Michael Isaacson
Encyclopedia
Michael Isaacson is an influential composer
of Jewish
synagogue music, as well as one of the originators of the Jewish Camp Song movement. His camp songs, often written and premiered in the same day, defined the camp music movement in the 1960s, and have been cited as influences by modern Jewish pop stars such as Debbie Friedman
and Craig Taubman
.
Initially studying composition with Robert Starer at Brooklyn College, Dr. Isaacson is a classically trained composer and orchestrator, holding a Ph.D. in Composition from the Eastman School of Music
, where he studied under Warren Benson and Samuel Adler
. Isaacson moved to Los Angeles
in 1976 to pursue a career in composing and arranging for television and film. While there, Isaacson was commissioned by several local congregations, producing his most popular synagogue works, 'Sim Shalom' from the Regeneration album, and 'Bayom Hahu' from the Nishmat Chayim Shabbat service.
In 1988 he proposed the idea of a recorded 20th century Jewish music archive to Lowell Milken
in Los Angeles
and served as the initial architect and Founding Music Director for the first fourteen new recordings of the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music. Today, the Milken Archive is the world's largest recorded archive of composed Jewish music.
He has conducted and produced fifty CDs of symphonic, chamber, and choral music. Equally at home composing and arranging both instrumental and choral writing, Isaacson composed and arranged all the permanent exhibit symphonic music for New York City's Museum of Jewish Heritage
. He also conducted a recording of it entitled "Heritage" with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv. To date, 15 CDs are of Jewish music with the IPO and its chamber music group the Israel String Quartet.
Anticipating the turn of the 21st century, Isaacson composed and produced a Sabbath evening service entitled "'L'maaseih V'reisheet -To Recreate the World with standardized pre-recorded accompaniment tracks and state of the art synthesis and instrumentation (EWIs and EBIs) that was co-commissioned by forty-three North American reform, conservative, and reconstructionist Jewish congregations and simultaneously premiered on Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of Song in January 2001; making it the largest co-commission of synagogue music in history. Much of his sacred music incorporates both Hebrew and English in the text. His choral arrangements of Yiddish, Ladino, and Israeli music comprise The Michael Isaacson Folk Music Series at Transcontinental Music Publications.
His three volume "Michael Isaacson Songbook" published by Transcontinental Music Publications contains 160 of his sacred settings for solo and unison voices accompanied by keyboard. His three movement chamber work is for clarinet and string quartet is entitled "The Shul In My Right Mind". Dr. Isaacson is the author of "Jewish Music as Midrash: What Makes Music Jewish?"Accompanying the book is a double CD of Isaacson's musical examples. It is presently in its third edition and is also read by the author at OYSONGS.COM.
The Michael Isaacson Archive containing his publications, manuscripts, and papers is available to music students and scholars from the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
He is married to Susan Isaacson and they have two married sons. Andrew is married to Amy and Ari to Lara.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
synagogue music, as well as one of the originators of the Jewish Camp Song movement. His camp songs, often written and premiered in the same day, defined the camp music movement in the 1960s, and have been cited as influences by modern Jewish pop stars such as Debbie Friedman
Debbie Friedman
Deborah Lynn "Debbie" Friedman was an American composer and singer of songs with Jewish religious content. She was born in Utica, New York but moved with her family to Minnesota at age 5. She is best known for her setting of “Mi Shebeirach”, the prayer for healing, which is used by hundreds of...
and Craig Taubman
Craig Taubman
Craig Reid Taubman is an American singer/songwriter and music producer based in Los Angeles, California. Through his independent label/production office, Craig 'N Company, he has produced 11 albums...
.
Initially studying composition with Robert Starer at Brooklyn College, Dr. Isaacson is a classically trained composer and orchestrator, holding a Ph.D. in Composition from the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
, where he studied under Warren Benson and Samuel Adler
Samuel Adler (composer)
Samuel Hans Adler is an American composer and conductor.-Biography:Adler was born to a Jewish family in Mannheim, Germany, the son of Hugo Chaim Adler, a cantor and composer, and Selma Adler. The family fled to the United States in 1939, where Hugo became the cantor of Temple Emanuel in...
. Isaacson moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1976 to pursue a career in composing and arranging for television and film. While there, Isaacson was commissioned by several local congregations, producing his most popular synagogue works, 'Sim Shalom' from the Regeneration album, and 'Bayom Hahu' from the Nishmat Chayim Shabbat service.
In 1988 he proposed the idea of a recorded 20th century Jewish music archive to Lowell Milken
Lowell Milken
Lowell Milken is co-founder of Knowledge Universe, the largest early childhood education provider in the world, founder of the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement, co-founder and chairman of the Milken Family Foundation, and a former senior vice president in the junk bond trading...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and served as the initial architect and Founding Music Director for the first fourteen new recordings of the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music. Today, the Milken Archive is the world's largest recorded archive of composed Jewish music.
He has conducted and produced fifty CDs of symphonic, chamber, and choral music. Equally at home composing and arranging both instrumental and choral writing, Isaacson composed and arranged all the permanent exhibit symphonic music for New York City's Museum of Jewish Heritage
Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located in lower Manhattan, is a living memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust. The Museum honors those who died by celebrating their lives – cherishing the traditions that they embraced, examining their achievements and faith, and affirming the vibrant...
. He also conducted a recording of it entitled "Heritage" with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv. To date, 15 CDs are of Jewish music with the IPO and its chamber music group the Israel String Quartet.
Anticipating the turn of the 21st century, Isaacson composed and produced a Sabbath evening service entitled "'L'maaseih V'reisheet -To Recreate the World with standardized pre-recorded accompaniment tracks and state of the art synthesis and instrumentation (EWIs and EBIs) that was co-commissioned by forty-three North American reform, conservative, and reconstructionist Jewish congregations and simultaneously premiered on Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of Song in January 2001; making it the largest co-commission of synagogue music in history. Much of his sacred music incorporates both Hebrew and English in the text. His choral arrangements of Yiddish, Ladino, and Israeli music comprise The Michael Isaacson Folk Music Series at Transcontinental Music Publications.
His three volume "Michael Isaacson Songbook" published by Transcontinental Music Publications contains 160 of his sacred settings for solo and unison voices accompanied by keyboard. His three movement chamber work is for clarinet and string quartet is entitled "The Shul In My Right Mind". Dr. Isaacson is the author of "Jewish Music as Midrash: What Makes Music Jewish?"Accompanying the book is a double CD of Isaacson's musical examples. It is presently in its third edition and is also read by the author at OYSONGS.COM.
Awards
In 2006 he was honored by the American Society of Jewish Music, Hebrew Union College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary as one of ten of the most influential living composers of synagogue music.The Michael Isaacson Archive containing his publications, manuscripts, and papers is available to music students and scholars from the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Personal life
Michael Isaacson lives in Los Angeles, where he continues to fulfill composing commissions for new secular and synagogue music.He is married to Susan Isaacson and they have two married sons. Andrew is married to Amy and Ari to Lara.
External links
- The Michael Isaacson website
- Michael Isaacson's choral music from Zam'ru: The Jewish Choral Music Database