Roy Assaf
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Roy Assaf (b. 1982) is an Israeli jazz pianist.
Assaf was born in Israel in 1982 and started his formal classical training at the Tel Aviv Conservatory at the age of eight. In 1999, he graduated from the three-year jazz program of Thelma Yellin, Israel’s premier high school of the arts, and won the International Red Sea Jazz Festival competition for young musicians. He was mentored by jazz musician Opher Brayer.
He later became a prominent Israeli jazz pianist and a member of the Tel-Aviv Jazz Big Band. He led his own jazz quintet, performed at the International Jazz Blues and Videotape Festival and made numerous appearances on national television and radio programs. In 2000, the Israeli Military Academy of Music granted Assaf an award of distinction and enlisted him to serve in the Education Corps for three years. After his military service, he graduated from the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music.
After being awarded several scholarships to the Berklee College of Music, Roy moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in 2003 to pursue his undergraduate studies there. While at Berklee, he studied with Joanne Brackeen, Danilo Perez, Kenny Werner, Michel Camilo, Richie Beirach and Sonny Bravo. He also earned additional scholarships and awards from the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. He graduated from Berklee in 2005 and was awarded a BA cum laude.
In May 2005, Assaf was invited to perform at the Promising Artist of the 21st Century Performance Series in Costa Rica. Shortly thereafter, he performed with his jazz quartet at the Phoenix Jazz Festival in Kobe, Japan. In September 2006, he began a two-year program at the Manhattan School of Music toward earning a Master's degree in Jazz Performance, taught by pianist Kenny Barron. In summer 2007, Assaf was invited to play with The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band. He joined them on a European tour and for performance in Canada, Puerto Rico, and one week at the Blue Note in New York City. He has received the 30th Downbeat Student Music Award and 2nd place of the Charlie Palmieri Memorial Annual piano Competition.
