I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live (Ps. 146, 2)
Cantors’ concert is a tribute to the Blessed Memory of Cantor Benzion Miller Z”L
Only death can prove the sincerity of a friendship. It seals this friendship. For ever and ever.
For twenty-eight years I had the good fortune and honour to be friends with Cantor Benzion Miller. I am wrong to use the past tense as this friendship did not end with his death. It will end with mine.
Chazzan Miller loved Krakow deeply. Despite being ill and his doctors’ disapproval, on 18 December 2024 he travelled from Brooklyn to celebrate his 77th birthday with his close friends. There is a recording of Havdalah in which he blesses wine, light and spices of the world that he was about to leave for what turned out to be the very last time.
We wanted Benzion to perform together with his son, cantor Shimmy Miller. Today Shimmy will sing for his Father with other cantors, once students of the Master and now some of the most outstanding cantors of our time.
Janusz Makuch
Cantors: Shimmy Miller, Nissim Sa’al, Israel Rand
Cantors’ Choir, conductor: Maestro Yossi Schwartz
accomaniment: Menchem Bristowski
Sunday, June 29, 7 pm
Tempel synagogue, ul. Miodowa 24
tickets: 150 / 90 PLN
Cantor Shimmy Miller
Born in 1976 in Ontario, Canada, Miller learned at the Bobover Yeshivas in New York, and London, England, and at Yeshivat Avnei Nezer in Bayit Vagan, Israel. He started his singing career at the age of 5 as a soloist at Young Israel Beth-El of Brooklyn, NY, where his father Cantor Benzion Miller OB”M officiated for 42 years. He studied voice and Cantorial liturgy with Dr. Don Roberts, and with Darrel Lauer of the Belz Cantorial School of Music of Yeshiva University, as well as with world-renowned cantor, and musician Daniel Gildar.
Miller’s cantorial lineage goes back for generations. His father Cantor Benzion Miller, grandfather Cantor Aaron Miller and great-grandfather Chaim Shimmon Miller, who he’s named after, are all known throughout the world as great masters of Chazzanut and Tefilah.
Miller has performed in Israel, Europe, and Canada as well as throughout the USA. He’s sung with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, The Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir conducted by Eli Jaffe, as well as other prominent orchestras and choirs.
Chazzan Shimmy Miller served as Cantor of Congregation Bais Naftali of Los Angeles, CA. As well as Ahavas Torah in Engelwood NJ. Miller started his choral career doing studio work for a variety of cantors and popular singers as well as Choir Leader and Conductor at the Young Israel Beth-El of Boro Park, Brooklyn, New York, where his father, the world-renowned Cantor Benzion Miller OB”M officiated. Miller also often filled in for his father as Chazzan as well.
Cantor Miller possesses a lyric tenor voice with an exceptional range. He is a master of nusach, which he learned from all the years of assisting his father, both as soloist in his choir and later as the conductor.
Cantor Nissim Saal
Nissim Saal is a world-renowned Chazzan celebrated for his exceptional voice, impressive vocal range, and outstanding control. His musical journey began at a young age, inspired by the legendary Yossele Rosenblatt and other great Chazzanim of the past.
Nissim Saal’s repertoire extends beyond traditional cantorial music, embracing a diverse range of styles, including Chassidic, opera, and classical music. His unique voice and versatility have captivated audiences worldwide.
Nissim Saal has performed at numerous prestigious venues, including: The Israeli Opera House, Jerusalem Theater, UN Holocaust memorial ceremony, President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.
He has also toured extensively, entertaining audiences in: Australia, Poland, Amsterdam, London, Budapest and many cities across the United States
Nissim Saal serves as the Chief Chazzan at the esteemed Yeshurun Central Synagogue in Yerushalayim. Additionally, he frequently appears as a guest Chazzan at distinguished synagogues worldwide.
Cantor Israel Rand
Israel Rand was born in Tel Aviv in 1963.
From a young age, his exceptional musical talent stood out, and as a child, he trained in cantorial music under Cantor Shlomo Ravitz, where he acquired the foundations of cantorial art. He later became a soloist in the renowned children’s choir conducted by composer and conductor Yigal calek
Israel Rand graduated with honors from the Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute, led by conductor Eli Jaffe. Among his distinguished teachers were Cantors Naftali Herstik, Shmuel Baruch Taube, Dr. David Weintraub, and most notably, Cantor Moshe Stern, to whom Rand is considered one of the most prominent disciples to this day.\
In 1989, he was appointed Chief Cantor of the “Heichal Meir” synagogue in Tel Aviv, following in the footsteps of Cantors Yitzchak Eshel and Binyamin Ungar.
In 1990, he was named Chief Cantor of the Great Synagogue of Ramat Gan, a synagogue with the most prestigious cantorial heritage in Israel
Maestro Yossi Schwartz
Yossi, a Seattle native born in 1991, grew up in a family steeped in musical talent. His passion for music emerged early, inspired by the great cantors of previous generations. As a teenager, Yossi immersed himself in the vibrant musical traditions of The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, absorbing the artistry of renowned cantors and professional choirs.
Under the mentorship of esteemed figures such as Shlomo Goldhar, Maestro Elli Jaffe, and Cantor Yisrael Rand, Yossi refined his skills in music, harmony, and conducting. In 2011, he founded the acclaimed Vocal Ensemble Pamonim, recognized as one of the world’s premier cantorial vocal ensembles.
Yossi has performed across Israel, Europe, and the United States in synagogues, Jewish festivals, concerts, and weddings. He is celebrated for his dramatic tenor voice, seamlessly blending diverse musical styles to elevate Jewish liturgical music. Known for his unique ability to gather and engage audiences, Yossi creates inspiring and unforgettable experiences that bridge tradition and innovation.
Today, Yossi serves as the Musical Director of Park East Day School and as the Chief Cantor of Skylake Synagogue in Miami, continuing to inspire audiences and shape the future of cantorial and Jewish music.
Menachem Bristowski, accompaniment
is a world-renowned pianist who has accompanied major cantors for the past 35 years. As a leading Israeli cantorial concert pianist, he has accompanied, among others, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra in Israel’s largest and most and prestigious concert halls, as well as at the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow. He is an extremely talented musician, and his credits include musical arrangements for orchestra, cantor and choir.
Songs by Roza Eskenazi
Veronika Varga and Andreas Adreou
Many things can culturally connect people rooted in Greek, Anatolian, and Middle Eastern European traditions—but few as powerfully as the legacy of one remarkable artist: Roza Eskenazi. Her unforgettable voice and lifelong musical journey hold a special place in the hearts of Greeks, Turks, Armenians, and Jews alike, offering a timeless example of how music, empathy, honesty, and love can bring people together and open hearts across borders.
In this concert, Roza Eskenazi’s extraordinary life and diverse repertoire are brought back to life by two devoted artists: Hungarian singer Veronika Varga and Cypriot oud player Andreas Andreou guide the audience on a journey through the Greek Asia Minor culture of early 20th-century. Their performance features songs from the 1920s and 1930s, originally or primarily sung by Roza Eskenazi—the queen of early rebetiko, the “canary of the Aegean,” and one of the most iconic voices of the Ashkenazi Jews of the Greek Mediterranean and Anatolia.
By placing Roza at the heart of this performance, the concert presents authentic stories through iconic songs—reflecting the everyday lives, joys, and sorrows of the people of Anatolia. At the same time, it highlights the rich cultural heritage of former Smyrna—where Roza is deeply embedded—and its afterlife and echoes in the Greek motherland. The songs are performed in an intimate musical setting, where the oud—a symbolic instrument—accompanies the vocals, giving voice to timeless emotions and reflections on life.
Wednesday, June 25th, 2025
Festival Tent, ul. Józefa 36
free admission
Shalom from Kazimierz
The sad moment has come when after many, many years we are forced to leave ulica Szeroka. Against our will. The reasons are completely beyond our control – some serious, dictated by safety concerns, other pathetic, dictated by greed and reluctance.
You probably remember that the concert “Shalom on Szeroka” gathered thousands of people from Poland and all over the world every year. It was a symbol and celebration of Jewish life. A unifying force, a path to reconciliation. A message of peace in a world full of wars and hatred. It made the eyes of the whole globe turn to Krakow, and the name of Krakow resounded in various parts of the world. This is now history. What is left is what we have. Well…, it is in the (post-Jewish) interest of many to love only dead Jews. The living ones – maybe not.
In search of more friendly locations, we decided – and with us the banished Spirit of ulica Szeroka – to move to Plac Wolnica.
Special guests of the concert: Mała Orkiestra Dancingowa, Boom Pam and … Dudu Tassa with Jonny Greenwood. Full line up and details of te concert you will find soon on our website.
