O
Esther Ofarim
The website has information on over 40 years of the career of Esther Ofarim, one of Israel's premier singers. Esther Ofarim was a sensation in the 1960s and 70s. She stopped concertizing for over a decade, but has since returned to the stage. She started singing in the Israëli National Theatre “Habimah”. She met, and later married, Abraham (Abi) Reichstat. After touring and recording widely in Europe and the US, winning several prizes as a duo, they later divorced. Esther continued on a solo career on the stage and on television, eventually moving back to Israel. Today she concertizes in Germany and in Israel, often accompanied by Yoni Rechter, piano. She is still remembered for winning the Israel Song Festival in 1961 with 2 songs. The website has some nice photos, reviews, and discography with sound bites.
http://www.estherofarim.com/
Betti Olivero
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
Orit Orbach
American-born Israeli clarinetist. Moved with her family to Israel at age four. Returned to US to study at New England Conservatory. There she won the chamber and the concerto competitions. She studied at Northwestern University near Chicago for a Masters, also winning many competitions. Orit has played with numerous orchestras and symphonies, and with many top soloists. Some of the highlight performances included appearances with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (Zubin Mehta conducting), Boston Philharmonic, San Francisco Sinfonietta, the Northwestern Symphony, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra (Nayden Todorov conducting), Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Israel Northern Symphony, Haifa. She serves as principal clarinetist with the Israel Northern Symphony of Haifa and also as a teacher with Music by the Red Sea - Israel Festival. Orbach has premiered works by major modern composers, including Krzystof Penderecki and Robert Starer. She served on the jury of the First Krzystof Pendrecki International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music in 1997. The Yediot Achronot, a major newspaper in Israel, reviewed her playing saying: "Orbach amazed us with her virtuosic performance. She has an outstanding stage presence, strong personality and natural musicality. Her Clarinet has many different colors and her technique is brilliant." She is also part of an all female band called "Eve's Women" which is described as bringing together "Jewish styles from East and West and then absorbing the multi-cultural influences of Israeli society which bring in the Middle Eastern, Latin, African and North American jazz." variations.
Cantor Barbara Ostfeld
American. Cantor. Born December 24, 1952, St. Louis, MO. She is the first woman invested as a cantor. Graduated 1975, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion-School of Sacred Music (HUC-SSM). Received the honorary DSM from HUC in 2000. From 1976 through 1988, served Temple Beth-El of Great Neck. From 1990 through 2002, served Temple Beth Am of Buffalo, NY. From 1996 to 1998, chaired the Joint Cantorial Placement Commission. In 2002, appointed as Placement Director of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC). She also served the American Conference of Cantors (ACC) as Secretary, Vice-President, as a Northeast regional representative, and several terms on the board of directors. Cantor Ostfeld edited the CAA newsletter, Shalshelet: The Chain, for two years.
Cantor Anna West Ott
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.
Her performing career has integrated her varied talents as singer, pianist, and guitarist ranging from opera and oratorio to musical theater, folk, jazz, madrigals, and cabaret, including featured roles with the Middlesex Opera Company and Plays-in-the-Park. Cantor Ott s great love is choral directing and producing memorable performances of Jewish music of all styles. Under her direction, Anshe Emeth s (New Brunswick, NJ) music program now includes a teen choir, adult choir, and a band made up of her student guitarists. In addition, she co-directs Makhelat HaMercaz, the Jewish community chorus of central New Jersey, and founded the Anshe Segulah Men s Chorus which has sung at the Jewish Federation s Yom Hashoah observance. In the past she has directed Kol Halayla, the Jewish a cappella ensemble of Rutgers University, and has sung with the New Jersey Cantors Concert Ensemble. Information from:
http://aemt.net/ott.html
Return to top