Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1941, he enters to the Musical Academy (Regional education authority) of Tel Aviv and made very young his(its) first public appearance. The obtaining of a scholarship allows him to leave to the United States to study with Efrem ZIMBALIST to the Institute CURTIS. The international music community quickly discovers Shmuel ASHKENASI during competitions in Belgium, Contribute(Compete) Queen Elizabeth, in Washington during the Meriwether Post Competition (first prize) and in Moscow during the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1962.

Shmuel ASHKENASI made two tours in Soviet Union and occurs every year in Europe, in Israel, and in Far East. He often plays with orchestras of good name such as Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, but also orchestras of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, Rotterdam, Geneva and Stockholm. He was chosen by some of the conductors the most distinguished from the world in particular STOKOWSKI, BOEHM, KEMPE, LEINDSDORF, KUBELIK, SKROWACZEWSKI and ANCERL.

He acquired, as leader of famous Vermeer Quartet, the reputation to be one of the most exceptional chambristes world. Shmuel ASHKENASI is a music professor and an artist in residence of the University of Illinois of the North, Kalb.