Hillel Tigay

Our guest this week on Art of the Song is Hillel Tigay. As a cantor at the IKAR Synagogue in Los Angeles, Hillel took up the challenge presenting 2,000-year-old Hebrew texts in a more accessible musical setting. Filtering these ancient lyrics through musical influences like Peter Gabriel and U2, the result is JUDEO, a CD collection of Psalms and biblical verses set to modern music. Holding the vision that music is indeed a universal language, the record was made with love by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. According to Hillel Tigay, “The music recorded here attempts to offer the listener, whether deeply pious, agnostic, or secular, a tangible sense of something greater than oneself.” We spoke with Hillel shortly after the release of JUDEO. [visit Hillel's website]