Graziani Yitzhak

Conductor, arranger, and composer Yitzhak Graziani (1924-2003) was born in Russe, Bulgaria. He began his music life by participating in various ensembles in elementary school. During the Nazi occupation of Bulgaria, Graziani was imprisoned in labor camps. After the liberation of Bulgaria, he enrolled in the Academy of Music in Sofia. In 1948 Grazinani immigrated with his family to Israel, and shortly thereafter he began playing the trumpet with the IDF orchestra. From 1950 to 1952 he performed his army service as a member of the orchestra, playing and writing arrangements of Israeli marches. After his release, he maintained his connections with the IDF Orchestra, but also began to conduct and direct many musical projects, including theater productions, choral directing, and entertainment productions. In 1961 Graziani was appointed conductor of the IDF orchestra, a job he maintained for the rest of his life, and which led to his participation in many important ceremonies and concerts. Graziani wrote over a thousand arrangements of Israeli songs, many of which were written to enlarge the Israeli music repertoire of the IDF orchestra. He also wrote music for several Israeli films.