Rachel Galinne (born 1949) is an Israeli composer and music educator. She studied music at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, later continuing her training in composition and orchestration in the United States and Europe. Galinne’s compositional output includes orchestral works, chamber music, vocal pieces, and works for solo instruments, often drawing on Israeli folk elements and contemporary techniques.
Career highlights:
- Academic positions – Galinne has served on the faculty of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she has taught composition and theory to undergraduate and graduate students.
- Commissions and performances – Her works have been commissioned by and performed with major Israeli ensembles, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and various chamber groups. International performances of her music have taken place in Europe and North America.
- Notable compositions – Among her recognized pieces are “Symphony No. 1” (1990), “String Quartet No. 2” (1995), and “Songs of the Desert” (1998), which have been recorded on several contemporary classical music labels.
- Awards and recognitions – Galinne has received multiple Israeli cultural grants and awards, such as the Prime Minister’s Prize for Composers and the ACUM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel) award for lifetime achievement.
Galinne’s music is characterized by a synthesis of modernist harmonic language with modal and melodic material derived from Middle‑Eastern musical traditions. Her contributions have been discussed in musicological surveys of Israeli contemporary composition and are documented in reference works such as The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
