Cellist
Recent and Upcoming Releases
Ofer Canetti is a cellist, arranger, and chamber musician whose career spans solo performance, orchestral leadership, recording, and teaching. From 2019 until 2026 he served as principal cellist of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, with whom he also appeared many times as soloist. His work with the ensemble included numerous recordings, several orchestrations and string arrangements written by him, and service as head of the orchestra’s artistic committee.
He performs frequently as guest principal cellist with leading orchestras such as La Monnaie (Brussels), the Staatsorchester Stuttgart, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, and the SWR Symphonieorchester. Since 2025 he has been a member of the Immersio Trio Vienna, touring across Europe and taking part in a volunteer project in Kyiv, Ukraine, where the trio teaches and performs in times of crisis.
His earlier chamber-music activities include membership in the Amar Quartet and regular collaborations with the Aviv Quartet. As a soloist he has performed with many orchestras throughout Europe, Israel, Ecuador, and Georgia.
Ofer’s discography includes the 2025 release of the complete works for cello by Paul Ben-Haim, recorded with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen (conductor Friederike Kienle) and released on the Capriccio label in cooperation with SWR and Naxos Germany. He has also recorded for the CPO label, and in 2026 he will release the world-premiere recording of the complete chamber music of Stefania Turkewich, also on CPO.
Ofer studied at the Buchmann–Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, and the Mozarteum University Salzburg, under the guidance of some of the world’s most renowned cellists and musicians, including Uzi Wiesel, Clemens Hagen, and Hillel Zori.
In parallel with performing, Ofer is active as a teacher: he has given masterclasses in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, and Georgia; serves as artistic director of the Masterclasses Haliaeti (Slovenia); and offers an annual masterclass at the Buchmann–Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv.
Upcoming Performances
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Arranger | Composer
Ofer Canetti is not only an exceptional cellist but also a versatile arranger and composer. With formal training in composition, orchestration, and early music performance, his arrangements and original works have been performed by orchestras worldwide.
In 2024, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Thomas Zehetmair, premiered a program featuring Ofer’s arrangements, including the “String Symphony” by J. Brahms (based on Sonata Op. 99) and R. Schumann’s “Five Pieces in Folk Style” arranged for string orchestra, both of which received high praise. Additionally, Ofer’s meticulous editorial work on the cello repertoire of Paul Ben-Haim is being published by the Israeli Music Institute.
Teacher
Ofer Canetti is as dedicated to teaching as he is to performing. Since 2013, he has shared his expertise through masterclasses and courses at esteemed institutions worldwide, including the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, the Prague Conservatory, and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel-Aviv University, where he conducts an annual masterclass.
Ofer also serves as the artistic co-director of the Masterclasses Haliaeti festival in Slovenia. His teaching philosophy emphasizes technical excellence, historical insight, and expressive interpretation, inspiring and shaping the next generation of cellists and chamber musicians.
