Shlomo Simcha
Shlomo Simcha | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Jewish music, Contemporary Jewish religious, Religious Jewish music |
| Occupation(s) | Jewish cantor, Jewish singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions, Aderet Records, Sameach Music, M & M Enterprises, HASC, Doni Gross Productions |
| Website | https://www.shlomosimcha.com |
Shlomo Simcha Sufrin, better known as Shlomo Simcha (Hebrew: שלמה שמחה) is a UK-born Canadian Hasidic Jewish cantor and singer. Shlomo Simcha began his career in a small kollel in Montreal, where he was discovered by a local wedding band leader[1] who brought him onto a project recording a series for children in the Satmar community called Besof Umachol. His work on the series caught the attention of Mendy Werdyger at Aderet Records, who introduced him to producer Sheya Mendlowitz, with whom he would create his first commercial album.[1]
In 1992, Shlomo Simcha found himself flying to Israel to perform on stage with Mordechai Ben David at a concert in Yad Eliyahu, Tel Aviv during the holiday of Sukkot – his first major exposure to audiences and other names in the world of Jewish music. That exposure led to the first of many invitations to perform at the annual A Time for Music benefit concert, in support of the Jewish non-profit agency HASC, and the beginning of his relationship with composer and musical artist Abie Rotenberg, with whom he would create the popular Aish music series.[1]
Since the start of his career, Shlomo Simcha has released seven solo albums and collaborated or been featured on over 20 albums, with artists, arrangers, and composers like Benny Friedman, Nafshenu Orchestra, Yossi Green, Moshe Laufer, Suki Berry / Suki & Ding, Yisroel Lamm (the Neginah Orchestra), and more. He regularly performs at benefit concerts[2] and Jewish community events across North America, the UK and Israel, as well as private and corporate functions.
Personal life[edit]
Shlomo Simcha was born in Manchester, United Kingdom,[2] to Rabbi Mordechai Tzvi and Mrs. Frayda Sufrin.[3] He is a great-grandchild of Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, and one of 14 children.[3][4] He grew up in the Hampstead Garden Suburb and Temple Fortune neighbourhoods of London[5] where he was influenced by the prayer styles of his own father, as well as Nathan (Bobby) Vogel, and Cantor Herschel Gorman.[5]
Following his family's move to Temple Fortune, Shlomo Simcha became obsessed with professional singing, and sought to join the London School of Jewish Song (a London-based Jewish choir led by composer and musical artist Yigal Calek). While he has said his family would not be able to manage the time commitment necessary for Shlomo to be in the choir, he was allowed to sit in on rehearsals, and he made a point to seat himself at the same table as Yigal Calek at their synagogue's Friday evening services every week.[5]
Career[edit]
In 1989, Shlomo Simcha entered his first professional position as Sexton and Assistant Cantor at the Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Synagogue in Cote St Luc, Montreal.[1] He remained there until 1993, when he moved to Toronto, Ontario after receiving an offer for the position of Lead Cantor from Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, working alongside Cantor Yaakov Motzen.[6] Shlomo retained that position until 2005, after which he became the Cantor at the Torath Emeth Congregation,[1] a role he held until 2019. During and beyond his time as a cantor, Shlomo Simcha worked to build up his career as a solo and collaborative artist, beginning with his 1993 debut album, That Special Melody, under Aderet Records.[1]
While Shlomo Simcha's career as a solo artist officially began with the release of his first album in 1993, his first experience in studio was singing on the Besof Umachol series for the Satmar community in 1990, recorded at the home studio of the head of the Montreal wedding band. In 1992, Mendy Werdyger of Aderet Records heard the tape while in a store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and contacted Shlomo Simcha directly to inquire about making an album. During his initial meeting at Aderet in New York, Werdyger introduced Shlomo Simcha to Sheya Mendlowitz, producer of the HASC: A Time for Music series, and informed him that they wanted to record a series of albums together. Soon after, Werdyger's brother, singer Mordechai Ben David, invited Shlomo Simcha to travel with him to Israel to perform at a concert for the holiday of Sukkot, and the two performed together on stage,[7] introducing Shlomo Simcha to Ben David's fan base.[5]
Not long after, Shlomo Simcha would receive the first of what would be many invitations to perform at the annual HASC: A Time for Music benefit concert, where he would eventually meet long-time friend and collaborator Abie Rotenberg, with whom he would go on to create the Aish series.[1] Since the beginning of his career as a recording artist, between solo, collaborative and featured work, Shlomo Simcha has sung on over 40 full-length albums.
Shlomo Simcha moved from Toronto to Boca Raton, Florida in 2021.[8]
Discography[edit]
Solo albums[edit]
| Year | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | That Special Melody | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 1995 | Simchas Yom Tov | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 1995 | Tehilim | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 1999 | Aneini | Self-Published |
| 2000 | Made in Canada (Released internationally as Siman Tov) | Suki & Ding |
| 2001 | Shabbos with Shlomo Simcha – Nusach Ashkenaz | Aderet Records |
| 2001 | Shabbos with Shlomo Simcha – Nusach Sephard | Aderet Records |
| 2004 | Hamenagen | Sameach Music |
| 2006 | Miracles | Aderet Records |
| 2016 | Ani Kan | Doni Gross Productions |
Aish series[edit]
| Year | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Aish Volume 1 | Aderet Records |
| 2003 | Aish Volume 2 | Aderet Records |
| 2020 | Aish Volume 3 | Doni Gross Productions |
Collaborations and featured[edit]
| Year | Artist | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Shlomo Itzkowitz | Besof Umachol | Satmar |
| 1993 | HASC | A Time for Music VI | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 1993 | Various Artists | The Bentching Tape | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 1994 | Gideon Levine | The Best of the Best | GYL Productions |
| 1995 | Various Artists | Solid Gold Volume 1 | Solid Gold Music |
| 1996 | Suki & Ding | Zemiros 2 | Suki & Ding Productions |
| 1997 | Various Artists | Solid Gold Volume 2 | Solid Gold Music |
| 1999 | Various Artists | Solid Gold Volume 3 | Solid Gold Music |
| 1999 | Yerachmiel Begun & The Miami Boys Choir | Yachad – Where the Stars Come Together | Yerachmiel Begun & The Miami Boys Choir |
| 2000 | Various Artists | All-Star Collection | Sameach Music |
| 2002 | Gideon Levine | The Best of the Best 2 | GYL Productions |
| 2002 | HASC | A Time for Music XV: United We Stand | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 2003 | Various Artists | Sameach at the Wheel | Sameach Music |
| 2004 | Various Artists | Solid Dance | Solid Gold Music |
| 2004 | Neshoma Orchestra | Neshama Yeseirah – A Heimishe Simcha | Sameach Music |
| 2005 | HASC | A Time for Music XVIII | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 2005 | Various Artists | Sameach at the Wheel 2 | Sameach Music |
| 2006 | Suki & Ding | All Star Collection | Suki & Ding Productions |
| 2006 | Various Artists | Hallel 2 | Gal Paz |
| 2006 | Nafshenu Orchestra | Chai Lifeline Presents Nafshenu Orchestra Featuring Shlomo Simcha | Sheya Mendlowitz Productions |
| 2007 | Various Artists | Harei Yehudah | M&M Enterprises |
| 2011 | Nafshenu Orchestra | The Wedding of the Century | Aaron Appelbaum Productions |
| 2013 | Nafshenu Orchestra | Fusion | |
| 2014 | Benny Friedman | With All My Soul – Kol Haneshama Sheli | Benny's Music |
| 2014 | Various Artists | The Power of Amein | Aaron Teitelbaum Productions |
| 2015 | Various Artists | The Lost Treasure | Shimmy Shtauber |
| 2015 | Doni Gross | A Kumzitz in the Rain Vol. 2 | Doni Gross Productions |
| 2016 | Tzvi Silberstein | Voice of the Stars – Kol HaKochavim | Doni Gross Productions |
| 2016 | Pinchas Wolf | Shirei Pinchas Volume 1 | Nigun Music |
| 2017 | Pinchas Wolf | Shirei Pinchas Volume 2 | MRM |
| 2017 | Pinchas Wolf | Shirei Pinchas Volume 3 | Shiray Pinchas LLC |
| 2017 | Doni Gross | A Kumzitz in the Rain Vol. 3 (Junior) | Doni Gross Productions |
| 2017 | Shades of Green | Leil Shishi | Doni Gross Productions |
| 2017 | Chabad with Moshe Laufer | Leil Shishi | Levik T. |
| 2019 | Pinchas Wolf | Shirei Pinchas Volume 4 | Shiray Pinchas LLC |
| 2019 | Doni Gross | A Kumzitz in the Rain Vol. 4 (Junior) | Doni Gross Productions |
| 2020 | Benny Friedman | Whispers of the Heart | Doni Gross Productions |
| 2022 | Journeys | Volume 5 | Doni Gross Productions |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Ami Magazine Cover Story – The Musical World of Shlomo Simcha (November 1, 2016)
- ^ a b Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) – Performer Shlomo Simcha: The Power of Jewish Music and Radio (February 12, 2007)
- ^ a b COLLIVE – Rabbi Mordechai Sufrin, 79,OBM (September 14, 2016)
- ^ Mishpacha – Jewish Family Weekly – 5 Things You Didn't Know About Shlomo Simcha (June 20, 2018)
- ^ a b c d Jewish Music Toronto – Live With the Cantors Episode 12 – Shlomo Simcha (October 30, 2018)
- ^ Indianapolis Jewish Post & Opinion – Volume 71, Number 35 (May 18, 2005)
- ^ "Shlomo Simcha DEBUT! with MBD Yad Eliyahu 1992" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ COLLIVE - 28 Years Later, Shlomo Simcha Sings ‘Machnisei Rachamim’ (September 2, 2021)
- ^ – Shlomo Simcha Biography – JewishMusic.fm
- ^ "Shlomo Simcha". www.israel-music.com.