Sam Glaser has captivated
the Jewish world with his unique vision, exuberant music-making and insatiable
appetite for Jewish Outreach. He
has gained a devoted following of fans of all ages for his distinctive
blend of Pop, Jazz and Rock coupled with timely Jewish concepts.
Hineni, Glaser's first Jewish CD, was released
in 1992 to become one of the best-selling Jewish albums of the year. Songs
such as Shabbas, Pitchu Li and the title track have since
become standards at synagogues, camps and households worldwide. He began
a rigorous touring schedule throughout the US and Israel promoting the
album at enthusiastically received concerts, workshops and Shabbatons.
In 1994, Glaser followed up with A Day in the Life, a deeply inspired
collection of songs illuminating the beauty of the daily Jewish experience.
No expense was spared to bring the music to life, including the finest
L.A. studio musicians, a full horn section and an accomplished string quartet.
Sam's third album, the 1997 release Across The River, celebrates
the course of the Jewish year with sixteen songs about the major holidays
and lifecycle events. He promoted this album in the 50+ city One Hand/One
Heart Unity tour across the globe in '98 and '99.
Glaser's next undertaking was a unique album/theatrical
concert package entitled Kol Bamidbar/A Musical Journey Through the
Five Books of Moses. Released in 1999, the studio soundtrack album
features thirteen songs tracing Jewish history through the stories of the
Torah. Sam sings this memorable "edu-tainment"-oriented music accompanied
by his top-notch band and the newly formed Kol Bamidbar Childrens Choir
culled from several renown school choirs in the L.A. area. Glaser has supplemented
his concert schedule with over a dozen stops throughout the US and Canada
performing this interactive musical in concert with the local afternoon
and day school children. To date over twenty Kol Bamidbar events have transformed
communities, some with up to 800 children participating, across all denominational
lines.
The lastest from Glaser Musicworks is The
Songs We Sing, a new CD with over 70 minutes of Sam and his band performing
classic songs in the Jewish repertoire. The jazzy arrangements and state-of-the-art
production give new life to these standards that have been enjoyed for
decades.
Glaser has been composing, singing and tickling
the ivories since the ripe old age of seven. He graduated the University
of Colorado, Boulder with a BA in Business and Music, and supplemented
his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston and at the UCLA Film
Scoring Program. He has produced eight albums of his own compositions,
published four collections of lyrics and poetry, two sheet music songbooks
of his Jewish music and a new SATB choral book, Kol Haneshama. In his cutting-edge
recording studio, Glaser Musicworks, he scores for film, television and
radio and produces albums for a wide variety of recording artists.
Glaser has emerged as one of the leaders of
the Los Angeles music scene. He served as Executive Director of the Jewish
Music Commission for five years, an organization that commissions and produces
major Jewish works from composers across the country. He produces the annual
American Jewish Song Festival, the most prestigious song writing competition
of its kind. In 1995, Glaser was appointed Music Coordinator for the Department
of Continuing Education at the University of Judaism where he supervised
the music curriculum and directed the Cultural Arts Program.
For four years Glaser acted as Musical Director
for the renown Yad b'Yad youth theater troupe and recently as Music Director
for the Brandeis Collegiate Institute in Simi Valley, CA. He has also served
as a cantorial soloist and is a popular teacher of a variety of classes
on Jewish topics in Jewish communities nationwide. He is active in the
Coalition for Advancement of Jewish Education, the Center for Jewish Culture
and Creativity and has been a Jewish Big Brother for seven years. Sam lives
in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife Shira and
children Max, Jesse and Sarah. |