Founded in 1926 the London Jewish Male Choir developed a reputation of excellence most famously under conductor Manny Fisher who established the Choir’s reputation in both the UK and internationally, performing with the leading cantors of the day, including David Koussevitzky, Moshe Korn, Simon Hass, Moshe Stern and Joseph Malovany.
The Choir remains at the forefront of Jewish music in the UK under the direction of Joseph Finlay (University of Cambridge; Royal Academy of Music) and boasts an extensive and continually evolving repertoire, from both classic and modern settings of the great liturgical pieces to Yiddish, Broadway and Popular Israeli music.
The Choir celebrated its 85th anniversary in December 2011.
The principal soloist of the Choir is Cantor Steven Leas (Central Synagogue, London), who is widely recognised as one of the finest exponents of traditional chazzanut in the UK at present.
Notable activities in recent years:
- October 2013: Invited by Jewish Community of Strasbourg to perform a series of concerts (Shabbat morning at the Grande synagogue de la Paix and a charity concert the following day at the Synagogue of Hagenau)
- June 2013: Participated in the 2013 European Cantorial Association Convention final concert in London
- November 2012: Joint concert with Cantor Gideon Zelemyer (Montreal), at the renowned St. John’s Smith Square concert hall in London, in the attendance of over 400 people.
- December 2011: Gala concert to celebrate the Choir’s 85th anniversary at the New West End Synagogue, London, under the guest direction of Stephen Glass (Director of Music, Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Montreal)
More hoirs of the Louis Lewandowski Festival
AMAKIM CHOIR, ISRAEL
The Amakim Choir was founded in 1980 and consists of about 45 singers from northern Israel. Most choirists live in a kibbutz or mosque, some in neighbouring towns. The ensemble has a wide repertoire - from the Renaissance to the modern age.
Coro Ha-Kol, Rome
The Coro Ha-Kol (“The Voice”) was founded in December 1993 on the initiative of singers at the Great Synagogue of Rome, alongside other lovers of Jewish music. They recognised the need to rediscover and publicise the beauty of Jewish music to audiences both within and beyond the synagogue.
ENSEMBLE VOCAL HÉBRAÏCA DE STRASBOURG
Founded in 2006 by Hector Sabo and composed by the male soloists of the mixed choir Les Polyphonies Hébraïques de Strasbourg (participants in LLF 2011), the Ensemble Vocal Hébraïca performs as a vocal quartet until 2011. Then, the group had grown into a quintette to become a mixed voices octet in 2012 already.
Festival DVD kaufen!
Alle Festival DVDs (Audio / Video) des Louis Lewandowski Festivals sind bei Hentrich & Hentrich, dem Verlag für jüdische Kultur und Zeitgeschichte erschienen. Die DVDs sind Aufzeichnungen der großen Abschlusskonzerte mit alle Ensembles des jeweiligen Jahres. Sprachen: deutsch und englisch.
THE VOICES OF ISRAEL ENSEMBLE
The Voices of Israel Ensemble was initially established about 30 years ago, in the Israeli city of Netanya. In the meantime the Ensemble numbers up to seventy cantorial singers from all over Israel, all of which have different professions in their private lifes: professors, physicists, engineers, lawyers, farmers …
ZAMIR CHORALE OF BOSTON
The »Zamir Chorale of Boston« was founded in 1969. Led by Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson, the Chorale comprises more than 45 experienced volunteer singers who perform music spanning thousands of years, four continents, and a variety of styles, both classical and popular.