(JTA) — Israeli conductor Israel Yinon collapsed and died as he was conducting a concert in the Swiss city of Lucerne.
The 59-year-old was in the middle of leading “An Alpine Symphony” by German composer Richard Strauss Thursday night when he slumped, falling headlong to the ground, the AFP news agency reported.
The cause of death was not immediately clear.
According to local media, the conductor fell off the stage and sustained a head injury. He died before an ambulance arrived at the hall.
Born on Jan. 11, 1956, in Kfar Saba in Israel, Yinon studied conducting, music theory and composition at the Samuel Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv as well as the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem.
Yinon served as guest conductor with numerous orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the London Royal Philharmonic, the Royal Antwerp Flemish Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony and the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin.
Yinon was known for conducting pieces by Jewish musicians who perished during the Holocaust.
