Dudu Fisher

Dudu Fisher
Born	David Fisher (1951-11-18) 18 November 1951 Petah Tikva, Israel
Alma mater	Tel Aviv Academy of Music
Occupation	Actor and cantor

David "Dudu" Fisher (born 18 November 1951; דודו פישר) is an Israeli cantor and stage performer.

He is known for his Broadway performance as Jean Valjean in the musical Les Misérables.

Early life

The son of a Holocaust survivor, Fisher was born in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Cantorial career

He began studying at age 22, after the Yom Kippur War and his discharge from the army following three years of service.

Fisher 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, followed by four years in South Africa. For over 20 years, Fisher was the cantor at Kutsher's Hotel in the Catskills during the Jewish high holidays. In 2005, Fisher became the Chief Cantor of New York Synagogue.

Les Misérables

After being mesmerised by the London performance of the 1980s hit musical, Fisher, despite no prior acting experience, requested the part in a Hebrew production of Les Misérables. He played its leading role, Jean Valjean, in Israel from 1987 to 1990, and made local fame.

He played the role on New York's Broadway during the winter of 1993-1994, and later at London's West End, where he was invited to perform before Queen Elizabeth II. At both venues, Fisher was the first performer excused from Friday night and Saturday performances, as he is an Orthodox Jew and was not able to perform because of the Sabbath.

Other performance roles

Among Fisher's other performances is his one-man Off-Broadway 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, 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 tunes.

He performed for United States President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, for Britain's Royal family, and for the Thai Royal family.

Fisher has also performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, with a performance televised in France, and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Queens Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded an album of show tunes with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was the first Israeli artist allowed to sing in the Soviet Union before perestroika.

In May 2009, Fisher sang – along with contratenor David D'Or – for Pope Benedict XVI as the pope visited Israel. today Dudu fisher is performing every november in Branson, Missouri with his show Jerusalem

Discography

In addition to his stage and synagogue performance, Fisher has released over 25 albums, including songs in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English, many classics and cantorial pieces, as well as music for children. He also dubbed the part of Moses in the Hebrew version of Steven Spielberg's animated film, The Prince of Egypt (1998).

• Hatikvah (2005)
• Lehitei Yiddish Beivrit (Yiddish hits in Hebrew) (2005)
• Coming to America (2004)
• Prayers On Broadway (2003)
• Songs of My Heart (2002)
• Mamenyu (2001)
• Odecha (1999)
• L'tav Ulchayim V'lishlam (For Good, for Life and for Peace) (1997)
• Never on Friday (1996)
• Az Yashir David (1996)
• Beshem Hashem (In God's Name) (1994)
• 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)
• Golden Yiddish Favorites (1985)
• Childhood Years
• Raisins and Almonds
• Songs of the Living
• Yiddishe Mamme
• Dudu Fisher's Kindergarten (DVD/VHS):
  1. (1998) (translated to English)
  2. "We Are All Friends" (2000)
  3. "From the Heart and Soul" (2001)
  4. "The Friendship Trip" (2002) (translated to English)
  5. "It's the Thought That Counts" (2003)
  6. "From the Mouth of the Infants"
  7. "Shabat Shalom"
  8. "Shana Tova"
  9. "And Thou Rejoice in Thy Feast"
  10. "From Slavery to Freedom"
  11. "A Great Miracle Happened There"
  12. "Shavuot Holyday"
  13. "Jerusalen" (translated to English)
  14. "Purim"
  15. "Song of the Animals"

He also joined David D'Or, Eran Zur, and Meir Banai in the song "Lisa" on the album Radio Blah-Blah (1994) by the Israeli band "The Friends of Natasha".[1]

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

See also

• List of Israeli actors
• List of Israeli musical artists
• List of Jewish musicians

References

• "Bridge Between People – 'Dudu' Fisher to Bring Music to Warner Theatre". Dallas Jewish Week. 13 June 2002.
• Dudu Fisher at Golden Land Concerts & Connections. Accessed 12 December 2005.
• "Golden Land Dudu Fisher".

External links

• Official web site
• Sameach Music's full Dudu Fisher discography
• Jewish Australia Dudu Fisher
• Dudu Fisher at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dudu Fisher's recording of 'Saleinu' for Pioneers For A Cure
• Dudu Fisher's rendition of 'Bring him home' on YouTube from Les Misérables (Hebrew)