Gilad Hekselman

Born February 3, 1983 in Israel, Hekselman began studying classical piano at the age of 6 and then guitar at the age of 9. Between the ages of 12 and 14, he performed with a band regularly on a weekly children's television show. When he was older, he attended the Thelma Yellin School of Arts, graduating at the age of 18 with excellence from the jazz department. In 2004, Hekselman received the America - Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship for studies abroad to attend The New School in New York. There, he completed his BFA in performing arts in 2008. While attending school, he continued to play live, entering and winning the Gibson-Montreux Jazz Festival Guitar Competition in 2005. Choosing to stay in New York, he continued to play the local jazz clubs and made a name for himself as a jazz guitarist. He released his debut album, Splitlife, in 2006. Subsequent albums include Words Unspoken (2008), This Just in (2013), Homes (2015), Ask For Chaos (2018), and Further Chaos (2019). Hekselman has also been an in-demand session guitarist, working as a sideman for Eric Harland, Mark Turner, Anat Cohen, Ari Hoenig, Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Ballard, Ben Wendel, John Scofield, and many others.