Scholar in Residence

Cantor Murray E. Simon is a native of Philadelphia, PA where he earned the degree of Bachelor of Music in Performance from Temple University.  In 1980, Cantor Simon was honored by Temple University as “Alumnus of the Year” of the College of Music.  He then enrolled at the Hebrew Union College - School of Sacred Music in New York City where he was certified and commissioned as a Cantor in addition to receiving the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Music cum laude.

Cantor Simon has served several prominent congregations in the New York City and Boston communities.  Cantor Simon served as Cantor of The Jewish Center, Princeton, NJ from 1996-2010 and is now its Cantor Emeritus.  He has been a lecturer in Jewish music and liturgy at Brandeis University, Hebrew College, Brookline, MA as well as the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City where he served as Interim Director for Cantorial Studies.  Cantor Simon was honored with the coveted Faculty Award from AJR in 2009.

He was a voice student of Eleanor Steber of the Metropolitan Opera Association and he also attended the Boston Conservatory of Music where he received his Master of Music degree in voice.   In June 2005, Cantor Simon was a featured tenor soloist in a concert at Lincoln Center, New York City sponsored by AJR.

Cantor Simon is an Honorary Fellow of The Jewish Theological Seminary and, in March 2009, he received the prestigious Hazzan Putterman Cantorial Leadership Award from The Jewish Theological Seminary.  Cantor Simon is a member of the Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly and currently serves as Chair of the New Jersey Region of the CA.  He also served as national president of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC)

Cantor Simon is the producer of the highly-acclaimed, historic DVDs, GREAT CANTORS OF THE GOLDEN AGE and GREAT CANTORS IN CINEMA in conjunction with The National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University.  He has been awarded two honorary Doctor of Music degrees – one from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion and one from The Jewish Theological Seminary for his many contributions and achievements in the cantorate.

• show and comment on the "Great Cantors of the Golden Age" DVD I produced
• concert title "From the Bible to Broadway"
• conduct Shabbat and Festival Services with much congregational participation
• "Learn to Leyn" - the history and mechanics of chanting Torah
• the history of Jewish music from the Bible to modern times