Hazzan David F. Tilman

Hazzan David F. Tilman was born in Albany, New York, in 1944. He attended Columbia College of Columbia University and received the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Religion and concentration in Music in 1966.

In 1971, Hazzan Tilman was graduated from the Miller Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary, receiving the diploma of Hazzan and the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Music.

In June 1975, Hazzan Tilman received the degree of Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the Juilliard School, where he was a student of the noted Israel-born conductor, Mr. Abraham Kaplan. Hazzan Tilman has also studied conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, at the Adirondack Festival of American Music in Saranac Lake, at Westminster Choir College of Princeton, New Jersey, and at Villanova University in Philadelphia. He has received the Artist/Teacher Diploma from the Choral Music Experience Institute and its founder, Dr. Doreen Rao. Since 1996, he has been a voice student of James Longacre.

From September 1969, to July 1975, Cantor Tilman served as Hazzan Sheni at the Park Avenue Synagogue of New York City, and taught at the Hebrew Arts School.

In August 1975, Hazzan Tilman became Cantor of Beth Sholom Congregation. Under Hazzan Tilman's direction, the music programs of our congregation have received significant national recognition for both their artistic merit and educational content. In 1979, 1983, and 1987, Beth Sholom received the Solomon Schechter prize from the United Synagogue of America for excellence in music programming.

Hazzan Tilman has had a profound impact throughout our congregation. Under his supervision, the music for all services throughout the year has been renewed by new melodies for increased congregational participation, the introduction of both traditional and contemporary compositions, and many special Jewish musical events. He has taught music in every class of our religious school, pre-school, and high school. Every year Hazzan Tilman writes and directs a new cantata for the Consecration of the Alef Class. He conducts the Pre-school Model Seder and supervises preparation for the Confimation Service. He has created the Junior Torah Club, where hundreds of our students have learned to read Torah. Hazzan Tilman has also created the Hazzanut Program that has trained our B’nai and B’not Mitzvah students to lead Shabbat services. He has trained a group of young people to serve as High Holiday Hazzanim. Hazzan Tilman teaches the Mitzvot of Tallit and Tefillin to our High School students. He has been music director for the annual show for over twenty-five years. Hazzan Tilman has taught adult education classes throughout the congregation.

In 2005, Hazzan Tilman created the monthly Neshamah Service, held twice a month on Friday evenings, led by the Rabbis, Hazzan, and members of our own Neshamah Band.

Hazzan Tilman has created four choirs within the congregation where Jewish values are taught through the Jewish Choral Music Experience: the fifty voice New Jewish Community Choir, the twenty voice Hakolot Teenage Ensemble, the thirty-five voice Youth Chorale, and the fifteen voice Men’s Club Choir. Hazzan Tilman has created the Annual Zimriyah/Music Festival, combining all the choirs of the congregation with professional symphony orchestra and guest soloists.

Hazzan Tilman has taken the Beth Sholom choirs to Israel to participate in the World Gathering of Choirs sponsored by the State of Israel in 1979, 1987, and 1992.

The Youth and Adult Choirs have sung at the National Convention of the Cantors Assembly, in Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall of Lincoln Center in New York, and at the World Gathering of Holocaust Survivors at the Philadelphia Civic Center. In December 1986 and December 1988, he led both choirs and the Philly Pops Symphony Orchestra at the Academy of Music.

Hazzan Tilman’s influence has been felt outside of the congregation as well. For ten years, Hazzan Tilman was an instructor of Music Education at the Miller Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary. From 1983 to 1996, he was an instructor of Hazzanut at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. Since 1985 Hazzan Tilman has served as Instructor of Synagogue Skills, Jewish Music, and Choir Director of the Forman Center of the Perelman Jewish Day School of Philadelphia. Hazzan Tilman has been Music Director of Camp Ramah in Wingdale, and Nyack, New York and for nine years, he was Music Director of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley, California.

He has appeared as guest lecturer, performer and conductor at many universities, schools, and synagogues. Hazzan Tilman has been guest conductor of the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Concert Choir of Albany State University, the Albany Pro Musica Chorus with forty members of the Albany Symphony, the Israel National Choir - RINAT, the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Boys' Choir.

In February 1992, Hazzan Tilman was Music Director of the Annual Palm Beach Liturgical Culture Foundation Concert, conducting the Beth Sholom Youth Chorale, the Palm Beach Masterworks Chorale, four star Cantors, and the Greater Palm Beach Symphony at the West Palm Beach Auditorium.

In May 1993, Hazzan Tilman served as Music Director of the National Cantors Assembly Convention, held in Philadelphia. He conducted the concluding concert of the convention featuring eight Cantors, five choirs, and symphony orchestra.

Since September 1995, Hazzan Tilman has been a regular columnist for the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. His column, "In Record Time", features articles on topics of Jewish music. In February 2000, he was appointed classical music critic of the Exponent.

In May 1996, Hazzan Tilman was music director for the combined Beth Sholom Zimriyah and Solomon Schechter Day School 40th Anniversary Concert, featuring over 300 singers, soloists, and symphony orchestra.

In January 1998, Hazzan Tilman was Chorus Master for the "Hear 'O Israel" concert featuring the combined Philadelphia Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic. He prepared a choir of 260 men and women and 80 boys to sing under the batons of Wolfgang Sawallisch and Zubin Mehta.

In June 1998, he conducted the Lansdowne Symphony in an Israel 50 concert. In December 1999, he conducted the Concerto Soloists Concert Band and the Beth Sholom Youth Chorale in a program of Hanukkah music at the famous Church of the Holy Trinity. In the spring of 2000, he conducted the Old York Road Symphony at the Cheltenham Centennial Service and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Centennial Rabbinical Assembly Convention.

In March 2001, the National Cantors Assembly awarded Hazzan Tilman the first ever Moshe Nathanson Award for excellence in conducting.

In October 2001, Hazzan Tilman made his debut at the Academy of Music as narrator for a performance of "A Survivor from Warsaw" with the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.

Since 2001, Hazzan Tilman has been guest conductor of the Bux-Mont Chamber Symphony, leading this professional orchestra’s annual spring concert.

Hazzan Tilman serves as conductor of the Cantors' Assembly Ensemble of the Delaware Valley.

Hazzan Tilman is married to Ellen, daughter of Sidney Rosenberg, of blessed memory, our congregation’s former executive director, and Theda Rosenberg. The Tilmans are the proud parents of Avrum, Howard and Alana.