Israeli troupe Oranim Zabar, and was married to their lead singer, Geula Gill.

During his military service, Seltzer received a special grant from the army to pursue studies in composition, harmony and counterpoint with composers Herbert Bruen, Mordechai Seter, and Professor Abel Erlich. After his military service, Seltzer studied in the United States at the Mannes College of Music, receiving a diploma in composition, and then at the State University of New York, where he earned a BSc in music, majoring in conducting and composition. Among his teachers were Felix Salzer, Carl Bamberger, Roy Travis, Noah Sokolof and Robert Starer. He has also stated that he has attended The Juilliard School in New York City.

Upon his return to Israel, Seltzer embarked on an active musical career, writing in particular for musical theater. He also wrote music scores for more than forty full-length feature films, among them Israeli, American, Italian, German, and French productions.

Seltzer has to his credit several symphonic works commissioned and performed by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted both orchestras in concerts of his own works – the first Israeli composer to be thus recognized and honored. His works were performed by all the major Israeli orchestras, as well as by the New York Philharmonic, the Queens Symphony,[dubious – discuss] and the British Chamber Orchestra[dubious – discuss]. His works were conducted and played by artists such as Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Yehudi Menuhin, and Yitzhak Perlman.

Seltzer has twice received the Kinor David (Israel's "Oscar") as well as the Judges' Award by the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel (ACUM) for lifetime achievement. In 2009 he was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and contribution to Israeli music.

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