A compelling voice on the world music scene, Israeli percussionist Yshai Afterman draws on Indian, Turkish, Persian and Arabic traditions, blending them with modern innovations into a highly technical, melodic and rhythmic style.
Constantly on tour internationally, Yshai performs with various projects and gives percussion master classes at academies, festivals and private settings. He has recently performed and taught in Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Slovenia, Belgium, Morocco, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Russia, Australia, Poland, Singapore, India, the U.K., Canada and the U.S., as well as across Israel.
In March 2013, he played an intimate show with famed singer-songwriter Idan Raichel at the Israeli Prime Minister’s house in Jerusalem for U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In June 2013, they performed for Israeli President Shimon Peres at The Peres Peace Center in Jaffa.
Drawn to rhythm since childhood, Yshai began the serious study of percussion at age 23 while a student of dramatic performance at the prestigious Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Tel Aviv, where he studied under masters including Nissan Nativ, Michael Gurevich and Mischa Luria. After graduation with honors in 2008, he devoted himself to mastering Middle Eastern hand drums under the guidance of renowned percussionist Zohar Fresco, with whom he studied intensively for four years. He also studied classical Eastern music at Hed College of Contemporary Music under Persian tar player Piris Eliyahu, a noted musicologist and composer.
He is currently studying advanced approaches to time and rhythm under master drummer Mark Moshayev.
Yshai is endorsed by Cooperman Frame Drums (USA), Hands On Drums Percussion (Germany) and Kandu Cajons (Israel).