Cantor Ben Tisser
The Audrey Abrams & Neil Newman Cantorial Chair
952.873.7313
Ben Tisser is Senior Cantor of Beth El Synagogue. Prior to his arrival in Minneapolis he served congregations in Los Angeles, New York, Boca Raton, and Chicago. He began his cantorial training at age six under Cantor Herschel Fox (Valley Beth Shalom) as a soloist in the Cantor’s choir, then serving as Fox’s synagogue organist from age 12, where he learned to “daven at the keyboard”. He continued to study Hazzanut with such cantorial luminaries as Alberto Mizrahi, Jacob Mendelson, Robert Kieval z”l, and Daniel Gildar z”l.
He received his B.A. in Hebrew Literature, Holocaust Studiers, and Middle East Political Science from American Jewish University, and was ordained by JTS’ H.L. Miller Cantorial School in 2013. A noted composer and arranger, his choral arrangements are sung in synagogues around North America. An active performer, he has performed at the Palau de la Musica Catalan in Barcelona, Jazz@Lincoln Center in New York, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the Rogers Centre in Toronto, and in synagogues throughout North America, Europe, and Israel.
Hazzan Tisser has served on the Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly, the largest body of Hazzanim in the world, and was President of its Midwest Region from 2016-2021. He released his first album of original music, “Hegyon Libi”, in 2021; it is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Youtube. Since arriving in the Twin Cities, Cantor Tisser has become involved with the interfaith community, often teaching about Judaism to local Catholic schools, and workshopping Hebrew music with local school choirs.
When he’s not on the bimah, Cantor Tisser enjoys cooking, composing, reading, traveling, playing with his dog, and enjoying a glass of wine. Standing out among his greatest accomplishments are his two children, Talia and Ethan.