A Legacy of Musical Innovation: 2026 Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund

The Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund for Composition: Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn, recipient of the Yovel Award for Jewish Music Composition, and Alex Baker, recipient of the Student Composer Prize.

These annual awards, made possible through the generosity of the Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund, celebrate two composers-one an emerging voice in Jewish music and the other an established artist whose work has made a lasting contribution to the field. Presented as end-of-year academic honors, these awards recognize outstanding musical achievement and the essential role of composition in shaping contemporary Jewish spiritual life.

"On behalf of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College, I am honored to celebrate this year's recipients of the Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund for Composition. Alex Baker's 'Psalm 23' reflects both artistic maturity and a deeply felt engagement with sacred text, signaling a bright and meaningful future in Jewish music. Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn's body of work continues to inspire us with its creativity, vision, and profound dedication to the evolution of our liturgical tradition. Together, these artists embody the spirit of innovation and reverence that defines our field, and we are proud to recognize their contributions to the ongoing vitality of Jewish musical life."
-Jill Abramson '02, Interim Head of Seminary Programs and Director of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music

Alex Baker: A Rising Voice in Jewish Music

Alex Baker, a dual cantorial and rabbinic student who just completed his third year of study, is the recipient of this year's Student Composer Prize. This award is presented annually to a current student who exemplifies exceptional achievement in Jewish music composition.

Baker was recognized for the premiere of his original work, "Psalm 23," which was featured in the annual Composers' Workshop and culminating academic presentations. The composition demonstrates an impressive level of artistry and a sophisticated engagement with sacred text, bringing emotional depth and musical nuance to one of the most enduring passages in Jewish and liturgical tradition.

Performed in the context of his broader recital programming-including repertoire featured in Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music performance showcases and practicum settings-"Psalm 23" reflects Baker's ability to bridge textual sensitivity with musical expression. The award committee, composed of faculty members, praised the work for its craftsmanship, interpretive insight, and meaningful contribution to the evolving canon of Jewish sacred music.

Through this recognition, Baker emerges as a compelling new voice, contributing thoughtfully to the future of Jewish musical creativity.

Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn: Honoring a Legacy of Innovation

Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn is the recipient of the Yovel Prize for Jewish Music Composition, awarded to a living composer over the age of fifty who has made a noteworthy contribution to Jewish music through artistic excellence, vision, creativity, and innovation.

The Yovel Award takes its name from the fiftieth year of the harvest cycle described in the Torah and shares an etymological connection with Yuval, the biblical figure associated with the origins of musical expression. In this spirit, the award honors composers whose work both sustains and reimagines the Jewish musical tradition.

Hirschhorn was selected by a faculty committee in recognition of the tremendous contributions she continues to make to Jewish music through her original compositions. Her work reflects a deep commitment to liturgical life, artistic exploration, and the ongoing evolution of Jewish musical expression.

Since arriving in the United States from Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1992, Cantor Hirschhorn has built an extraordinary career spanning more than three decades as a cantor, composer, conductor, performer, recording artist, and educator. Ordained as Hazzan by the Academy for Jewish Religion in 1999, she has served as Hazzan and Music Director at Ansche Chesed on the Upper West Side since 2004, and has taught cantorial students at the AJR, the H. L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College for over twenty-five years. Her compositions have been commissioned by ensembles including Hazamir: the International Jewish Teen Choir, the Bachanalia String Orchestra, and the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, and she has performed at distinguished venues across North America and Europe, including Jazz at Lincoln Center and the 2025 International Lewis Lewandowski Festival of Jewish Music in Berlin. She is also the recipient of the Cantors Assembly Cantor Moshe Nathanson Award for Conducting (2022).

A Legacy of Musical Innovation

The Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund plays a pivotal role in advancing Jewish music. By recognizing the achievements of both emerging and established composers, the Fund ensures the perpetuation of a rich musical heritage that resonates with contemporary and future generations. In celebrating these achievements, we honor the past, enrich the present, and inspire the future of Jewish musical expression.

Through the generosity of the Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund and all who support and recognize the incomparable value of telling Jewish stories and traditions through music and art.

Dr. Jack Gottlieb, z"l, (1930-2011) was an internationally recognized composer of Jewish liturgical music and choral, opera, theater, and orchestral works, and a leading authority on Leonard Bernstein's music. As Professor of Music and Composer-in-Residence at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music, his influence now extends to generations of cantorial students. Dr. Gottlieb was an authority, author, and lecturer on the influence of Jewish popular, folk, theatrical, and liturgical music traditions on the rise of American popular music. He was a vocal proponent of reforging a connection between learned cantorial-training and aesthetic standards in American synagogues, and he advocated for liturgical music appropriate to the dignity of prayer and the sophistication of Hebrew liturgy. Dr. Gottlieb was awarded the posthumous Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Hebrew Union College in 2011 at Graduation Ceremonies in New York, where his composition Eitz Chayim was performed by Hebrew Union College's cantorial students. A memorial concert commemorating his life and work was held on his third yahrzeit in 2014 at Hebrew Union College in New York, and the dedication of the Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund, by a gift from the Theophilous Foundation, took place on October 13, 2020, in honor of what would have been his 90th birthday.

Read about last year's recipients.