INVEST IN ISRAEL
Varied Talents
Shaarey Zedek welcomes renowned
cantor to its congregation.
H
azzan David Propis will
begin as Congregation
Shaarey Zedek's new cantor
on Sept. 1.
The Canadian-born hazzan learned
the cantorial art at the feet of his
father, the late Hazzan Dov Propis, and
studied voice with Metropolitan Opera
diva Elena Nikolaidi. During
his recent 19-year tenure at
Congregation Beth Yeshurun
in Houston, he also built an
international concert career.
Blending popular and
cantorial music seamlessly,
Propis has shared the stage
with numerous luminaries
including Dave Brubeck,
Julie Budd, Jackie Mason and
Hazzan
Yaakov Smirnoff, appearing
Propis
frequently in the major halls
of the U.S., Europe and Israel.
New York Times columnist Allan
Kozin called his performance at
Carnegie Hall "stunning ... ebullient"
Throughout his career, Propis has
had his finger on the pulse of the
Jewish music world. His keen ear has
led him toward an array of brilliant
contemporary and classical compos-
ers who offer different and inspired
settings of Jewish music. These varied
talents have contributed greatly to
Propis' extensive repertoire, which he
has integrated into both his religious
services and concert career.
Propis continuously entertains for
major Jewish and non-Jewish organi-
zations and was in constant demand
by his beloved Houston Astros and
Rockets for his powerful rendition of
the "Star Spangled Banner." He also
has sung with the Polish National
Symphony Orchestra and was featured
in the documentary 100 Voices: A
Journey Home.
Propis has produced numerous
faith-based recordings, including all 11
of The Spirit Series CDs for the Cantors
Assembly and United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism. These albums
have raised hundreds of thousands of
dollars for the two organizations.
He is also the founder, creative
director and managing partner of The
3 Jewish Tenors, a symphonic musical
event that has featured the symphony
orchestras of Houston, Atlanta and
Los Angeles, and conductors such as
Marvin Hamlisch, Yoel Levy and Carl
St. Clair.
At Shaarey Zedek, Propis replaces
Hazzan Meir Finkelstein, one of The
3 Jewish Tenors, who now is cantor at
Beth Yeshurun in Houston.
The 3 Jewish Tenors Kindred Spirits
of Los Angeles, and several other
Propis productions have raised mil-
lions of dollars for synagogues, Jewish
Federations and Jewish organizations
throughout the United States.
Propis has recorded
more than a dozen albums.
His latest, Power of
Forgiveness — In the Spirit
of the High Holy Days,
features some of the most
powerful and memorable
pieces of the High Holy Day
liturgy as well as the voices
of the Yuval Men's Chorus
in Israel and the Houston
David
Chamber Choir. This
album, a passion project of
Propis', spans the length of his career as
both a cantor and a premier vocalist.
Among his many honors, Propis
is a past president of the Cantors
Assembly, the largest body of cantors
in the world. He also co-chaired both
Cantors Assembly missions to Poland
and Germany, and was named to the
taskforce to restructure the cantorial
school at JTS.
He has received the Hiddur Mitzvah
Award from Masorti Olami, the
Hazzan Moses Silverman Service
Award from the Cantors Assembly, and
received an honorary doctorate from
the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Propis and his wife, Karen Siegel
Propis, have two adult children, Dena
and Sam.
"I met Hazzan Propis 16 years ago
when I was interviewing for rabbinic
positions around the country as a
newly minted graduate of the Jewish
Theological Seminary:' said Rabbi
Joseph Krakoff of Shaarey Zedek.
"I interviewed at Shaarey Zedek
and also in Houston at Beth Yeshurun
where Hazzan Propis was the cantor. I
felt a connection with Hazzan Propis
immediately and was offered the posi-
tion in Houston:' Krakoff said.
"Although I was excited to come to
Shaarey Zedek, I hoped that one day
I would have the opportunity to work
with him. Never in a million years did
I imagine that the stars would align
and that day would come.
"What a blessing it is to welcome
Hazzan Propis to Shaarey Zedek. I am
excited to work together with him to
move the shul forward in the days and
months ahead."
❑
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