Yotam Haimovitch

Yotam Haimovitch, sitar and guitar player, composer, creator of the Syntar.



Yotam was born in Israel in 1973, and began studying classical guitar at the age of 10. Over the years, he has built an educational base of various musical styles and areas, including classical, jazz, electronic, and middle-eastern music, and from a young age, sought to integrate these diverse musical styles in his playing.



In 1994, Yotam left Israel to settle in India with the goal of concluding studies in sitar and classical Indian music with Pandit Shivanant Mishrah , one of the world's greatest sitar artists and head of the Musical Department at the University of Banarass (Varnasi). Yotam resided in Vernasi India, for seven years while spending his days with the Mishrah family, learning the art of sitar performance, as well as the religious philosophy, cultural outlook, and way of life that help form the foundation of classical Indian music. Yotam became a part of the Mishrah family, a family whose members have preserved the richness of the sounds of classical Indian music, and invested all his energy and time into his study of the music. Simultaneously, he completed his degree in the Classical Music Department at the University of Vernasi.



Yotam's musical talent, his readiness for hard work, and his ability to study the framework of classical Indian music led him to master the sitar , ensuring for him the opportunity to perform at various concerts in India, (Yotam was often one of the only Westerners to perform at these concerts). In Israel, he has performed in a variety of settings and venues, among them with the well-known oud artist Yair Dellal , bass player Michael Benson (a member of the band Machina and Atmosphere ), percussionist Erez Munaq , and other well-known artists. In 2003, Yotam was invited to perform with Dellal at the WOMAD festival in the Canary Islands.



During his studies in India, Yotam began experimenting with the development of musical instruments that could integrate Indian musical understanding with that of Western music, as well as different means to translate Indian music into Western electronic sounds. After a number of trials, Yotam developed the Syntar , the only musical instrument to combine the Indian sitar with the Western synthesizer, and began to move on to GangaDance.