Israel Menezes was born in Rio de Janeiro , and is descendant of a family of Italian musicians. He began his musical studies as youth at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music,the Pro-Arte Seminary, and at Rio's Student's Institute, where he was introduced to symphonic conducting in 1974. That same year, he was accepted by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's School of Music, where he studied composition and conducting. He received in 1980 the title of Bachelor in Arts in conducting. His conducting teachers in Brazil were Maestros Carlos Eduardo Prates, Cleofe Person de Mattos, Lutero Rodrigues and Roberto Duarte, to whom he was assistant from 1979 to 1986 in the Niterói Chamber Orchestra. In England, in Masters courses in conducting, he studied with Maestros Noel Long and Andrew Charity at the Ernst Read Music Association (ERMA). As a teacher, Maestro Menezes has worked at numerous Brazilian schools and conservatories. In 1996 he was awarded first place as a substitute teacher of Orchestral practice at the Music Shool of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and in 2001, again the first place to teach musical perception, instrumental practices and accompaniment. His intensive career as a conductor includes founding in 1986 the Rio Camerata Orchestra (www.orc.art.br) which today has 48 musicians. He continues today as this chamber orchestras's artistic director and chief conductor. The Maestro also conducts choruses at other Brazilian Universities and schools. Israel Menezes has conducted orchestras all over Brazil and abroad, including many first performances of new works and Brazilian music in his international engagements .His international career has included conducting: the Egyptian Chamber Orchestra at the the Cairo Opera House, Egypt, the Orchestra Sto. Benno of Munich,Germany, the Symphony Orchestra of the Festival of Surrey, England, and in December 2001, conducted the Serenade Chamber Orchestra and the Armenian Philharmonic Choir in the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan. At the Surrey Festival in England , as the only participant from South America among 21 other conductors from all over the world, Menezes was considered the best candidate and invited to conduct the final performance of the festival .In July of the 2002 conducted a successefully Concert in Paris, in the Madeleine church with the Choir and Orchestra Wolfgang -Amadeus in the Mozart' Requiem , and in March, 2005, conducted a concert RJ, with the UWS Chamber strings of the Wisconsin University – USA. In 2002 was ellected titular member of the Nacional Academy of Music. In may 2003, was the only south American member of the International Jury of competition-Jeunesses Musicales – Bucharest, Romania. In March, 2007 Conducted in Illinois , USA a successefully Concert at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts with the Enescu Ensemble Orchestra.