Biography

Boris Pigovat (b. 1953, Odessa, USSR) studied at the Gnessin Music Institute (Academy of Music) in Moscow. He immigrated to Israel in 1990.

He has received two prizes from ACUM (the Society of Authors, Composers & Music Publishers in Israel), as well as the Prime Minister’s Prize of the State of Israel (2000). In 2002, he received his Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University (Israel).

His works have been widely performed around the world, including at such international festivals as the ISCM “World Music Days 2000” in Luxembourg, the Asian Music Festival 2003 in Tokyo, the Mid-Europe festivals in Austria (1999, 2004), WASBE Conferences in Switzerland (2001), Sweden (2003), Singapore (2005), USA (2009, 2015), and International Viola Congresses in Germany (2011), Poland (2013), and New Zealand (2017).

In 2024, he won his third ACUM prize: the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The world premiere of Requiem “The Holocaust” for Viola & Symphony Orchestra took place at the Memorial evening dedicated to the Babiy Yar tragedy (Kiev, 2.10.2001, soloist – Rainer Moog). In 2008 this work was performed in Wellington, New Zealand at the Concert of Remembrance 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht (soloist – Donald Maurice). The CD with this performance was released in 2010 by the label ATOLL (New Zealand).  In 2012 the CD REQUIEM received the prestigious ‘Supersonic’ Award from the PIZZICATO Magazine.

Another CD, “Holocaust Requiem/Poem of Dawn“, was released by NAXOS in 2015 (soloist – Anna Serova). In October 2015, this CD received the ‘Supersonic’ Award from PIZZICATO Magazine and was nominated for the 2016 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

His work Music of Sorrow and Hope (2011) was commissioned and premiered by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor – Zubin Mehta) at the IPO’s 75th Anniversary Festival. 

His work Therefore choose life was commissioned by  the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in honor of Manfred Honeck‘s 10th season as Music Director, and premiered in Pittsburg on September 22, 2017. In 2023, this work was performed by Lahav Shani and the Israel Philharmonic, and was recorded by Medici.tv.

His work “Yizkor” was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the “Tree of Life” tragedy. The work was premiered in Pittsburgh on November 25, 2023, conducted by Manfred Honeck.