The Guild of Temple Musicians announces Boaz Dorot as the winner of the 2021 Ben Steinberg Young Composer’s Award

Boaz Dorot is being recognized for his composition “Elohai N’tzor.”  Boaz (born 1985), is a composer, arranger, choir conductor, pianist and music educator. He earned his bachelor's degree in composition from the Cross-Disciplinary Composition Department in the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. He teaches Music Theory and Music History in the prestigious Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance High School. Boaz is involved with the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ).  Nowadays he serves as the Musical Director of Kehilat Kol Haneshama Jerusalem and is also involved nationally with the IMPJ: leads musical services throughout Israel, composes for T'filah, conducts choirs (HUC Jerusalem's High Holiday choir conductor), and supervises music in prayer services. Boaz directs major musical events and training for musicians in the Reform Movement. He was the Musical Director for the IMPJ’s 2016, & 2018 Biennial Conferences as well as the Musical Director for the World Union for Progressive Judaism “Connections 2017” conference in Jerusalem.

Boaz is the co-founder and Musical Director of Nigunim Ensemble. This pioneering ensemble creates, arranges and performs music, bringing a local – Israeli unique sound and approach accompanying religious services throughout Israel. The Ensemble had performed internationally at the 2019 URJ Biennial in Chicago, and recently online at the 2020 Limmud UK Conference.

Nigunim Ensemble’s music was published by Transcontinental Music Publications and can be heard on Spotify & Apple Music.

This is the second time Dorot is being honored as the winner of the Ben Steinberg Young Composer’s Award, having first won in 2018.

The criteria for the 2021 award called for a piece for solo voice with piano accompaniment using any Jewish text (service liturgy, poetry, prose).  In his “Elohai N’tzor,” our jurors loved Dorot’s harmonic use of impressionism mixed with a sophisticated jazz idiom and appreciated the delicate play between the voice and piano accompaniment.  We are so excited to share the premiere of Dorot’s piece with the community on Sunday, March 21 at 11:30 am Pacific Standard Time. 

To register in advance for this meeting please click here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

In 1990, Ben Steinberg founded the Guild of Temple Musicians Young Composer’s Award that was designed to encourage gifted young Jewish composers to create worthwhile and appealing music that will be of lasting practical use for Jewish worship and Jewish concert programming. The YCA (The name of the award was changed in 2014 to the Ben Steinberg Young Composer’s Award) is also intended to encourage Jewish communities throughout North America and beyond, to listen to, perhaps participate in, and above all to value Jewish musical expressions of quality which are reflective of its own time. 

For more information about the Ben Steinberg Young Composer’s Award, and to see criteria for our 2022 competition, please visit https://templemusicians.org/young-composers-award/ or contact David Shukiar, Vice President in charge of Special Programs. 

The Guild of Temple Musicians is an affiliate of the American Conference of Cantors.