Saturday, March 25, 8 pm
Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus
One of Israel’s singing treasures, Gitit Shoval will share her vocal and storytelling talents through her concert, “From Gershwin to Dylan: the Genius of Jewish Songwriters,” a tribute to Jewish composers, as part of the Israel Today series.
Shoval’s musical career began at age 13 in 1979 when she was discovered at a pre-Eurovision contest and became an overnight success. Performing all over Israel, she eventually began her IDF service as a solo performer, using her musical gifts to lift the spirits of the troops.
Around the same time Shoval completed her army service, she met her husband and creative soul mate, musical producer and Berklee College of Music graduate, Ron Druyan. Collaborating with leading poets, composers, and song writers throughout Israel, the Shovals produced 10 albums; four albums of holiday music in Hebrew reached multi-platinum status. They co-founded Tomitoot Productions Inc., one of the top production companies in Israel dealing with cartoon voice-overs, offering dubbing service in 20 languages. So, in addition to her singer songwriting career, Shoval produced the Hebrew voices for many of the most iconic cartoon characters of the times, from Smurfs to Barbie.
In 2003, the Shovals moved with their children to Canada. While living outside of Israel, Shoval looked for a creative vehicle to share her Israeli/Jewish heritage, her love of singing, and to connect to a more global audience by performing in English, not only Hebrew.
She researched songs that she loved and discovered that many of the North American songwriters were Jewish, such as Leonard Cohen, George Gershwin, Bob Dylan and Carole King. By pulling together worldwide hits from Jewish talent over the last 50 years, Shoval created and launched her current concert program as a family affair. Her husband, Ron, plays the piano, her son, Shaqed, is a talented guitarist and drummer, and her daughter, Tutti sings.
For one night, the Simon Family JCC will be transformed into a jazz club, complete with cash bar and appetizers, as this Israeli singing sensation and her family share an evening of song highlighting the Jewish contribution to contemporary world music.
Tickets are $23; $18 for JCC members. For more information or to buy tickets, visit Jewishva.org/IsraelToday or call 757-321-2338.
Gitit Shoval is the seventh guest of the Israel Today series, which offers cultural and educational programs aimed at spotlighting the diversity of talent and people that comprise Israeli life. Presented by the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and community partners.
– Sherri Wisoff