Father and son, Jacques and Michael Israelievitch, formed the Israelievitch Duo in 1999.  Since that time, they have impassioned audiences with their performances of twentieth and twenty-first-century works for violin and percussion.  The Israelievitch Duo has been noted for their “exciting, fresh, and buoyant” ensemble playing and the ability to share with audiences their joy in performing together. 

The Israelievitch Duo has a strong commitment to the birth and promotion of new works.  To that end, they have commissioned and premiered works by distinguished composers including Michael Colgrass, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Srul Irving Glick, Raymond Luedeke, Murray Adaskin, and Samuel Adler.  They have given recitals in Toronto, elsewhere in Canada, and in the United States.

In 2004/2005, the Israelievitch Duo premiered two commissioned concertos by Laurence Rosenthal, Prophetic Voices, performed with the TICO Orchestra of San Diego and Alexander Levkovich's Isle of a Beautiful Illusion with members of the Juilliard Orchestra, both to resounding acclaim.  In 2006, the duo gave the Canadian Première of Levkovich’s concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as part of its New Creations Festival. 

Recent performances have brought the Israelievitch Duo to the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, the Al Green Theatre in Toronto, the Village Playhouse in Bancroft, Ontario, the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Lenna Hall at the Chautauqua Institute, and the Primavera Concerts series in St. Catharines, Ontario.  Recent concerto performances include the Canadian Première of Prophetic Voices with Orchestra Toronto in May 2007, and most recently the unveiling of Kelly-Marie Murphy’s new double concerto, Dallaire, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in June 2008.  Upcoming engagements include the Off-Centre Salon series at Glenn Gould Studio and a concert for the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga, highlighted by the world-premiere of Andrew MacDonald’s new work for violin and marimba, Undercurrents.

In 1999, the Israelievitch Duo commissioned its first work— a fantasy for violin and marimba by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass—entitled Hammer and Bow.  The piece was first performed by the duo on a concert featuring six other world premieres to celebrate Jacques’ 50th birthday.  Hammer and Bow, previously recorded on the album Suite Fantaisie (released by Fleur de Son Classics), is the source of inspiration for their first full-length album, entitled Hammer and Bow, released in 2006 to critical acclaim.