David Presler

Cantor David Moses Presler was born on November 21st, 1961 at 2:01 PM  to Rabbi Bernhard and Lily Presler in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Rabbi Presler, known as Bernie, was born in Stetin, Germany in 1936, moved to England during the war, and to Brooklyn, US in 1948. Lily Spanlang was born in Belgium in 1938, and was hidden during the war in Switzerland. In 1965 the family moved to Bellmore, Long Island and soon had another son, Ari Menachem in 1967. It was in Bellmore Jewish Center , a Conservative congregation, where young David had the chance to  help with the Bar Mitzvah training from the age of 5, and to eventually read Torah, and lead davening. While attending an Orthodox Jewish Day School, HANC, in 3rd grade, he was approached by Robert Simenowitz, who sang with the Leon Berger Choirs. 
“I had a tape recorder and studied my parts on the porch where we had a Sukkah. I recall the 4 years in the choir, the first two at Pelham Parkway Jewish Center, and then to Conneticut etc.. I slept in the upstairs Hebrew School room on cots where there were mosquitoes. They left me alone in this huge building until Dad picked me up after Yontiff. I was kept company only by my favorite bag of Barbeque Potato Chips. Then my voice changed, and I couldn’t stay in the Choir any longer. By the age of 16, my father learned of the need for a High Holiday Cantor back at Beth El in East Stroudsburg. I didn’t know the Nusach, but kept on through the davening until I got faint and during Hayom T’amtsenu, fell to the ground. Years later, in Florida, a Rabbi Westman was playing piano at Morse Life, and we got to talking. He was the Rabbi 40 years prior when I fainted.”
I studied Music at Five Towns College and earned two Music Degrees at the Aaron Copland School of Music (B.A. and M.S.), and finally graduated in 2000 and 2002. I took the scenic route, and took most of the courses available in the catalogue. I studied and was most fascinated by the advanced chromatic Music Theories of Henry Burnett. In 2007, I graduated Yeshiva University with an S.C. in Jewish Education and Administration. While in college for 25 years, I held a number of Cantorial positions in Long Island, including Malverne Jewish Center,Beth El of Patchogue, Beth El in Pittsburgh, Bay Shore Jewish Center and Jewish Center of Forest Hills West for 4 years.
In Malverne, I met Professor Arbie Orenstein, who suggested I study at Queens College. There was a English Cantor there who suggested I study Cantorial music with the esteemed Noah Schall, whom I never heard about. I would go to Schall’s house, in his famous basement in Forest Hills, and study one piece at a time. The cigar smoke stuck to these pages which I began to collect. One day, I saw a pile of papers that had Shabbat nusach, which I was interested in learning, because he didn’t provide tapes. I asked in what book I could find that music. Many of these pages were unpublished! So I embarked on publishing this body of work for Shabbat morning, enlisting colleagues to share in the financing of the project. The book was completed and is now available privately until future printings.”:
During the 40 years I served as Cantor, I attended Cantorial Conventions. When I attended a lecture by Cantor Sol Zim, he inspired a room of hundreds of Cantors to compose their own melodies. My early compositions were not consistent and the ideas didn’t flow one to another. After composing 100 settings to Ani Ma’amin, inspired by a dream where I saw myself writing these settings, my skills had improved and in 2005, my Chasidic Sim Shalom was chosen to be featured in the Shabbat Anthology 5 by Transcontinental Music.  Eric Komar was the editor, and my Pianist, Inessa Malayeva, wrote out the accompaniment. Years later, I was to work with Eric again on the Schall project.
In 2010, I moved to South Florida to serve Temple Emeth in Delray Beach as Cantor. I started to give concerts with my talented wife, Shira, and we had a duo entitled, David and Shira! Florida was the perfect place to do concerts with all the Senior Homes. We performed in many theatres, and worked with Music Director, Gary Lawrence, who introduced us to many fun and popular American Standards. I also knew of Cantor Avshalom Zfira, although I never met him, and took the opportunity to call him upon my arrival. I learned many Bel Canto secrets from “Avsha” as his dear students and colleagues call him, and my voice improved. 
While in Florida, I performed hundreds of concerts. I also sang with Florida Grand Opera, Naples Opera, and Palm Beach Opera choruses. At the time of the Corona virus, my whole performance schedule was cancelled, and I learned that my father was ill in and passed away in Israel. My mother said that it is time to move to Israel and reminded me that our family tree  which was burned in the Shoah, traced me back to King David, son to son. I am currently planning Aliyah this Fall, 2020 and to share my passion for Hazzanut, teaching voice, editing music and producing Concerts. 

פרסלר דוד

תולדות

דוד פרסלר נולד בי”ג כסלו תשכ”ב 21.11.1961 לרב ברנרד ולילי פרסלר בסטרודסבורג, פנסילבניה שבארצות הברית.
הכשרתו במוזיקה ובחזנות

כשהיה בכיתה ג’, פנה אליו רוברט סימנוביץ, ששר במקהלת לאון ברגר, והציע לו להצטרף למקהלה, בה שר במשך 4 שנים. דוד למד מוזיקה במכללת “Five Towns” וסיים שני תארים במוזיקה בבית הספר למוסיקה של אהרון קופלנד. תאוריות המוזיקה הכרומטיות המתקדמות של הנרי ברנט הקסימו אותו ודוד השקיע בלימודם. בשנת 2007 סיים את לימודיו בישיבה יוניברסיטי  עם תואר ראשון במשפטים בחינוך ומנהל יהודי.

משרות החזנות בהם כיהן

כשהיה בקולג’ במשך 25 שנה, כיהן כחזן בלונג איילנד, ב-“Malverne Jewish Center”,  ב-“Beth El of Patchogue” ב-” Beth El in Pittsburgh”, ב-“”Bay Shore Jewish Center וב-” Jewish Center of Forest Hills West”במשך 4 שנים.

פעילותו בחזנות

ב- Malverne פגש את פרופסור ארבי אורנשטיין, שהציע לו ללמוד במכללת קווינס. שם פגש חזן אנגלי, שהציע לו ללמוד חזנות אצל נח שול. דוד החל ללמוד אצלו במרתף ביתו בפורסט היל, ובכל פגישה למד קטע אחד ועשן הסיגרים נדבק לדפי התווים. באחד הימים ראה ערמת תווים עם נוסח לתפילות השבת. כששאל את נח שול באיזה ספר יוכל למצוא את המוזיקה הזו, התברר שרבים מהתווים לא פורסמו. דוד החל לגייס אנשים להשתתף במימון הפרויקט. הספר הושלם והוא זמין למכירה. במהלך 40 השנים בהן כיהן כחזן, השתתף בכנסי חזנות. באחד הכנסים שמע את הרצאתו של החזן סול זים שנתן השראה למאות החזנים שנכחו, להלחין ניגונים משלהם. דוד חיבר 100 לחנים ל”אני מאמין”, כישוריו השתפרו ובשנת 2005 נבחרה היצירה החסידית שלו “שים שלום” להופיע באנתולוגית תפילות השבת.

בשנת 2010 עבר לדרום פלורידה כדי לכהן כחזן “Temple Emeth” ב-Delray Beach. בדלרי ביץ’ פגש את החזן אבשלום צפירה, ממנו למד את סגנון ה”בל קנטו” וקולו השתפר. דוד שר עם האופרה של פלורידה, האופרה של נאפולי ומקהלות האופרה של פאלם ביץ”.

Please visit www.davidpresler.com