About Ilana

My family gave me my love for people, my love for music, love for the art and love for books. This has been a constant that has never wavered in my life. I have spent a wonderful childhood where our big family of uncles and cousins gathered often and we always sang a great deal. These were the most magical moments for me.

I was very privileged to have Ephraim Marcus as my teacher. He was a wonderful pedagogue and allowed me to listen to all the lessons he was teaching. I learned so much by observing him teaching. I also assisted him a bit especially, with his Choir and later, still a child myself, I joined a wonderful adult Choir directed by Gari Bartini. At the time there was a wonderful arrangement by which musical kids could buy standing tickets to the Israel Philharmonic and I went to a concert every day. Plus I attended all the chamber music concerts that were given at the time in Tel-Aviv.

My parents started bartering books from their book store, Zafon, with very fine artists and thus started an amazing art collection. They also took me every weekend to the Museum of Tel Aviv since it was free on the weekend. The house had so many art books that very early I knew all famous artists and to this day I find museums and galleries a place of joy. Although materially it was a childhood of amazing scarcity - I remember it as a time of bliss, especially since books were very available to me.