Cantor David Rosen

Cantor David Rosen is the Senior Cantor and Music Director of Holy Blossom Temple; the oldest synagogue in Toronto and the largest Reform synagogue in Canada.

A Toronto native, Cantor Rosen is thrilled to come back to his roots after having served with distinction, in cantorial pulpits in New York and New Jersey. Cantor Rosen was Ordained in 2003 and received a master’s degree in sacred music from the Debbie School of Sacred Music at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Before that, he graduated from York University with a Psychology and Advanced Jewish Studies degree.

Cantor Rosen is a sought-after performer of Jewish and secular music, having performed in concert venues, synagogues and churches across the United States, Canada, and Europe. With his rich and versatile baritone voice, Cantor Rosen has a generous repertoire, singing in various languages and genres. Credits included “Escamillo” in Opera Breve’s production of Carmen and featured soloist with the Westchester Wind Ensemble. He has also been featured on CHIN Radio and has recorded for Transcontinental Jewish Music Publications. Recently, Cantor Rosen recorded and produced “Shabbat in the Woods,” an album of Jewish Music for families, featuring the voices of over 600 children.

Cantor Rosen loves to create community through music and collaboration. He advocates for Interfaith programming and dialogue, spearheading “Gifts of Light,” an annual interfaith concert, which raises awareness and tens of thousands of dollars for various humanitarian causes. He is the visionary behind Holy Blossom’s Centre for Arts and Culture, a multi-disciplinary centre for performance and education of the Arts.

Cantor Rosen continues to teach and mentor many young cantors in the field having served as adjunct faculty at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at HUC-JIR. He is an active member of the Executive Board of the American Conference of Cantors and serves as the chair of their Ethics Committee. In 2022, Cantor Rosen was the visionary behind creating the Reform Cantors and Cantorial Soloists of Canada, an organization promoting the Reform Cantorate in Canada. He is also a member of the Cantor’s Assembly and a past president of the Toronto Council of Hazzanim.

Cantor Rosen is married to Rabbi Ilyse Glickman, the Rabbi of the Danforth Jewish Circle. They have an 11-year-old music-making son named Joel and enjoy leisure time with their two adorable shih-tzus, Lucy and Willow.