Haim Tukachinsky
Haim Tukachinsky ((Hebrew: חיים טוקצ'ינסקי; born November 10, 1987; Haifa, Israel - died September 24, 2018) was an Israeli Jewish Orthodox pianist, composer, conductor and musical director.
Haim Tukachinsky | |
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![]() Haim Tukachinsky | |
Born | Haim Tukachinsky November 10, 1987 |
Died | September 24, 2018 |
Years active | 1999–2018 |
Website | Haim Tukachinsky's official website |
Biography


Haim Tukachinsky was born in Haifa and grew up in Kiryat Motzkin. He studied in Chabad educational institutions and engaged in Torah studies. Later, he continued his studies in a small yeshiva in the Krayot Region. At the same time, he also attended the Kiryat Motzkin conservatory.[1]After completing his yeshiva studies and external matriculation exams, he was accepted to the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and graduated with degrees in piano, composition and conducting. His composition teacher was Dr. Michael Wolpe, while Prof. Yitzhak Katz, Prof. Vadim Monastyrsky and Prof. Eitan Globerson were his piano teachers. In addition, he completed a Piano Teaching Certification Program under Prof. Globerson.[2]
At the age of 16, Haim started working as a freelance musician. Concurrently with his solo pianist career, he accompanied singers and cantors, taught piano in the conservatory, worked as a conductor, accompanying various master classes, wrote musical quizzes and served as a musical director of various musicals and other productions. He won an Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) Award, 2007 to 2009. He was also awarded a Wolf Foundation Scholarship. In the summer of 2008, Tukachinsky took part in the Oxford International Piano Festival. In summer of 2010, he took second place in the 11th Carlo Tavasani Piano Competition, as well as second place in the Rose Choron Chamber Music Competition.[3]
He composed music for various instruments, singers, and a variety of musical ensembles. Some of his compositions were performed by Israel’s leading orchestras, including the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva. Tukachinsky toured England, France, and Norway as a solo pianist. Over the years, he played his compositions in collaboration with well-known artists from around the world.
While constantly performing as a solo pianist across Israel, he also took part in chamber music concerts around the country. He engaged in multiple local stage productions, including collaborations with Israel Musicals, the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, the Beit Hillel Theater Workshop at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and others. After completing his studies, Tukachinsky lived and worked in Jerusalem.
Haim Tukachinsky was killed in a hit and run accident on Sukkot eve in 2018. He was buried at the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery. His funeral was attended by many people from all groups of Israeli society who came to pay their last respects and show their appreciation of him as a person and pianist.[4]
Awards and recognitions
- America-Israel Cultural Foundation prize for 2007-2009
- Wolf Foundation scholarship
- participated in the Oxford International Piano Festival, 2008
- second place in the 11th Carlo Tawasani Piano Competition, and also won second place in the Rose Choron Chamber Music Competition, 2010
References
- Merav Cohen, The victim of hit and run accident: pianist Haim Tukachinsky, Kipa website, 25 September 2018
- Ahiya Raved and Inbar Tweezer, “Haim was a godsend, this is a great loss for the music world”: Orthodox pianist killed in a hit and run accident in Jerusalem, Ynet, September 25, 2018
- Maariv Online, [https://www.maariv.co.il/culture/music/Article-662530 The composer who was killed in a hit and run accident was buried today: “Everything that happens in my life should be so”; Maariv Online, September 25, 2018
- Yishai Porat, Haredi pianist killed in hit and run: Ehud in the secular community, Ynet , 25 September 2018 (Hebrew)
External links
- Haim Tukachinsky's official website
- David Rosenberg, 'He wanted to sanctify God's name with music', Israel National News, 25 September 2018
- Ruth Corman, Haim Tukachinsky, a magical musician - A story I never thought I would write. The Jerusalem Post, 6 February 2019
- Toi Staff, Jerusalem hit-and-run victim was an ultra-Orthodox pianist, composer, The Times of Israel, 26 September 2018
- Ruth Corman, Talented Life Cruelly Cut Short, ESRAmagazine, December 2018
- Jerusalem: Hit & Run Victim Identified as Pianist Chaim Tukachinsky Z”L; Driver to Remain Incarcerated, The Yeshiva World, 25 September 2018
- Ido Ben Porat, The gifted musician was killed in a car accident, Channel 7, September 25, 2018 (Hebrew)
- Ayala Hasson, The mother of the composed killed in a hit and run accident: “He was a part of my soul”, Maariv Online Website, September 26, 2018
- Dikla Shahaf, Haim Tokochinsky killed a week before his engagement: his mother raises funds to write a Book of Torah in his memory, Mynet Krayot website, 6 November 2018
- The introduction of a Torah scroll to the memory of Haim Tukachinsky in the synagogue of Yala, Safed (Hebrew)