Cantor Israel Rand’s vocal talents were evident even as a very young child. His singing earned him a place as a soloist in the children’s choir Pirchei Yerushalayim with Yigal Calek conducting, as well as in Cantor Shlomo Ravitz’s children’s choir, where he acquired the fundamentals of cantorial singing.
He attended the Israel Cantorial Institute in Tel Aviv and studied under the tutelage of Eli Yaffe. His cantorial training was further enriched by the world renowned Cantors Naftali Hershtik and Moshe Stern.
While still a student, he was appointed the Lead Cantor in the Central Synagogue Heichal Meir in Tel Aviv. Not long after that, he was chosen to serve as the Lead Cantor in the Great Synagogue in Ramat Gan, a position he held for seven years.
From 1994 to 2005 Rand served as the Lead Cantor at the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York. Although quite young at the time, he enjoyed a very successful cantorial career, making frequent concert appearances around the world and having numerous radio and television programs.
In 2006, Cantor Rand returned to the Ramat-Gan Great Synagogue in Israel, this time in the position of Chief Cantor. Along with Cantor Rand, the "Voices from Heaven" Choir directed by Rafi Biton have made this a unique center for cantorial music drawing audiences from all over the country.
Cantor Rand is a regular soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Mordechai Sobol. He is also a director, coach, and teacher at the Petah Tikva Cantorial School under the direction of Eli Jaffe .
Israel Rand’s repertoire includes cantorial singing, operatic arias, Yiddish, Israeli and Chassidic folk songs, and selections from musical shows.
Music in this collection courtesy of Cantor Israel Rand.
