Ben Steinberg (22 January 1930 – 10 February 2023) was a Canadian composer,Jack Wertheimer.
The American Synagogue: A Sanctuary Transformed
'. Cambridge University Press; 13 February 2003. . p. 402–.Fred Rosenbaum.
Visions of reform: Congregation Emanu-El and the Jews of San Francisco, 1849-1999
'. Judah L. Magnes Museum; 1 January 2000. . p. 327. conductor, organist, and music educator. A member of the

Canadian League of Composers The Canadian League of Composers (CLC) is an organization formed in 1951 of Canadian composers primarily interested in raising awareness and acceptance of Canadian music. Its activities are overseen and directed by an executive, and by a National C ...

and an associate of the

Canadian Music Centre The Canadian Music Centre was founded in 1959 by a group of Canadian composers who saw a need to create a repository for Canadian music. It now holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music, and works to promote the music of its As ...

, he is known for his contributions to

Jewish music Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and in domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may origina ...

. He has presented many programs of Jewish music (some featuring his own compositions) for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

and has presented similar programs in lecture-recitals throughout Canada, the United States, Australia, and Japan. He has also contributed articles on Jewish music to a number of publications. Several of his original manuscripts and papers are held in the collection at the library of the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

. Steinberg was a founding member of th
Guild of Temple Musicians
an affiliate of th
American Conference of Cantors
The GTM named their most prestigious award for young composers of Jewish music after Steinberg, th
Ben Steinberg Young Composer Award
Steinberg was an honorary member of the American Conference of Cantors and a featured composer fo
Transcontinental Music Publications
the largest and oldest publisher of Jewish music. Steinberg died on 10 February 2023, at the age of 93.

Early life

Born to Jewish parents in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Steinberg was the son of cantor and conductor Alexander Steinberg.
Music in Jewish History and Culture
'. Harmonie Park Press; 2006. . p. 261. By the age of eight he was singing as a soloist with his father's synagogue choir. He was a pupil of

Samuel Dolin Samuel Joseph Dolin (22 August 1917 – 13 January 2002) was a Canadian composer, music educator, and arts administrator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a founding member of the Canadian League of Composers (CLC), he served as th ...

(piano),

Weldon Kilburn Weldon may refer to: Places In Canada: * Weldon, Saskatchewan In England: * Weldon, Northamptonshire In the United States: * Weldon, Arkansas * Weldon, California * Weldon, Illinois * Weldon, Iowa * Weldon, North Carolina * Weldon Township, M ...

(singing), and

John Weinzweig John Jacob Weinzweig (March 11, 1913 – August 24, 2006) was a composer, teacher, and advocate of contemporary Canadian concert music. Born in Toronto, Weinzweig went to Harbord Collegiate Institute, then studied music at the University of Tor ...

(composition) at

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto C ...

from 1948 to 1951 and 1957 to 1960. He also studied music education at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

where he earned a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

in 1961.

Career

In 1950 Steinberg was appointed director of the music program at the school at

Holy Blossom Temple The Holy Blossom Temple is a Reform synagogue located at 1950 Bathurst Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Toronto. Founded in 1856, it has more than 7,000 members. W. Gunther Plaut, who died on 8 Februar ...

in Toronto, a position he held until 1960 when he became the temple's music director. He remained in that post until he became music director at Temple Sinai in 1970. From 1953 to 1958 he taught at various public schools in the Toronto area. He became the head of the music department at

Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the Dorset Park neighbourhood of Scarborough, it is owned and operated by the Toronto District School Board (and the former Scarborough Board ...

in 1961. He left there in 1964 to become the head of the music program at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute where he remained until 1986. In 1961 the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...

commissioned and published his method for youth choirs, ''Together Do They Sing''. During the 1960s Steinberg composed three sacred services which were published by Transcontinental Music. He later wrote two more services of which one was published in 1990. Transcontinental has also published several of Steinberg's choral, organ, orchestral, and vocal works, including ''The Vision of Isaiah'' (1970) for tenor, choir, and organ or instrumental ensemble; ''Yerushalayim'' (1973) for soprano, choir, and orchestra; and ''Echoes of Children'' (1979), a cantata for soloist, narrator, chorus, and orchestra. The latter composition was awarded the International Gabriel Award and was twice performed on nationally televised broadcasts on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

in the United States. In 1978 and 1980 Steinberg was the artist-in-residence for the city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. In 1980 Paul Brodie commissioned his ''Suite Sephardi'' and in 1983 his ''Suite for String Orchestra'' was commissioned by the Chamber Players of Toronto. In 1983 he won a composition award from the

American Harp Society The American Harp Society, Inc. (AHS) is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1962, the AHS is an organization of harpists with more than 3,000 members from all 50 states and 20 countries. The organization is currently led by President Lynne Aspnes ...

for his ''Suite for Flute, Viola and Harp'' (1981) and was awarded the Kavod Award of the

Cantors Assembly Cantors Assembly is the international association of hazzanim (cantors) affiliated with Conservative Judaism. It was founded in 1947 to develop the profession of the hazzan, to foster the fellowship and welfare of hazzanim, and to establish a con ...

. In 1989

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

Richard Allen Richard, Rick, or Dick Allen may refer to: Artists *Dick Allen (poet) (1939–2017), American poet, literary critic and academic *Richard Allen (abstract artist) (1933–1999), British painter *James Moffat (author) (1922–1993), Canadian-Britis ...

recorded several of his works on the cassette ''A Ben Steinberg Concert'' and in 1990 his ''Invocations'' was commissioned by

Lawrence Cherney Lawrence Cherney, CM (born May 1, 1946) is a Canadian oboist and the current Artistic Director of Soundstreams Canada. A proponent of new music in Canada, Cherney commissioned more than 30 new works for oboe during his career. He is a charter mem ...

. He was commissioned to write a total of 18 compositions by temples, synagogues, and congregations in the USA between 1980 and 1991.
The American Harp Journal
'. Vol. 18. American Harp Society; 2001. p. 42.

References

External links

*
Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steinberg, Ben 1930 births 2023 deaths Canadian male conductors (music) Canadian composers Canadian male composers Canadian male organists Jewish Canadian musicians Musicians from Winnipeg The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni University of Toronto alumni 21st-century Canadian conductors (music) 21st-century Canadian organists 21st-century Canadian male musicians