Musician Oren Tzur Releases First Personal Album

There are love stories that never end. Such is the story of Oren Tzur and music. It began in his childhood when he realized their connection was inseparable, though he didn't know how deep it was. Today, his professional record is replete with significant milestones that contrast with his modesty. Over the years, he became one of the sought-after producers in Israel, working with top-tier artists like Berry Sakharof, Avraham Tal, Karolina, the band Girafot, Boaz Sharabi, and Beit HaBubot. But besides his significant contribution to music, what do you really know about Oren Tzur?

Oren Tzur

Currently, as a person close to Judaism and leading a religious lifestyle, most of the projects that Tzur backs are primarily religious, significantly contributing to Jewish music. In 2011, he played in Berry Sakharof's song "Tzamei Lecha Nafshi," a well-known Chabad melody. He also produced the album "Simchat Olam," a special tune project by Rabbi Ginzburg, which Tzur produced with Nadav Bachar and other renowned artists like Erez Lev Ari—just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite this, it is surprising to discover that Tzur's roots are from a secular background. "I was born and raised in Kibbutz Ginosar to parents who were social workers. A very warm and loving family on one hand, and on the other, distinctly leftist, disconnected from any religious symbols. At home, we didn't talk about religion."

Nevertheless, at a very early stage in his life, he got acquainted with the world of Judaism. "At about the age of four, my parents relocated to Dimona, and the only kindergarten near our home was religious. Thus, for convenience, my parents enrolled me in that kindergarten. Interestingly, the moment I first wore a kippah on my head—I refused to take it off," Tzur smiles and adds, "From that moment, my uncle, Yakov Jacques Amir, then mayor of Dimona, went to a shop for religious articles and bought me a tallit. That's probably my most vivid memory from that time."

His love for music began shortly after, around the age of five, when Tzur asked his parents to play classical violin, and they agreed. It was his initiation into the field, which Tzur never dreamed would take him so far. Today, besides the violin, he also plays viola, mandolin, and guitar. "Over time, I reached quite a high level, but when I was drafted into the army, I decided to leave it all behind. I didn't see myself progressing in the classical world, and my soul already felt then that it wanted to create other things."

At his home, they didn't talk about religion

To Lose Both Parents to Cancer Within Years

Later on, three months before his enlistment, Tzur received a special scholarship to the "Tanglewood" music camp in the USA, intended for gifted musicians. However, alongside the joy and great love for music that filled him, Tzur simultaneously dealt with a great tragedy, losing his mother, who passed away from cancer. About six months later, he enlisted, and towards the end of his military service, Tzur founded the band "Esev Bar" which enjoyed great success but disbanded after producing two albums.

After "Esev Bar," Tzur returned to Kibbutz Ginosar and started working as a waiter at a restaurant in Rosh Pina. "One day, my drummer friend Barak Ben Tzur called and suggested I join him for some ensemble. I went to Tel Aviv with grand plans from here to Jerusalem, and nothing happened. After a relatively 'quiet' year in Tel Aviv, I surprisingly discovered I received a scholarship to study music at the prestigious Berklee School of Jazz in Boston, and I decided to enroll."

Tzur lived in Boston for three years, until at the age of 27, he experienced another sudden tragedy with the death of his father from cancer at only 62. "It was a period of severe crisis, after which I returned to Israel and my familiar niche in the band 'Esev Bar,' and it helped me a lot," he describes. When that ended as well, Tzur started creating black music in the band 'Black Velvet,' and later married his wife, whom he had known since the age of 20.

At this point, the couple began an intensive process of getting closer to Judaism, which started manifesting slightly before in the form of Torah classes they occasionally attended. "I remember, in the first Torah lesson I ever attended, I felt my soul signaling that this is the truth, and from that moment on—I embraced it, and along with my wife, we slowly started keeping Shabbat."

During this time, Tzur also met Nadav Bachar—a talented musician in his own right, who has now been playing with Tzur for over ten years. "The initial meeting with Nadav was the beginning of a wonderful friendship, and the fact that both of us went through, more or less, the same path contributed greatly to our years-long collaboration. Over time, Nadav and I founded the band 'A Groissa Matziah' and started creating tunes in our style, and it was amazing."

How do you manage to work together for so long?

"In a close relationship like ours, naturally, disagreements occasionally arise—but the good thing is that in many respects, Nadav and I share the same line of thought. For instance, the fact that both of us understand the importance of working on one's character traits holds significant weight. More than Nadav being an amazing partner and an exceptionally talented individual, I can only say that I have been blessed with a good and true friend."

Later, he was approached by the Charedi band 'L'Chatchila' and offered to learn the tunes and join them. Over time, he managed to play alongside the best singers and creators in the Jewish music genre, including as a violinist in the band 'The Heart and the Spring.'

"It Took Me Time to Hone Myself as a Musician"

But despite the rich resume and extensive years of work with various artists, it seems that the thing that excites him more than anything these days is a new album set to be released soon, named "Personal Place." Although Tzur has previously released albums with bands he played in, this is now his first personal album, on which he worked intensively for about a year, drawing most of his inspiration for the texts from the studies of Yemima, Kabbalah, and Chassidut.

"The album 'Personal Place' is a kind of period summary, and also the beginning of a new era for me," he explains. "A period summarized by hiding behind the violin and primarily playing others' music, and with God's help, the opening of a significant personal period, where I will mainly play what I have to offer the world, with love. The feeling is of self-fulfillment and a true mission. I feel that with these songs, I am fulfilling the purpose of my coming into the world, more than any music I have played until today. It took me time to hone myself as a guitarist and singer, and that's the reason I'm only now releasing these materials. I believe I also needed to mature as a man, a husband, and a father before coming out to the world with these materials, some of which are very personal. I feel most myself when working on my own materials, but producing for others and helping them realize their potential brings me great joy as well."

Two singles from the album have already been released and received warm responses, "Ohr Chozair" and "Things Not Seen," which was also chosen on our Hidabroot website as one of the 23 best songs in Jewish music last year. "My approach to making music is that you have to do what you love. As a fan of Hebrew poetry, I've always wanted to compose songs by the poetess Yona Wallach, and blessed be Hashem—I was privileged to fulfill the dream of Oren from the age of 22 and do it in this album. It was something that brewed inside of me for a long time, just waiting for the right opportunity to come out. The uniqueness of this album is that it's very warm and quiet, and I play everything in it—from mandolin to violin and viola. So for those who love, at least as much as I do, quality text interwoven with different musical styles and techniques borrowed from different musical worlds, including Irish and Celtic music—I think you'll quite enjoy it. Or at least I hope so."