Long Bio

Gavri Yares (pronounced GAHV-ree YA-res like Paris) has toured, performed, and taught in America, Europe, and the Middle East.

As a musician, Gavri has studied double bass with Ranaan Meyer of Time for Three, Brent Edmondson (Delaware Symphony Orchestra), and Tim Dilenschneider (Houston Symphony). Beyond playing the bass, his wheelhouse includes guitar, mandolin, ukulele, cello, oud, and a variety of percussion instruments. Some of his past and current music projects and ensembles include The Brothers Yares with his brother Ami Yares, Nava Tehila (Jerusalem), Rabbi Yosef Goldman (Hadar’s Rising Song Institute), The Shuk (Israel), and Sixth & I (Washington, D.C.).

Gavri is a certified public school music teacher and teaches music in Michigan’s East Lansing Public Schools district. In his classroom, the goal is music literacy where he encourages students in junior kindergarten through 5th grade to dive into the vast world of music as a performer, creator, thinker, and active listener. In addition, Gavri incorporates many hands on opportunities for all ages including Afro-Caribbean drumming, Boomwhackers, ukuleles, and body percussion. Before moving to Michigan, Gavri taught music for seven years at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (Maryland) where he created the school’s string orchestra program as well as taught string orchestra in the West Orange Public School district (NJ).

In 2019, the Michigan Youth Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs awarded Gavri an Art Equipment & Supplies grant to purchase percussion instruments to help bring the World Music Drumming curriculum to his students. To this date, Gavri has had seven successfully crowdfunded projects on the DonorsChoose platform to help bring his Huron Valley students to their next level. Please help support the music programs in Gavri’s classroom with a tax-deductible donation to DonorsChoose.org.