Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ziv Kartaginer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ziv, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Last November I did my first live concert with an ensemble I put together called “The Middle Eastern Big Band”. The ensemble showcases my original music along with arrangements of well-known songs, and it includes wind instruments, strings, rhythm section, and middle eastern instruments, such as Qanun, Darbuka, a microtonal trumpet, and more. The ensemble includes people from all over the world (on the last show we had musicians from 12 different countries from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and America). The musicians come from different backgrounds – musically and culturally – and together we create a very unique and eclectic sound, combining jazz, classical, middle eastern, hard rock, and more. The live album is going to be released this summer, along with videos from the show.

This project is a dream come true: having my music played by a big group (20 people!) of amazingly talented musicians, but more than that – it serves a bigger purpose. Coming from the Middle East, I have witnessed and was affected by conflicts, racism, violence, and hate. After being a trumpet player in a few musical projects abroad (mostly in Germany) I witnessed and experienced music connecting people, no matter where they’re from, what language they speak, what their political views are, and their cultural background. I participated in projects which combined people from different places in the Middle East. Although they were often from two different sides of a conflict, when they found themselves in the rehearsal room, they were able to share their gift and bring a full show to life, which was then performed around the country. Those experiences really showed me the incredible power music has – building bridges above obstacles, and connecting musicians and listeners in the deepest way possible.

After having these experiences, I moved to the US and I decided to create my own project. The goal was to bring together musicians from different backgrounds and cultures, and perform music of different genres and cultures. That is how the Middle Eastern Big Band project was born.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a trumpet player, composer, and arranger. I graduated the Jazz Institute Program at Rimon School of Music, and Berklee College of Music, with a double major in Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production. I am originally from the Jerusalem area, and my family heritage includes Tunisia, Bulgaria, and Poland, so I grew up surrounded by klezmer, Balkan, and Middle Eastern music. These diverse musical influences have profoundly shaped my artistic voice, and it is evident in many of my musical projects. Together with my classical and jazz education, my music is a fusion of all of my worlds.

As a trumpet player, I performed at notable festivals and venues across the middle east, Europe, and the U.S., both as a soloist and within an ensemble. In addition to that, I play and lead an ensemble I created called ‘The Middle Eastern Big Band’. We play my original music and arrangements, which include a fusion of western and middle eastern instruments and genres.
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In addition to playing, I work as a composer and arranger. Recently I got to work with the Nu Deco Ensemble for their concert with Betty Who at the Miami Beach Bandshell. At Berklee, I took part in several prestigious productions, including the Disney Reimagined—100th Anniversary Celebration Concert, the Berklee Singers Showcase: The Music of Mariah Carey, the Great American Songbook: Dreams—The Music of Fleetwood Mac, and the Berklee Middle Eastern Festival. I’ve written for many ensembles of different kind, big bands, pop/rock, funk, orchestras, vocalists and more.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to touch people’s hearts with my music. When I get to play or when my music is being played, and I get to look at the audience and see the listeners react, smile, cry, or get excited, I know I’m doing it right. When I decided to pursue a career in music, my main purpose and goal was to be able to make people feel what other artists’ music makes me feel. The power and the impact it has on me is ever-growing, and every time I get to see the impact of my music, it feels like I am doing the best thing I can do with my life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My main goal is pretty simple. Iv’e been always thinking about the fact that the world is full of violence and hate, and at the same time it’s full of so many beautiful and positive things. I realized that my power to fight the violence and the hate is pretty limited, so instead of fighting it, I’m trying to add to the other side as much as I can – add beauty, expression, collaboration and love. I am creating music that comes from the deepest places of my heart and my soul, and I truly believe that when people are listening or participating in any form of authentic expression, an open conversation of words and/or music, it immediately creates some response of love and positivity in them, which doesn’t leave a lot of space for negativity, hate, and separation. This is my way of trying to make the world a little more welcoming, loving, and accepting place, for every human being, and that’s the main goal and mission of my creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zivkartaginer.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zivkartaginer_music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ziv.kartaginer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kartaginerziv

Image Credits

Ari Mei-Dan
Elena Naperotić