SHIMON and ILANA Gewirtz are a husband and wife team who have distinguished themselves through a series of outstanding recordings of international and Israeli folksongs, as well as a series of children’s holiday albums which celebrate various Jewish festivals. Their programs, whether on records or in person, reflect a deep understanding and feeling for the music and the culture.
In 1956 SHIMON and ILANA met on stage at a Holiday Music Festival in Detroit and they have been making beautiful music together ever since. The two lived and entertained in Israel during the early ‘60s and were excited to sing at the Israeli Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows in 1964.
Shimon Gewirtz has a distinguished reputation in the field of Jewish music. His translations and arrangements of Israeli and Yiddish songs, as well as his original compositions are found in various anthologies of Jewish music. Shimon was on the Judaic Studies faculty of Rutgers University and has also served as a Cantor in Cranston, R.I., and at Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersberg, FL
Ilana Gewirtz began her career as an accomplished flutist and has had an outstanding career as a music teacher. She was honored by the New York Board of Jewish Education for her contributions to special programs.
Music of Shimon and Ilana courtesy of Roz Grossman and Shimon Gewirtz.
