Ophir Ilzetzki talks with, and introduces the music of Dganit Elyakim –   Born in Tel Aviv, 1977. As a young child, Dganit studied piano at the Schor Conservatory until she was 17. Later, she began to specialize in composition, under the supervision of Raviv Gazith and also at the Rimon School For Jazz and Contemporary Music, where she won two composition prizes. During that period, she also composed for theatres. Dganit finished her first degree in music and philosophy at Haifa University, under the supervision of Arik Shapira. During that time, she was the resident composer for Haifa University’s dance group, Eskesta. The compositions for Eskesta were performed in tours around Israel, America and Russia. During her studies, she won a two-year scholarship from the America- Israel Cultural Foundation. Dganit has completed her second degree in Composition at the Koninklijk Conservatorium (the Netherlands), under the supervision of Matrijn Padding, Gilius van Bergeijk and Clarence Barlow, where she also studied Sonology. During her studies, she received workshops and private lessons tutored by composers including Robert Ashley, Louis Andreissen and Richard Ayres. She has published two articles in an Israeli culture magazine Tav+. Her tape pieces “Lewdness” and “Amharic Suite” (sponsored by the Rubinstein Foundation) were released on a CD. The jury for the Gaudeamus Festival selected her piece “Lentils” for performance on the 2006 Gaudeamus International Composers Festival. Her compositions were performed in the Netherlands, Israel, Germany and Serbia.