Born in
Tel Aviv, Israel, Tamir Hendelman began his keyboard studies at age 6. In 1984, he moved to the United States and won Yamaha's National Keyboard competition two years later at age 14. Concerts in Japan and the Kennedy Center followed. He then studied at the
Tanglewood Institute in 1988 and received a Bachelor of Music Composition degree from
Eastman School of Music in 1993. He became the youngest musical director for
Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts, a national arts education non-profit organization. Since returning to Los Angeles in 1996, he has been in steady demand as pianist and arranger, touring the US, Europe, and Asia. He has also received awards from
ASCAP and the
National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. In 1999, Tamir was a guest soloist with the
Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra. Hendelman is the pianist/arranger on
Jackie Ryan's "You and the Night and the Music" and Janis Mann's "A Perfect Time". He is also featured on
Natalie Cole's "Still Unforgettable" (WEA, 2008) and
Barbra Streisand's
Love Is the Answer (Columbia, 2009). In 2002 he also toured Europe with Tierney Sutton and the
Bill Holman Big Band. Hendelman musically directed
Julia Migenes's "Alter Ego" and played/arranged on
Roberta Gambarini's "Easy To Love" (Now Forward, 2006). In 2009, he accompanied Streisand at her engagement to the
Village Vanguard in New York. He is also bandleader of another trio in Los Angeles. The drummer Dean Koba has been part of it for years; on bass it's Dan Lutz or Carlito del Puerto. Hendelman is married and has two daughters. ==Jeff Hamilton Trio==