Prof. Racheli Galay

Racheli Galay is a versatile Israeli cellist, educator, and researcher specializing in Jewish music. She serves as the Head of the Jewish Music track of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance Graduate Program, Head of the Music Department at Givat Washington College of Education and is a Visiting Researcher at the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Galay’s work bridges the gap between performance, historical research in Jewish music, composition, improvisation, and music education.  
Galay performed on four continents a range of repertoire which encompasses classical and contemporary works, as well as klezmer and improvisation. She has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Zagreb and Lublin Philharmonics and the Rosario Chamber Orchestra. A champion of cross-cultural dialogue, she is a member of Quartetoukan (a Jewish-Arab ensemble) and directed a unique musical project combining Andalusian and Ashkenazi music with the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra of Ashdod and her klezmer group Epele Trio.  She appeared on international festivals such as Le Festival Marocain de la Musique Andalouse in Rabat and Casablanca, Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques, Essaouira, Yiddish Summer Weimar Conference, International Amsterdam Jewish Music Competition, The Oud Festival Jerusalem, Jiddische Musik und Theaterwoche, Dresden, Achva Festival, Erfürt, Tres Culturas Festival, Murcia, Spain and more.
Racheli Galay’s solo album “Celloland” was released in April 2026 on the label Emmaya Records. Her show “Celloland” based on the album, brings forth the sound of a Jewish cello through traditional and original melodies. Galay’s works were published by Ovation Press and the Israeli Music Center (IMC). Her works were performed in Israel and in the U.S. by soloists such as American cellist Diane Chaplin and violinist Diana Lupo of the Israeli Jerusalem Symphony and her educational works were performed by conservatory orchestras in Israel.  
Galay’s scholarly works include her doctoral dissertation about cellist, pedagogue, researcher, and founding Israeli composer Joachim Stutschewsky. Her thesis was followed by a world-premiere online recording of his work 13 Jewish Folk Tunes for Cello and Piano with pianist Amit Weiner, presented along with essays about the composer on the Jewish Music Research Center website. Further study of his contemporary – Ukrainian-American cellist-composer Joseph Cherniavsky – is pursued thanks to a 2026-27 NYPL-Fordham University Research Fellowship. 
Galay holds a Doctor of Music in Cello from Northwestern University, where she received the Charlotte McDonald Award for excellence. She earned her Master’s in Cello from Indiana University Bloomington, and a B.A. in Musicology magna cum laude from the Tel Aviv University. Among her cello teachers were Hans Jørgen Jensen, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Janos Starker, Emmanuel Gruber, Jean DePlace, Zvi Harel and Ma’ayan Matityahou. With renowned fiddlers Daniel Hoffman z”l and Alicia Svigals she specialized in klezmer playing.