David "Dudu" Fisher (born 18 November 1951; he, דודו פישר) is an Israeli

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

and

performer The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art object ...

, best known for his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

performance as

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

in the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''.

Biography

The son of a

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

survivor, Fisher was born in

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Fisher had a son in June 2016. His second wife Tali is his promoter and his agent.

Cantorial career

Fisher began cantorial studies at age 22, after his discharge from the army following three years of service that included the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

. He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, and studied privately under Cantor Shlomo Ravitz. He then took up the cantorial position at the Great Synagogue in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, followed by four years in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. For over 20 years, he was the cantor at

Kutsher's Hotel Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club in Thompson, Sullivan County, near Monticello, New York, was the longest running of the Borscht Belt grand resorts in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State. While the region was open to any and all vis ...

in the

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas cl ...

during the Jewish

high holidays The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

. In 2005, he became the Chief Cantor of the Hampton Synagogue in

Westhampton Beach, New York Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,721. History The village of Westhampto ...

and its now defunct subsidiary, the New York Synagogue in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
''

After being mesmerised by the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

performance of the 1980s hit musical, Fisher, despite no prior acting experience, requested the part in a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

production of ''Les Misérables''. He played its leading role, Jean Valjean, in Israel from 1987-90. In 1988 he was invited to perform the role before

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. He played the role on

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

during the winter of 1993-1994, and later at London's West End. At both venues, Fisher was the first performer excused from Friday night and Saturday performances, as he is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

and was not able to perform because of the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

Other performance roles

Among Fisher's other performances is his one-man

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

show, ''Never on Friday'', an anecdotal work exploring the complications of his experience on Broadway as an observant Jew. He performed in many tours around Israel, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and the world, particularly in Jewish communities, performing classics, as well as musicals, such as ''Over the Rainbow'' which toured Israel with Fisher performing 40 Broadway

show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. ...

s. He performed with the

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisra'elit'') is an Israeli symphony orchestra based in Tel Aviv. Its principal concert venue ...

, conducted by

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...

, with a performance televised in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and with the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

and the Queens Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded an album of show tunes with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. He was the first Israeli artist allowed to sing in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

before

perestroika ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...

. In May 2009, Fisher sang along with

contratenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a sp ...

David D'Or David D'Or ( he, דוד ד'אור; born David Nehaisi on October 2, 1965) is an Israeli singer, composer, and songwriter. A countertenor with a vocal range of more than four octaves, he is a three-time winner of the Israeli "Singer of the Year" a ...

for

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

as the pope visited Israel. In 1988, he was invited to London to take part in a

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

hosted by the Queen of the United Kingdom. The performance was a special version of ''

'', featuring artists from the many productions playing around the world. From there, the play’s producer,

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

, invited Fisher to play the role of Jean Valjean on Broadway and London's West End. In December 2018, Fisher was subject to a

stay of exit A stay of exit or no exit order ( he, צו עיכוב יציאה מן הארץ , or simply Tzav ikuv) is a type of court order issued by an Israeli court. It is used to prevent an individual from leaving the country, such as an active-duty Israel ...

due to being involved in a bankruptcy proceeding. While this usually means that the subject is prohibited from leaving Israel, Fisher was permitted by the court to leave the country for two days in order to perform at a concert in Vienna. The waiver was given after he deposited

₪ The shekel sign (₪) is a currency sign used for the Israeli new shekel, which is the currency of Israel. Israeli new shekel (1986–present) The Israeli new shekel is denoted in he, שקל חדש (''šéqel ħadáš'', , lit. "New Shekel") ...

250,000 ($80,000) collateral with a special assets manager via a third party.

Discography

In addition to his stage and synagogue performance, Fisher has released over 25 albums, including songs in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

, and English, many classics and cantorial pieces, as well as music for children. He also dubbed the part of

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

in the Hebrew version of an animated film, ''

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The first feature film from DreamWorks to be traditionally animated, it is an adaptation of the Book ...

'' (1998). * ''Beshem Hashem'' (''In God's Name'') (2008) * ''Hatikvah'' (2005) * ''Lehitei Yiddish Beivrit'' (''Yiddish hits in Hebrew'') (2005) * ''Coming to America'' (2004) * ''Prayers On Broadway'' (2003) * ''Odecha'' (1999) * ''Mamenyu'' (1997) * ''L'tav Ulchayim V'lishlam'' (''For Good, for Life and for Peace'') (1997) * ''Never on Friday'' (1996) * ''Az Yashir David'' (1996) * ''Showstoppers'' (1994) * ''The Malavsky Family Songs'' (1993) * ''Mamma Loshon'' (''Mother Tongue'') (1992) * ''Velvet Tiger'' (1992) * ''Golden Chasidic Song'' (1992) * ''Gift'' (1992) * ''Tonight, a Musical'' (1991) * ''Stairways to Heaven'' (1990) * ''Over the Rainbow'' (1989) * ''Yiddishkeit'' (1988) * ''Elokai Neshama'' (1985) * ''Songs of My Heart'' (1983) * ''Golden Yiddish Favorites'' (1985) * ''Childhood Years'' (1985) * ''Raisins and Almonds'' * ''Songs of the Living'' * ''Yiddishe Mamme'' * ''Dudu Fisher's Kindergarten'' (DVD/VHS) He also joined

, Eran Zur, and Meir Banai in the song "Lisa" on the album ''Radio Blah-Blah'' (1994) by the Israeli band "The Friends of Natasha

In 2009, Fisher recorded the song "Saleinu" for the organization Pioneers For A Cure, with the proceeds benefiting Ezer Mizion.

References

Sources

"Bridge Between People 'Dudu' Fisher to Bring Music to Warner Theatre"
''Dallas Jewish Week'', 13 June 2002.

at GoldenLand.com; accessed 12 December 2005.
"Golden Land Dudu Fisher"
forward.com; accessed 12 January 2018.

External links

Official web site

Sameach Music's full Dudu Fisher discography

* *
Dudu Fisher's recording of "Saleinu"
for Pioneers For A Cure * from ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Dudu 1951 births 20th-century Israeli male actors 20th-century Israeli male singers 21st-century Israeli male actors 21st-century Israeli male singers English-language singers from Israel Israeli hazzans Israeli male musical theatre actors Israeli Orthodox Jews Living people People from Kiryat Tiv'on People from Petah Tikva People from Tel Aviv Yiddish-language singers