psalms
Project

Israeli composer, performer and educator Maya Raviv breathes new life into ancient Hebrew texts, fusing universal themes from the Jewish tradition with the healing power of music to connect to the larger human experience. 

   

Born and raised in the Middle East and educated in the United States, Maya has absorbed the sounds and stories of many faiths, all of which have influenced her life’s work. Maya has carried out her mission performing for Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Holocaust survivors in Oklahoma, at the Lincoln Center and the United Nations Headquarters, and in kindergartens, nursing homes, hospitals, churches and synagogues all across America. 

      

In 2007, Maya returned to Israel’s Western Galilee and dedicated her musical work to the families of those lost to war, performing at the Israeli Defense Force’s national memorial services, and for the campaign for the release of hostage Gilad Schalit, until he was freed in 2011.

  

From 2009 to 2013 Maya was a Composer-In-Residence for the Society for Universal Sacred Music, and served as a member of its Board of Directors. Maya holds a master’s degree in music composition and a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Oklahoma City University. Prior to that she studied dance and theater at Tel Aviv Kibbutzim College.

  

Maya's first solo album, To the Eagle,  is a compilation of Hebrew prayers composed and arranged for voice and violin. Her second album, Echad, (“One”) includes universal prayers from the Hebrew liturgy and poetry, including a shared Jewish-Muslim prayer, which premiered in 2006 at the Lincoln Center in New York. 

   

        Since 2012, Maya has dedicated her work to The Psalms Project, composing universal prayers from the ancient Hebrew Psalms. As part of The Psalms Project, Maya leads workshops of self-exploration and emotional healing, a process facilitated by an immersive and enveloping soundtrack of her live music.