Christoph Israel, born in 1964, is a German pianist, composer and arranger who studied piano at the Universität der Künste Berlin under Klaus Hellwig, completing his studies in 1993, with additional coaching in art-song accompaniment from Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Aribert Reimann. He lectured at the Universität der Künste Berlin until 2009 and became widely known from 1993 as musical director for entertainer Max Raabe, a childhood friend. He has also composed film scores and stage music, including for Berlin’s Berliner Ensemble.

Israel is primarily known as a versatile collaborative pianist, arranger and music director rather than a solo concert soloist, working across film music, cabaret/entertainment, and chamber repertoire that includes duo recital programs with violinists. He appeared in the Arte Hope@Home concert series during the COVID-19 pandemic and performed at Berlin’s 2024 state ceremony marking 75 years of the German constitution. His style is described by critics as ranging across ambient, neoclassicism and jazz.