Biography

Israeli-born cellist Yoni Draiblate began playing the cello at age 5, entering the conservatory at age 7. He has appeared on prestigious stages around the world, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Royal Albert Hall and Barbican Center in London, Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, Stockholm Festival Sweden, Jordan Hall in the New England Conservatory, Symphony Hall in Boston, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Teatro Colon in Argentina, the Philharmonie Berlin, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and many more.

As a soloist, Draiblate appeared with the Israel Philharmonic, the Tel-Aviv Soloists Ensemble, Israel Camerata, the Buchmann-Mehta Symphony, Symphony in C, Temple University Symphony Orchestra, Prometheus Ensemble, and others. 

Draiblate has toured the United States, Europe and South America with orchestras such as the West Eastern-Divan Orchestra, iPalpiti Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic and more.  He collaborated with musicians such as: Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulèz, Kurt Masur, Gustavo Dudamel, Branford Marsalis, Lambert Orkis and other renowned artists. He had participated in master classes with Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse, Gary Hoffman, Laurence Lesser, Uzi Wiesel, Alban Berg Quartett, Borromeo String Quartet, Heinrich Schiff, Natalia Gutman, Frans Helmerson, and Shanghai Quartet.

Draiblate is the principal cellist of the Florida Orchestra, he is a former principal cellist of the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, former principal cellist of Symphony in C, and former associate principal of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared as a guest principal cellist with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. Before moving to Florida, he was a full-time member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Draiblate pursued his undergraduate degree at Tel-Aviv University, and in 2011 he earned his master’s degree from New England Conservatory. Additionally, he holds a doctoral degree in music performance from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Draiblate plays on a 2015 copy of the famous 1707 Countess of Stanlein Ex-Paganini Stradivarius cello. The “Oberlin Countess” is one of only three cellos in the world built jointly by 60 world-renowned makers.