Hannah is
a musicologist, pianist and operatic soprano, researching music from a unique
perspective of human cognition. She received her PhD in musicology at the
Hebrew University (Jerusalem), where she previously received her Masters and a
double degree in music and in piano performance (at the Rubin Academy in
Jerusalem).
She has always been fascinated by how music affects us, why we respond to music
in certain ways and if we could formulate principles that would explain
emotional phenomena. To that end, she has researched the field of
music-cognition and psychology as well as various approaches to music analysis,
music aesthetics and history. She particularly enjoys delving into operatic realms,
since she finds this medium to be the most promising when it comes to the study
of music and emotions.
She believes in combining theory and practice. After training and performing as
a pianist, she took up vocal (operatic) studies and performed as a soprano
while conducting her research. She has been teaching and lecturing for almost 3
decades, including at the Hebrew University, at the Israeli Opera house (Tel
Aviv), WEA Sydney and more. She is committed to unravelling the underlying
principles of musical thought and practices. She believes that her unique
approach to music teaching provides insight to all music lovers, whether
formally trained or not. Understanding leads to a more meaningful and enjoyable
musical experience.
