Cantor Azi Schwartz

Azi Schwartz is the Cantor and Music Director of the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City - the flagship of Jewish liturgical music in the United States. Cantor Schwartz serves on the faculty of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at HUC-JIR in New York City, on the faculty of H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and on the faculty of the cantorial school of Abraham Geiger College in Berlin. Born and raised in Israel, Cantor Azi Schwartz has sung with prestigious orchestras and choirs around the world. He has performed in the United Nations' General Assembly Hall, the United States Capitol Rotunda, and the Knesset, in City Field stadium, as well as in Carnegie Hall, the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv accompanied by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rykestrasse Synagogue in Berlin accompanied by the RIAS Kammerchor. In October 2015, Azi represented the Jewish people at the multireligious gathering at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum during the Pope's visit to New York. Cantor Schwartz earned a master in music (M.Mus) from the Mannes School of Music in New York City, where he majored in voice and conducting. He is a graduate of the Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute and also studied classical music at The Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance. Prior to embarking on his professional musical career, Azi graduated from the Har Etzion Hesder Yeshiva and completed his military service as a soloist in the Israeli Defense Forces Rabbinical Troupe. Azi has served as Cantor of the Palm Beach Synagogue in Florida, Cantor and Choir Conductor of the Park East Synagogue in New York City, Cantor of Heichal Meir Synagogue in Tel Aviv and Assistant Cantor of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. His singing and conducting repertoire includes classical music, Israeli music, Jewish music and original works. He has released eight solo albums in addition to participating in several other recordings. Azi is married to Dr. Noa Schwartz, and they have three children.