Rinat Gabay: 5 facts you might not know about the 'Queen of Children'
From opera performances with the Philharmonic to guest vocals on the iconic 'Radio Bla Bla' album and a Eurovision pre-selection bid: in honor of Rinat Gabay's 53rd birthday, we reveal five surprising facts about the Israeli star.
Congratulations! Rinat Gabay, one of the most recognizable and beloved figures on the Israeli screen, is celebrating her 53rd birthday.
While generations of children and parents know her primarily for her children's plays, songs, and successful recordings, Gabay's career holds a rich and surprisingly diverse past in the worlds of opera, repertory theater, and dubbing. In honor of her birthday, we have collected five facts that perhaps not everyone remembers:
Opera singing at age 14 and performances with the Philharmonic
Gabay was marked as a child prodigy in the world of classical music. She studied in the music department at the "Telma Yellin" School of the Arts, specialized in operatic singing, and at just 14 years old, she auditioned and was accepted for the lead role in Benjamin Britten's opera "The Turn of the Screw" at the Israeli Opera. Later, she even sang as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta.
The original voice of Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast'
If you grew up on Disney movies in the 90s, Gabay's voice likely accompanied your childhood. In 1992, she became iconic for performing the role of Belle (speaking and singing) in the Hebrew version of the animated film "Beauty and the Beast." Additionally, in 1998, she provided the singing voice for Mulan, including the performance of the hit song "Reflection."
'Les Misérables' at the National Theater
In her early 20s, Gabay was one of the great promises of musical theater in Israel. She was chosen to play the classic character of Cosette in the successful production of the musical "Les Misérables" at the Habima National Theater, performing alongside Dudu Fisher.
Soprano voice on the masterpiece album 'Radio Bla Bla'
Gabay's voice graces one of the most important and successful rock albums in the history of Israeli music: "Radio Bla Bla" by the band HaHaverim shel Natasha (1994). The young Gabay was a guest on the album as a soprano singer and performed, among other tracks, the song "Hallelujah," which closes the part of the character "Happy."
4th place in the Eurovision pre-selection with a song by Ehud Manor
In 2005, parallel to the beginning of her breakthrough in the children's entertainment world, Gabay participated in the Eurovision pre-selection contest with the song "Jerusalem." Gabay composed the music herself to lyrics written for her by the late Ehud Manor, and she finished in a respectable fourth place in the contest, which was won by Shiri Maimon.
