American. Cantor. Born in Texas. Founding member of Beged Kefet, a musical Tzedakah collective. Graduated Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music in New York, 1986. Master in Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University. Currently Associate Dean of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. First Cantor to be appointed to a full-time senior administrative position at the College-Institute, 1998. Served as Cantor and Educator at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, New York, and Fairmount Temple in Cleveland, Ohio, and as the spiritual leader of Chavurat Tikvah in Westchester County, New York. Ellen is married to Rabbi William Dreskin of Woodlands Community Temple.

Information from the recording by CRI on the composer’s works. For additional information on Miriam Gideon, see the article by Judith Pinnolis in Women and Music in America Since 1900 vol. I, (Greenwood Press, 2002). Gideon’s compositions with Jewish materials include: The Hound of Heaven (1945), How Goodly Are Thy Tents (1947), Adon Olam (1954) , Psalm 84, Three Biblical Masques (1958), Sacred Service (1970), Shirat Miriam L’Shabbat (1974), The Resounding Lyre (1979), and A Woman of Valor(1981).
http://www.composersrecordings.com/cd/782.html

A widely acclaimed composer and pianist who studied in Israel and the United States and now works internationally, including the US. Ms. Ran was born in Tel Aviv. While primarily a classical musician, Ms. Ran has written several works both on Jewish themes, including an opera The Dybbuk, and and works with Jewish musical content, including klezmer-influenced music and several liturgical settings. Ms. Ran won the Pulitzer Prize in 1991. Her music is published by Theodore Presser which has an excellent page dedicated to her music, her publications, her biography and a discography. It includes a photo.
http://www.presser.com/composers/ran.html

Singer Tziona Zilbershtein lives in northern Israel. She devotes her recordings specifically for women as a religious Jew. Tziona has a lovely voice and a lot of talent. She’s trained in music and dance in the United States, from classical ballet to Indonesian traditional dance, to Tai Chi. She’s also a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Tziona originally performed in the improvisitory jazz style but has since moved into accessible religious songs based on liturgical and biblical texts. Among her CDs is the newHanayni, preceded by Miriam’s Drum, a superb recording of spiritual song and dance. Her focus on rhythms is evident in earlier recordings such as the CD Aleynu. Tziona’s music is availble through her website:
http://koltziona.com/

American. Born July 16, 1863 in Bielitz, Silesia. Died, August 20, 1927. Moved to US in 1867. Concert pianist, teacher. Studied piano in US and then in Vienna with Leschetizky between 1879-1883. Professionally debuted at Chicago Beethoven Society in 1884. Concertized throughout the United States, in recital and with orchestras, promoting the works of contemporary American and European composers in addition to a vast standard repertoire.

A prolific composer based in Columbia, S.C. A graduate of Harvard, New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of South Carolina, Dr. Warshauer studied composition with Mario Davidovsky, Jacob Druckman, William Thomas McKinley, and Gordon Goodwin. She has received numerous awards from ASCAP as well as the America Music Center, Meet the Composer, and the South Carolina Arts Commission. She is the first recipient of the Art and Cultural Achievement Award from the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina in 2000. Ms. Warshauer has composed numerous works for Jewish liturgy and on Jewish themes. Meira Warshauer s  We Are Dreamers , for SATB chorus, clarinet, percussion and piano, was commissioned in honor of the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel. The text is Psalm 126, whose theme is the return of exiles to Zion.…
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Highly regarded klezmer violinist. Also accordionist and vocalist. Studied at violin, Rutgers University. Ethnomusicology, University of Chicago. Member, Klezmer Conservatory Band. Strauss/Warschauer Duo. Leads workshops and classes in the United States and Canada as well as Europe. Faculty, KlezKamp and KlezKanada. Amsterdam International Yiddish Festival and other major Jewish music festivals in Europe and and North America. Discography includes: Josh Waletzky’s Crossing the Shadows, (2002); Sweet Home Bukovina Oriente Musik, (RIEN CD 13, 1998); Klezmer Music A Marriage of Heaven and Earth Ellipsis Arts (CD4090, 1996); Kapelye On the Air Shanachie(LC 5762, 1995); The Singing Waltz (Omega OCD 3027, 1996); Deborah also appears on two Klezmer Conservatory Band CDs: Dance Me to the End of Love (Rounder 11661-3169-2, 2000) and A Taste of Paradise(Rounder 11661-3189-2, 2003).…
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“Shirona, a native New Yorker, was raised in Israel in a musical, cultured evironment, and started performing at an early age. After serving in the Israeli army she returned to the United States and starred in the nationally acclaimed Israeli-American Musical Review “On Silver Wings”. After taking time off to marry and raise a family, Shirona returned to the Jewish Music scene with a newfound interest in New Age and Jewish Spirituality. She began composing original melodies to the ancient texts of the Bible and Prayer Book, in Hebrew, using multi-cultural musical influences, such as Celtic, Eastern European, Middle Eastern and American.” She currently resides with her family in Rye, NY. He CD Judaic Love Songsreceived wide ranging acclaim and received reviews in The Journal of Synagogue Music – Fall 2001 and Jewish Week, August 10, 2001.…
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The following article was supplied by her daughter, Naomi Rudinow Cohen.

Ruth Leviash was born in Odessa, Russia, July 24, 1890. She studied at the Imperial Conservatory in Odessa, graduating in 1917. She married Moshe Rudinow, (who also graduated in the same class,) on February 28, 1917. In 1919, they left Russia and toured though Europe, reaching Palestine in 1920, where they joined the First Palestine Opera Company. Moshe and Ruth sang in operas and concerts throughout Palestine until 1927, when she and her husband sailed to the United States. Their son, Jacob was born in Odessa in August 1919, and their daughter, Naomi was born in Tel Aviv in July 1925. Both reside in California. Ruth lived with Moshe, (Cantor of Temple Emmanuel,) in New York until 1948, when he retired and they moved to Oakland, California to be closer to the children.…
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Born 14 July 1904, in Vilna, Lithuania, Nadia Reisenberg moved with her family to St. Petersburg in 1915 where she studied piano at the Conservatory under Leonid Nikolaiev. After the Russian revolution, the family moved, going from Vilna, where Nadia played in the Gelios Theatre accompanying movies, to Poland where she concertized with the Warsaw Philharmonic, to Germany. The Reisenberg s came to America in 1922. Under the helpful largesse of Isaac Sherman, Nadia gave private recitals and began to build a reputation.

With less than one year of study with Alexander Lambert in New York, she gave her American debut on 17 December 1922, playing the Polish Fantasy by Ignace Paderewski, with the composer at the performance in the Century Theatre. With sterling reviews by the press, the young Miss Reisenberg began to receive invitations for more recitals.…
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American. Born January 1, 1936 in New York City. Conductor, pianist. First woman appointed conductor to a metropolitan orchestra and first woman to conduct at Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall. Also the first woman to conduct on a commercially recorded opera. (Massenet’s Le Cid, 1976) Ms. Rabin grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home. A child prodigy, she received a scholarship by age 5. She attended New York City High School of Music and Art. Later she studied at CCNY and conducting at Mannes College of Music. She also studied at the Hebrew Union College School of Sacred Music. Started vocal coaching and rehearsal accompanist at New York City Opera in 1957-(8). Then, in graduate school, studied conducting with Carl Bamberger and later with Joseph Rosenstock at the Metropolitan Opera.…
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Betti Olivero, born in Tel Aviv in 1954, is one of few young women composers highly acclaimed throughout Israel, Europe and the US. She studied both in Israel and in the United States at Yale with Jacob Druckman. Ms. Olivero’s list of works shows skill and variety. She has written instrumental chamber works, symphonic works, for voice and chamber groups, puppet plays and for large string ensembles. A list of compositions, a brief bio and a discography has been gathered by the Israel Music Institute.

http://www.aquanet.co.il/vip/imi/bios/olivero.htm#Biographical notes

Israeli composer who founded Israel Women Composers’ Forum (2000). Faculty at Levinsky College in Tel Aviv, Israel. Born in 1957. Studied music in Israel and in the United States. She has written many works for female voice. For more information, view a brief biography and list of publications from the Israel Music Center.
http://www.geocities.com/israelcomposers/kadima_hagar.htm

American. Cantorial soloist. Songwriter. Robin has performed and recorded her original music as one half of the duo B’shert and now solo, with the release of her recording “Ta’amod–Stand Up!” Winner of the American Zionist Movement’s First Annual Song Competition in 1994, Robin’s unique style of storytelling through song, MidraShir, has been acclaimed nationwide. Robin’s liturgical compositions have been sung in synagogues across the United States and her Adonai Mah Adam was recently published through Transcontinental Music Publications. Ordained at the Academy for Jewish Religion, Robin is the cantor at Temple Beth Shalom in Hastings-in-Hudson, NY.
www.robinannejoseph.com

Vocalist, Cantor and composer. Founder and director of jazz a cappella ensemble “Vocolot” , a California Arts Council Touring Artist group. Active primarily in the Western United States. Her discography includes “Marcia Falks Blessings in Song” with Fran Avni,”Heart Beat” (2002), “Behold” (1997), “Roots and Wings” (1992), “Gather Round” (also songbook)(1989), “Skies Ablaze”, and “More than Luck and a Prayer”. Works at the Conservative congregation Temple Beth Shalom, San Leandro, CA as a cantor since 1988. Directed first Jewish Women’s International Chorus in Kiev (1994). Hirshhorn has also written songs that became part of a UAHC social justice recording, including “Circle Chant” and “Homeless Blues”.
Linda Hirshhorn webpage

American. Singer song-writer. Resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Presents programs of songs and humor around the United States. Co-publisher of Jewish Heartland for many years.