Today we’d like to introduce you to Israel “IZZY” Heller.
Israel “IZZY”, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started out playing violin in church worship bands and community orchestras from a very young age. I studied with Michael Ferril first in high school then also in college, where I also studied with Robert Lipsett and Elizabeth Pitcairn in the summers, and finally with David Updegraff at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where I did a bit of grad school. I was hoping to end up in the 1st or 2nd violin section of an opera orchestra one day, but instead, events took me first to a rock band called Pyramids and a violin/guitar duo with the incredible guitarist Chris Crecelius that we called DECOR. I then went solo with the encouragement of my longtime mentor and producer Mark Vogel, and I began singing and writing pop songs near the end of the last decade. Mark had given me my first composition and songwriting lessons when I was in high school, and he taught me how to improvise in every genre at those church gigs when I was younger. He was also the one who hired me for my first recording sessions recording string overdubs at Studio City Sound when I was 11 years old and then fast-forward to 2021 this is where we decided to track and mix the Requiem album. It has been amazing to have a musical home where my musical path began, and I expect to keep recording there for the foreseeable future. Requiem is the culmination of a creative exploration that took place over more than a decade and kicks off many more musical and personal journeys to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve struggled with some major bouts of depression over the years related to leaving behind an intense evangelical upbringing, the process of which these days is often termed “deconstruction.” Fortunately, consistent therapy over the years has proven to be illuminating and healing in terms of finding self-worth and purpose for myself beyond the dictates of limiting ideologies and dogma. Also, while I’m glad to have had the technical foundations provided by my classical training, the transition out of that world was certainly challenging, if ultimately instructive in terms of discovering what I really wanted out of life in my music and art.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In previous albums, I sought to really explore the range of the technical landscape of violin performance with classical improvisation in cinematic and pop settings. As I’ve leaned into singing much more, it has really opened up a wonderful array of creative possibilities in both my violin and piano playing. The focus in the Requiem album and all my subsequent work was and is to write songs that tell stories, play with language, evoke a sense of fantasy and dreams for the listener, and inspire people to ask questions and endeavor to weave their own meaning into the fabric of these songs.
What matters most to you?
Friends, family, community, and perhaps anachronistically to what I just listed: time to yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: izzytime.com
- Instagram: @izzytime1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9CeW90zILyPpzt7K8458w
- Other: TikTok: @izzytime3
Image Credits
Kristen Suszek, Kristen Suszek Kristen Suszek, Kristen Suszek Jennifer Botha, Jennifer Botha
