World-renowned cantors in Budapest, at the Rumbach Synagogue

This year, the International Cantor Convention is being held for the sixteenth time, with the participation of about 60 world-renowned cantors, including Shmuel Barzilai, Chief Cantor of Vienna, and cantors Isidoro Abramowicz and Netanel Baram from Los Angeles. The prestigious event is hosted for the second time by the renovated Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue.

A total of about sixty world-renowned cantors have arrived in Budapest, for the international convention organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (Mazsihisz) and the European Cantors Association (ECA), between December 4-8, 2024, at the Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue. Among the participants of the grand event are renowned cantors from Europe, Israel, and from overseas, Canada, Los Angeles and New York.

The 16th International Cantor Convention begun with an immersive, uplifting spiritual concert featuring beloved classics as well as exciting new melodies on December 4, 2024, at the Rumbach Synagogue. Cantor Shmuel Barzilai, Chief Cantor of Vienna, and Los Angeles cantors Isidoro Abramowicz and Netanel Baram performed accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Professor Mark Kligman, from the University of California, Los Angeles. Zoltán Neumark played piano. In addition to internationally renowned cantors, the concert also featured outstanding Hungarian cantors.

Highlights of the program included compositions by award-winning Jewish liturgical composer Michael Hunter Ochs, as well as a selection of songs from around the world, performed by distinguished cantors attending the congress from Germany, the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, and the United States.

The Convention gala concert on December 8 will feature Max Stern’s melodies and a world premiere by Charles Heller. The special opening and closing concerts will also commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust in Hungary and pay tribute to Naftali Herstik, who was born in Hungary and passed away this year as a respected teacher and mentor of cantors worldwide.

The Convention participants gather in Budapest to discuss the challenges of today’s cantor training and share their proven experiences. As a practical demonstration, the exam for cantor students at the Jewish Theological Seminary - University of Jewish Studies (OR-ZSE) will also be included in the Convention program on December 5. The exam is also open to the public.

Our featured image was taken at the Cantor Convention held in Rumbach Synagogue in 2022.