The Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award Concert is performed by our winner, a Jewish artist at the threshold of his/her career. The award was established to encourage the careers of young Jewish artists in the Canadian community as well as the performance of music by Jewish composers.
The concert is made possible through the gifts of Helen and Joseph Berman and the Darren Kendal Memorial Endowment Fund.
2018 — Liel Amdour, Guitar
A passionate ambassador of the classical guitar, Liel Amdour is committed to sharing the music of the guitar with the audiences everywhere. Liel regularly performs as a soloist in diverse settings and receives frequent praise for her expressive performances and charismatic presence. A recent graduate of the University of British Columbia, where she completed her Bachelor of Music in guitar performance under Dr. Daniel Bolshoy, and a two-time recipient of the British Columbia Arts Council Scholarship Award for promising young artists, Liel is devoted to the journey of refining her art. She has participated in numerous local and international guitar festivals and competitions.
2017 — Shulamit Sarid, Cello
Sarid, born in Jerusalem in 1993, began studying the cello at age five with her mother, the cello teacher Mrs. Bluma Sarid, at the Israel Conservatory. In 2016 Shulamit graduated with a Master’s degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Currently, Shulamit is pursuing her studies for an Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto with Mr. Andres Diaz and Mr. Desmond Hoebig.
Shulamit served in the IDF Outstanding Musician Unit. She played for the Music for the Community Project of the Education Corps and performed daily for the elderly, the sick, and children with special needs. In 2012, she had the opportunity to play in Poland in the ceremony at Auschwitz on Holocaust Memorial Day, as part of her army service, through a delegation called “Witnesses in Uniform.”
2015/2016 — Ron Cohen Mann
Ron is an Artist Diploma candidate at the Yale School of Music, studying with Stephen Taylor. He completed his Master of Music at Mannes School of Music, studying with Sherry Sylar of the New York Philharmonic, and his Bachelor of Music at the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Beth Orson, where he was awarded the UBC Medal in Music.
Cohen Mann was a prizewinner at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal Standard Life Competition 2014, and the winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition 2013 and Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award 2015. He has performed in various orchestras including The Manhattan Symphonie, L’Orchestre de la Francophonie, The National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, and The National Youth Orchestra of Canada in performances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully and Avery Fisher Halls (Lincoln Center), Symphony Space (NYC), Koerner Hall (Toronto), Notre Dame Basilica and Maison Symphonique (Montreal), among others. He has toured to India, China, and throughout Canada and the United States and played under eminent conductors including Valery Gergiev, Peter Oundjian, John Adams, Jonathan Darlington, Alain Trudel, and Carolyn Kuan. www.oboeron.com.
Composer-in-Residence Ben Steinberg
The prestigious Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award, created 34 years ago, is a prize given annually to a deserving young Jewish musician on the threshold of his/her career. It is the only award of its kind given by a synagogue in North America and would not exist without the financial support of our donors. Temple Sinai should be very proud of its role in perpetuating and sustaining this prize through the generosity of the Helen and Joseph Berman Fund and The Darren Kendal Memorial Fund. The Berman Family recognized the importance of supporting our emerging young artists, and for the Kendal Family, this award recital is an enduring tribute to their beloved son and brother.