THE FOUNDERS

Yehuda currently serves and inspires daily as the Rimon President and Director of the Songwriting & Music Production department. A virtuoso on guitar, Yehuda is considered one of Israel’s Rock icons. Since graduating from the esteemed Berklee College of Music in 1980, he was active as a member of Israeli Rock groups Tamuz and Doda. He has collaborated with Israeli legends including Meir Ariel, Shlomo Artzi, and David Broza as a musical producer, artistic advisor, performer, and arranger. In 2007, Yehuda released his first solo album, Dear Mr. Grossbard alongside Harry Lipschitz and Eytan Gidron. He is among the founders of Beit Hamouzot – a high school in Jaffa for at-risk teens that focuses on art and therapy.

A Rimon Co-Founder, Orlee served as Managing Director 1989-2001 and for one year as Chairman of the Board. Her role is now focused on all partnerships, foundation work, institutional advancement and community relations. Orlee graduated from Tel Aviv University in the Faculty of Arts as a major in Stage and Theatre Design. She provided set design for a production of Batsheva Dance Company’s ensemble for young people and served as Costume Designer for the hit Israeli television program Krovim, Krovim (Close, Close) which ran for many years in syndication.

Moshe Sinai began his path as a military officer in 1994 when he was appointed the delegate of the IDF and the Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He continued on to state government work, as a top strategic analyst for Israel’s foreign ministry in the field of counter terrorism and peace negotiations between Israel and Arab states. Later, he became a professor of strategy and leadership at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2003, he was elected Mayor of Rosh Ha’ayin – revolutionizing the town through his open and creative approach to security and strategy to benefit the local community. Sinai took the lead in the areas of guidance, foreign affairs, and strategy as the chairman of important committees in the Israeli Union Local Authorities National Organization (U.L.A.I.) – the unifying body of all local government authorities in Israel. He has received national awards in education and culture for creative changes that he spearheaded in his town and state. In 2012, he was elected as the vice chairman of ICCN (Intercity Intangible Cultural Cooperation Network) – promoting international cooperation with 40 cities all over the world and 20 international bodies concerning cultural issues, including UNESCO. The organization is based in South Korea. In 2013, Sinai published the book The Music of Leadership: Creative Management for Urban Change, which presents a challenging and thought-provoking account of a leader’s impact on people’s lives through culture and music.

Mitchell is a saxophonist, composer, conductor and arranger, with a bachelor’s degree with honors from Berklee College in Boston. He is also a Rimon graduate with rich professional and academic experience. Mitchell composed music for theater performances, documentary films, arranged music and played on albums (with Yoni Rechter, Daniel Salomon, Mika Karni, and others) and for many years was engaged in the musical education of teenagers. Mitchell teaches in the music major of Alon High School, and quite a few of his graduates attended and excelled at Rimon. He was a partner in establishing the music major at Muzot High School in Jaffa for youth who dropped out from school.

Izhar joined Rimon School of Music in 2007, after many years of music industry experience in the United States and as a faculty member at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music. He served in a variety of academic advising roles and technology planning including teaching ensemble, harmony, ear-training, history of jazz, music business, and acoustics courses. At Rimon, his emphasis is the use of technology and innovation through curriculum development and implementation. Izhar holds a master’s degree from New England Conservatory of Music. He served as a Composer-In Residence with Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra (Boston) including joint performances with Maria Schneider, David Fiuczynski, the Fringe Trio, Laszlo Gardony, Fred Ho, and many others. In the music products industry, Izhar served in a variety of development and channel sales roles for Cakewalk Music Software, Izotope, and Frontier Design Group, and collaborated with Roland, Apple, Avid, Intel, and Peavey. Staying connected and building industry relations worldwide is what Izhar encourages at Rimon. “Partnerships allow us to have a global influence on music”. Izhar has been a key leader regarding the longstanding Berklee/Rimon relationship and directs the different facets of the academic partnership. Izhar envisions the school continuing to expand its reach across the music landscape for alumni and students alike.

Rony Koral joined the Rimon Executive Team in 2015, and leads all of Rimon’s Marketing and media strategies. Rony has vast experience inanaging, Marketing, operations and cross-organizational collaborations. Rony is responsible for cross-organizational strategic activities that have provided and continue to contribute a great value to Rimon. Her previous roles include Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Israel branch of the international marketing agency McCann (formerly McCann Erickson). She also served as Rony earned a Bachelor’s Degree in business from University of Florida and a Master’s Degree from Tel Aviv University, both with honors.