Née Beyle Schaechter. Poet, artist and songwriter. Born 7 August 1920 in Vienna. Her mother, Lifshe Gottesman, and father, Benjamin Schaechter, moved to Cernauti, Romania (also called Czernowitz, now part of the Ukraine) when Beyle was eighteen months old. Beyle attended general school in Romanian, also learning French and Latin, spoke Yiddish at home, and German or Ukrainian around town. She studied violin briefly, but her fascination lay in art, singing and Yiddish poetry. Home was full of song as her mother knew a large folk song repertoire and had a wonderful voice. Years later, Lifshe Schaechter-Widman recorded songs in the United States, and wrote a memoir,Durkhgelebt a Velt: Zikhroynes (1973).

In 1938, Beyle’s two-year study at the Vienna art school was cut short when Hitler invaded Austria.…
CONTINUE READING >

Canadian-born American. Singer-songwriter. Contemporary Jewish acoustic roots music. Chana’s MYSpace page states: “Rothman’s approach to performance, born of her background as an educator and spiritual leader, to go beyond a typical performer-audience dynamic.  Music is a dialogue, she explains,  It doesn’t have to be a spectator sport. Rothman’s music, using two languages and ancient texts to address social ills and joys of today, brings a universal appeal.  Rothman’s music bubbles with a conscious vibe that’s capable of bringing people together, writes Richard Antone of Elmore Magazine,  She is adept at using religious imagery and bilingual lyrics as a bridge rather than a wedge. Chana Rothman’s music — an urban mountain blend Chana Rothman’s tunes, born of her native Canada, Himalayan trekking, adventures in Israel, and current muse, the New York City subways, have earned a growing pile of accolades.…
CONTINUE READING >

One of the earliest Jewish popular music stars to entertain general as well as Jewish audiences, Sophie Tucker was born January 13, 1884 somewhere between Russia and Poland as her parents were coming to America. She arrived as an infant in the U.S. in 1884. Her parents, Charlie and Jennie Abuza, (name was changed from Kalish by the father to avoid Russian army)went to Boston and then to Hartford, Connecticut where the family opened a restaurant and rooming house. Sophie loved entertaining and used every opportunity as a young girl to show off, sometimes singing for customers. She dreamed of becoming a star and performed in some amateur groups at the local theater.

After high school she married a young trucker named Louis Tuck, and they had one son, Bert.…
CONTINUE READING >

American. composer. Recent CD of orchestral music called Piping the Earth, just released on Capstone Records (CPS 8727). Her Shapirit, Yefehfiah (Beautiful Dragonfly) was performed in January, 2005 by the New York Treble Singers in New York. Currently, Judith Shatin is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music and Director of the Virginia Center for Computer Music of the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia. She founded the VCCM in 1988. Prof. Shatin received a AB from Douglass College, 1971, a MM from Julliard in 1974 and the MFA 1976 and PhD from Princeton in 1979. She started teaching at the University of Virginia in 1979 and has been there since. Her awards, commissions and prizes are numerous, spanning over 25 years of accomplishment and are listed on her website at the University of Virginia.…
CONTINUE READING >

“Cantor Natasha (Jitomirskaia) Hirschhorn first became interested in Jewish music during her studies at the Gnesin Music College in Moscow. After graduating from college with Honors Diploma in musicology, piano and composition, she continued her education at the Kiev State Conservatory. Deepening her involvement in Judaism, Natasha also collaborated with the Kiev Jewish Youth Musical Theater as pianist, singer, and, later, its music director. The success of their four-women-show performances throughout Ukraine was embittered by the hostility both from the anti-Semitic Ukrainian authorities and the ultra-Orthodox rabbis. In 1992 Natasha’s quest for a more comprehensive Jewish education has brought her to Washington, D.C., where for three years she studied privately with cantors and rabbis from the area, including Cantors Sue Roemerand Sharon Steinberg. In May 1999 Natasha has completed her studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion, the only non-denominational Rabbinic and Cantorial Seminary, and was ordained as Hazzan and Teacher in Israel.…
CONTINUE READING >

American. Ordained in May 1998 from the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City. Cantor at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple since July 1999. She had a diverse career in central New Jersey as a singer, pianist, guitarist, educator, and choral director long before she came to the cantorate. She grew up in Metuchen, graduated from Hillel Academy in Perth Amboy and Bruriah High School in Elizabeth, graduated with honors from Douglass College with her BA in Music Education and Piano while taking advanced courses in the Hebraic Studies department, and obtained her MA in Vocal Performance from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey). She taught vocal music for ten years in the public schools of Piscataway Township, NJ and taught private students in piano, guitar, voice, Hebrew, and B nai Mitzvah studies.…
CONTINUE READING >