Biography

Marina Geller was born in 1963 in the former Soviet Union.

She graduated at Tashkent State Musical Academy as a musicologist (1986). Her M.A. Thesis was dedicated to music of Sofia Gubaidulina and to the individual composer style’s issue. While working in the Composers’ Union of Uzbekistan as a consultant in parallel she was studying a composition at the same Academy in the class of prof. Felix Yanov-Yanovsky. In those years were written: Two Fugues for string orchestra, “Farwell” for tenor and string orchestra by text of G.Apollinaire, Sonata for violin and piano in 3 parts, “Insomnia” cycle for mezzo-soprano and symphonic orchestra by text of M.Tzvetayeva, “Three Etudes In the Symphonic Styles” for full symphonic orchestra, String Quartet in 3 parts and other works.

After her immigration to Israel in 1991 the study of composition was continued in Jerusalem Musical Academy in the class of prof. Mark Kopitman (1991-1993). Between works in those years were music for ballet “The Seagull Named Jonathan” by R. Bach’ novel for 6 instruments and percussion, Piano Pieces’, Fugue & Postlude for viola solo, “Five Poems” for mezzo-soprano, flute and piano by text of M. Ruddock and others.

She is a member of Composers League of Israel since 1998. In the frame of League’s chamber concerts her cycle of piano pieces “Transparent Spaces” was played twice – by Raymonda Sheinfeld (2000) and by Nadia Nehama-Winetraub (2003) in the center of Felicia Blumenthal (Tel-Aviv).

    In 2009 and 2013, her concerts-recitals were held in the conservatory of Beer-Sheva. In 2010, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, “The Tight Strings” CD was recorded with her works for the string instruments.

   In 2011, she completed her studies at the Bar-Ilan University at the Composition Seminar, under supervision of Prof. Gideon Levinson and Prof. Betty Olivero, and received her Ph.D. degree. Her research was on compositional methods and the music world of Sofia Gubaidulina. Dr. Marina Geller’s article was published in Moscow in 2014 in the book “To Sofia Gubaidulina with love”.

    In 2012, she received the ACUM Prize for her symphonic composition “A Cello Offering”, at the same year she won the Prime Minister Prize  for composers for the works “Arioso”, “Ironical  Bagatelles” and “Epitaph” for the String Quartet. The works of Marina Geller were performed by the best musicians in Israel and were broadcast on the radio program “The Voice of Music”. Her symphonic work “The Armed Man”, commissioned by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, was performed in 2013 under conducting of Frederick Chaslin at the Henry Crown Hall with the radio broadcasting. In 2014 her cello concerto “A Cello Offering” was performed by the Beer Sheva Sinfonietta by soloist Sofia Falkovich and the conductor Doron Salomon.

        In 2018 the second ACUM Prize was awarded for her composition “Gyre of Time” for mandolin, strings and percussion. Many other commissioned works of Geller were performed recently: “Captive in Spells” for piano, “Pavane for Gone Angels” for flute and piano, “Sunny Town” for Tel-Aviv youth’ band, songs for children choir.

In 2019, Geller’s Triptych was selected as the wind quartet for performance in the German ensemble diX’s concert series, which presented Israeli music throughout Germany. In 2021, several piano works were performed and recorded by Israeli pianist Hagai Yodan, and in 2024, the polyphonic piano cycle Ludus Linearis was performed by Israeli pianist Timor Shapira at the University of Kansas.

In 2025, the concertino “Gyre of Time” for mandolin, percussion and string orchestra was performed at the Israeli Music Festival concert by the soloist Dor Gidon Amran and Jerusalem Camerata conducted by Ido Frenkel.

     Dr. Marina Geller works for years as a teacher of the theory and composition at the Beer-Sheva Conservatory and as a lecturer at Kaye Academic College of Education.

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