Jewish Entertainment
In addition to the wonderful ship entertainment, our group will also have the opportunity aboard this cruise to be entertained by some of the world’s greatest chazzanim who will perform in live concert for our group singing Chazzanut, contemporary Chasidic, Italian Opera and Spanish music."
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 Cantor Moshe Schulhof |
Moshe Schulhof, one of the worlds foremost Cantors, was born in New York City and began his singing career there as a child prodigy as early as the age of six, when he performed a cantorial piece before an audience of 2,000 in New York.
Foreseeing a great cantorial career in his future, the famed Cantor David Kusevitsky took him under his personal tutelage. Growing up, Moshe learned to sing in seven different languages and eventually decided to follow in the spiritual path of his father who was a rabbi and his grandfather, who was a cantor in Austria.
Schulhof studied cantorial singing and opera in New York and Montreal conservatories. At the early age of 18, he was appointed to his first pulpit in New York. Subsequently, he has held some of the most important cantorial positions in Montreal, Los Angeles and Miami as well as at the famed Concord Hotel in New York. As an internationally renowned concert artist, Moshe is in constant demand on the concert stage as well as guest cantorial appearances throughout the world thrilling Jewish as well as non-Jewish audiences the world over. He currently serves as the cantor of the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center Beth Jacob in North Miami Beach, considered by many as the premier cantorial pulpit in the United States today, where his awesome vocal talent and spiritual guidance inspire thousands of congregants.
During his career, Schulhof has performed in concerts with the Israeli Philharmonic, has been the featured artist at the international Cantors' Convention, often performs on "Cantorial Cruises" to Alaska, has appeared in a concerts with other renowned cantors including Benzion Miller from New York, Yakov Motzen from Toronto, and Steve Texon of Boca Raton (formerly the cantor for ATJC), has performed in concert with the Israel Philharmonic and has released many albums including the titles "Chassidik Music and Congregational Melodies"; and "The Greatest Cantorials of the 20th Century" performed with the Romanian State Philharmonic.
In 1988, he was called upon by the American Society for the Advancement of Cantorial Art to be one of the representatives of the American Cantorate in a series of spectacular and historic concerts in the then Soviet Union, Romania and Poland. As a guest of the respective governments, he brought Jewish music and hope to those long forsaken communities. Heads of State, the Diplomatic Corps as well as the public at large gave him standing ovations wherever he sang. His tour of Poland was covered by CBS and was shown in the United States on "Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt". The Society awarded him their gold medal and gave him the designation of "Master Cantor". A recording of this tour is available under the title "Greetings from Russia".
Moshe Schulhof is also a recognized authority on "Nusach Hatfilah" as well as a gifted teacher of "Hazzanut", having many students who are in themselves professional cantors. He is presently on the faculty of the Academy of Jewish Religion in New York.
Recently, he was called upon to sing in the Rotunda of the Capitol for members of the House and Senate of the United States. In addition to "Greeting from Russia" he has released three other recordings; "Masterpieces of the Synagogue, "Moshe Schulhof and the Johannesburg Jewish Male Chorus" and " From Generation to Generation" to rave reviews.
He sings in seven languages being equally at home singing secular as well as religious music to world acclaim and it is our great honor and pleasure to have him join us aboard this sensation cruise to further enrich our experience with his wonderful voice.
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 Cantor Benjamin Warschawski |
Cantor Benjamin Warschawski began his unexpected journey to the pulpit at fifteen years of age singing in the prestigious Beth T'filoh Choir in Baltimore, under Dr. William Milner and Cantor Abraham J. Denburg. Cantor Warschawski comes from a line of Jewish scholars, teachers, and cantors. His maternal great- grandfather, Leo Nussbaum, founded the Hebrew school in the city of Bocholt in Westfalen, Germany where he was teacher/Rabbi until shortly before the war.
Cantor Warschawski's paternal great-grandfather, Moise Loeb was a Chazzan, teacher, and shochet in Benjamin's hometown of Basel, Switzerland. One of Moise Loeb's children Robert was also a talented cantor, rising to the post of Chief-Cantor of Luxembourg at the height of his career.
While in the choir at Beth T'filoh, Cantor Warschawski began formally training his classical and operatic voice under Sicilian voice teacher, Casper Vecchione, with whom he studies to this day. At the same time the budding cantor was training cantorially and perfecting the Nusach he had learned growing up, with Cantor Denburg. At the age of eighteen, he lead his first complete High Holiday services in the auxiliary Minyan at Beth T'filoh. Following a two year absence from synagogue leadership to begin his formal studies at the University of Maryland, Cantor Warschawski returned to Beth T'filoh as Cantor's Assistant to baritone Cantor Avraham Albrecht. Cantor Warschawski assisted with main sanctuary services, while finishing his Degree at the University. During the next two years at Beth T'filoh, the tenor continued studying privately and honing his cantorial knowledge with the tutelage of Cantor Albrecht.
In 1997, Benjamin Warschawski received the title of Reverend Cantor from the Cantorial Council of America at the Belz School of Music, Yeshiva University. That same year he took over the pulpit at the Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue in Baltimore, a post he held for five years. Since 1997 Cantor Warschawski has concertized extensively with almost every major cantor and renowned Jewish singer singing today. The list includes Cantors: Avi Albrecht, Yaakov Motzen, Benzion Miller, David "Dudu" Fischer, Naftali Herstik, Alberto Mizrachi, Chaim Adler, Aaron Bensousan, Shmuel Barzilai, Moshe Stern, Louis Danto, Herschel Fox, Israel Rand, Moshe Schulhof, Yehuda Shiffman, Avshalom Zfira, Yehuda Rotner, Paul Zim; as well as singers Avraham Fried, Yisrael Williger, Dedi, Mordechai Ben-David, Shloimi Simcha, and Eli Kranzler.
After leaving his pulpit to focus solely on his operatic career, Cantor Warschawski served as High Holiday Cantor in 2002 for the prestigious Shelter Rock Jewish Center, Long Island. Since 1997, the tenor has released three CDs under the XLNC label. Currently, Warschawski holds the post of Cantor at the prestigious B'nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, FL where he resides with his wife, Chana.
In addition to his illustrious Cantoral career, Warschawski has also
achieved world acclaim on the opera stagea, having performed leading roles
in numerous productions, including Pinkerton in MADAMA BUTTERFLY with New
York City Opera, Alfredo in LA TRAVIATA with New York City Opera and Opera
Delaware, the title role in the American premiere of Puccini's EDGAR with
DiCapo Opera, and Cavaradossi in TOSCA with Augusta Opera; Tenor Soloist
in Beethoven's NINTH SYMPHONY with the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra,
Cavaradossi in TOSCA with the Westfield Symphony Orchestra; the Duke in Rigoletto with Augusta Opera; concert engagements included OPERA GALAS
with the Jerusalem Symphony, and the New Boca Pops, Rodolfo in LA BOHEME
with the Newton Symphony Orchestra, a Gala CANTORIAL CRUISE to the Carribbean on Celebrity Cruise Lines, as well
as CANTORIAL CONCERTS in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Miami, Boca Raton, and Los Angeles.
Recent engagements have included the leading tenor roles in RIGOLETTO with Annapolis Opera,
Austin Lyric Opera, and Opera Illinois, WERTHER with DiCapo Opera, Edgardo
in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR with Sarasota Opera, CARMEN
with Tri-Cities Opera, LA TRAVIATA with Boheme Opera New Jersey,
the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv. At the Russian Embassy in
Washington D.C., Mr. Warschawski appeared in a command performance of
Tchaikovsky's IOLANTA.
Other career highlights have included a HOLIDAY CONCERT at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton.
It will be our honour and pleasure to have world renown cantor and opera singer, Benjamin Warschawski aboard this magnificent cruise to share his wonderful voice with us and enrich our experience.
