CLASSICAL CONNOISSEUR  

Growing up in the south of Israel, Amran attended the local conservatory in Be’er Sheva, where he studied mandolin, piano, and composition. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mandolin performance at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance before arriving at Penn State in the fall of 2024 to pursue a master’s in orchestral conducting. “The resources that this school has to offer are just unbelievable,” he says, noting the ample conducting opportunities on campus, thanks to the presence of three orchestras and an array of choirs and ensembles. “The university is huge, but we have this personal teaching experience inside the School of Music.”

RECORDING ARTIST       

On a whim, Amran started plucking his own mandolin versions of “24 Caprices” by Niccolò Paganini—a demanding collection created for solo violinists. While he was delivering a lecture about this project at a University of Rhode Island festival and playing a few samples for the audience, a manager of a music label approached him about recording the full album. Amran is the first to cover the historic work in this way, and he has since performed it in Paganini’s hometown of Genoa, Italy.  

ADDED VALUE   

Amran’s effort is the same, regardless of the instrument he is holding: “I try to inspire and give energy to the audience and myself. The tool I’m using is just to get to the same result or experience.”

GLOBAL RECOGNITION      

In 2024, Amran took second place at the International Mandolin Competition in Modena, Italy.

FREE FORM          

“Penn State gave me the stage,” Amran says, explaining that although he is at the university to study conducting, he has also played mandolin recitals, served as a piano accompanist, attended master classes in the summer, and even picked up new instruments like the tunkul, a wooden slit drum. “They are giving me the freedom to do things outside of the curriculum.”