Michael B., a student at AMIT Yud Ashdod Jr. and Sr. High School, won first place at a music competition in Italy for his classical guitar playing.
Michael, 13, made aliyah from Moscow three years ago. While he barely spoke Hebrew when he arrived in Israel, he has already won multiple music competitions there before taking the top spot at the contest in Savona, Italy. The mayor of that town presented Michael with a scholarship to study music there.
Michael’s musical talent appeared at a young age and he started playing guitar when he was just 6 years old. Today, he studies at the conservatory in Ashdod.
“I’m so happy we found a field that he loves and at which he is also successful,” his mother, Esther, told a local newspaper. “It’s actually hard work, and at the end of the day, he’s still a child who likes to play and ride his bicycle, but he does this gladly and invests in his studies.”
She added that his AMIT school has helped him broaden his interests to include robotics, which he is majoring in at school.
Michael was going on to compete at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance competition for classical guitar, which he has won in previous years.
You can watch him perform here:
