Tal First is the Assistant Principal Violist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. His performances have taken him to many of the world’s leading stages, including the Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, BBC Proms, Berlin Philharmonie, and Philharmonie de Paris. Previously, he was a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim.


As a soloist, he has appeared with the Thelma Yellin Symphony Orchestra, the Galilee Symphony Orchestra, and New Zealand’s Sinfonia for Hope. A dedicated chamber musician, First has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Skaneateles Festival, Classical Tahoe Music Festival, the Gabriela Montero at Prager Concert Series, the Central Chamber Series, and other venues across the United States and Europe.


First is also committed to musical outreach, having been a returning artist with the Musethica Foundation and a performer with New York City’s Concerts in Motion, initiatives bringing music to audiences unable to attend traditional concert settings.


As an educator, First has been engaged as faculty and instructor by institutions including the Perlman Music Program, Juilliard Pre-College, and New York University.


He earned both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin. His career has been supported by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, the Ronen Foundation, and the instrument collection of Yehuda Zisapel, which has loaned him fine instruments throughout his career.