Gilad Karni – Teaching & Pedagogy

Gilad Karni is a passionate and dedicated pedagogue whose teaching career spans decades and continents. From 2008 to 2016, he served as Professor of Viola at the Lausanne Conservatory of Music (HEMU), and from 2016 to 2024 he was Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Karni is regularly invited to teach at leading international festivals and academies, including the International Summer Academy in Semmering (Austria), Keshet Eilon (Israel), the Banff Centre (Canada), the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Casals Festival & Academy, and the Brussels Hulencourt Academy.

He has given masterclasses at renowned institutions such as the New World Symphony (Miami), Lynn University, the Curtis Institute of Music, Boston University, and the Peabody Institute, as well as in Israel, Hong Kong, and across Europe and the U.S.

Karni’s students have gone on to hold principal and tutti positions in leading orchestras worldwide, including the Munich Philharmonic, Zurich Opera Orchestra, Birmingham Symphony, Dusseldorf Symphony, and Naples Philharmonic. His mentorship has helped prepare numerous students for international competition success, including finalists and prize winners at the ARD Competition and other major events.

In addition to formal institutional appointments, Karni maintains an active private studio, offering individualized instruction and audition preparation for violin, viola, and cello players. His guidance has led students to secure positions in orchestras such as the Deutschen Oper Berlin and the Bamberger Symphoniker, as well as in chamber ensembles across Europe and North America.

Through his teaching, Karni continues to shape the next generation of violists and chamber musicians, combining his wealth of orchestral, solo, and chamber music experience with a commitment to musical excellence and expressive freedom.