Pianist with golden hands unfazed by protesters’ ‘noise’

Israeli-born pianist Yaron Kohlberg has performed in almost 100 countries, but he has never encountered such naked hatred as when he performed in Johannesburg on 13 April.

He told the SA Jewish Report he has travelled the world, bringing people together through music, only to face the venom of a small group of anti-Israel extremists who disrupted his performance at the Linder Auditorium at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

The group screamed, shouted, held up signs, and blew whistles during his concert. Undeterred, he kept playing. “I refused to let it ruin the experience of the people who came to listen to me,” he said. Security calmly but firmly escorted the extremists out of the venue.

While the group may have expected that their fellow South Africans would join them in their hatred, Kohlberg was instead embraced with open arms.

“I received a fantastic welcome in South Africa,” he said. “I met lots of wonderful people, and the audiences were great throughout my performances, starting in Bloemfontein and then in Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg. I felt that the audiences were very appreciative and knowledgeable. Everybody was extremely welcoming and very kind, and I really enjoyed the experience.”

South African Jewish Board of Deputies National Director Wendy Kahn congratulated Wits for “its decisive action preventing those disrupting the concert from proceeding. How far we have come since BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] activists stormed a concert by Israeli pianist Yossi Reshef in 2013, forcing him to stop playing. This time, Wits protected the audience, ensuring that the pianist continued his recital and allowing audience members to enjoy his excellent performance.”

“The protesters must not have not done their homework – they chose the wrong guy,” said Kohlberg, as he strongly believes Israelis and Palestinians don’t have to be enemies. This is epitomised by his joining forces with his close friend, pianist Bishara Haroni, to form a successful Israeli-Palestinian musical duo called Amal, meaning “hope” in Arabic. They play works by Israeli and Palestinian composers and have performed worldwide, including at Geneva’s United Nations Hall. They aim to show that music-making at the highest level can transcend political and national differences.

Kohlberg’s father is a professor of Islamic Studies, but this and Kohlberg’s work with Haroni meant nothing to the extremists, who said they were protesting against Kohlberg because he is Israeli, even though he hasn’t lived there for 15 years. The fact that he didn’t fit their narrative seemed to infuriate them even more.

South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) spokesperson Rolene Marks, says the SAZF “strongly condemns the antisemitic BDS movement’s vile and intimidatory campaign against Kohlberg. Their attempt to drown out his beautiful music with a cacophony of hatred is more than a disruption – it’s a metaphor for the movement itself: the silencing of dialogue, the rejection of culture, and the replacement of harmony with hostility.

“This was not protest – it was antisemitic bullying,” emphasises Marks. “Targeting an artist for his nationality and Jewish identity is a disgraceful tactic that has no place in democratic society.”

She says the BDS movement “continually exposes its true agenda – not peace, not justice, but the erasure of Israeli presence and Jewish identity from public life. Their actions are not only harmful to individuals like Kohlberg, but to the broader values of freedom of expression, cultural exchange, and mutual respect.”

Kohlberg was originally invited to South Africa by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO). Once his trip was confirmed, the Johannesburg Musical Society invited him to perform, and Unisa (the University of South Africa) invited him to conduct workshops and performances in Bloemfontein and Pretoria. Unisa has previously endorsed an academic boycott of Israel, but now quietly invited Kohlberg to engage with its educators and students.

Kohlberg, known as “the pianist with the golden hands”, is currently based in the United States but has also lived in China, Denmark, Germany, and England. He is the artistic director of Piano Cleveland, the presenting organisation of the Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC), and is widely recognised as a leader and innovator in classic music.

He speaks six languages, including Mandarin Chinese, and has lived on four continents. He educates audiences, raises funds to support young musicians, serves on international competition juries, and lectures at leading educational institutions.

Kohlberg said that during the interval of the Johannesburg concert, organisers, audience members, and friends apologised for the behaviour of the protesters, but Kohlberg emphasised that he doesn’t blame his hosts.

Kahn notes that “in one week, [SA BDS Coalition coordinator] Roshan Dadoo and her group tried twice to deprive fellow South Africans of their basic rights – once to hear a piano concert, and once to display Magen David signs at Pick n Pay and have access to kosher Pesach products. On both occasions she was quickly and decisively removed. This has sent a powerful message to those attempting to deprive our community of our basic constitutional rights.”

In the Mother City, Kohlberg performed in the first concert of the CPO’s Autumn Symphonies at the City Hall on 3 April.

Deon Irish, reviewing Kohlberg’s Cape Town performance on local arts website Weekend Special, wrote that, as Kohlberg is the son of a professor of Islamic Studies, there was “some irony in him being the object of vilification of a rather bedraggled group of protesters outside the hall”. He went on to write that Kohlberg gave “an exhilarating performance”.

One Capetonian who attended the performance wrote on Facebook that it was “uplifting and amazing,” and she felt “deep gratitude”. Another wrote that “it was sad to see a handful of protesters outside the City Hall. Luckily none of that permeated into the hall. We were spoilt with two and a half hours of music.”

Kohlberg was interviewed by South African media, including the Bloemfontein radio station OFM and Afrikaans news site Netwerk24. Weekend Special interviewed him about his upbringing in Israel, his musical partnership with Haroni, his music, and his appreciation of art and culture across the globe.

The site also reported that Kohlberg is working with CPO Chief Executive Louis Heyneman on “an exciting collaboration that will see CIPC winners appear in the future in Cape Town”.

Kohlberg told the SA Jewish Report he wanted to come to South Africa because “I love discovering new places and new cultures, and getting to know people. When I was invited to South Africa, it was a wonderful opportunity. It was a fantastic experience overall, and I hope it’s not the last time.”