Yael Deckelbaum (Songwriter and Vocalist ) was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1979 to an Israeli mother and a Canadian father. She grew up in a small village near the city. Her father, David Deckelbaum, a dentist and a banjo player, was a founding member of a folky, country, Celtic, good-time band, "The Jerusalem Taverners". He quickly recognized his daughter’s musical talent, and Yael has performed with her father’s band as a guest singer and musician throughout her entire childhood. At the age of 16, Yael won first prize in a national contest for the best young singer-songwriter in Israel. She was accompanied on stage by Jonathan Levy and Shaul Eshet. This is where the foundations of a future musical partnership were laid. Yael performed in many nightclubs, festivals [such as Jacob's Ladder,Shantipi World Festival, Gezer Festival], singing folk songs and playing covers for Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell and many others. In 1999, Yael performed as a vocal soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at a tribute concert to the Beatles. This was part of a world tour produced, directed, and conducted by Sir George Martin [arranger and producer for the Beatles]. There she met Shlomo Artzi – long considered Israel's leading singer-songwriter – and toured with him for more than a year, joining him on a hit duet of his famous album, Ahavtihem. Yael is also a third of "Habanot Nehama", a superb female pop trio that includes Karolina, leader of the band Funset, and Dana Adini, one

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