| stage in concerts and for
private events such as weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and organizational
dinners. He then saw the need to create a production company to
handle the ever- increasing demand for his expansive musical talents.
EG Productions was formed in 2001 and now Eli & his team are
continuously hard at work producing the many projects that he is
involved in.
In the fall of 2001, Eli boldly made history with
the creation of the ensemble group, “The Chevra”, and
with the production of their first album. With their unique blend
of inspiring Hebrew words set to "catchy" rhythms &
tunes—along with a distinctive combination of voice synthesizers,
varied beats & electric guitars to give the music a rock/pop
edge—the Chevra instantly catapulted to fame and became the
hottest group on the Jewish music scene, attracting fans of all
ages and from all walks of life. The title track, “Yehei”,
became an immediate smash hit the world over, branding it as the
Chevra’s “trademark” song. Building on the stunning
success of that first album, Eli and the Chevra have subsequently
released Eli Gerstner & The Chevra A Capella with the music
of R’ Shlomo Carlbach and Chevra2 & Chevra3, featuring
the respective hits, “L’Cha” & “Chizku”.
The Chevra currently travels the world performing their unique repertoire,
and are presently working on their fourth album slated for release
later this year.
Never one to shy away from challenges, Eli continued
to pursue new avenues to express his exceptional musical creativity.
His third solo chart-topping album, V’Ishey Yisrael, was released
in August of 2002, all while Eli was diligently working on the next
sensations to arrive on the Jewish music scene. One of those sensations
was, “Menucha”, another ensemble group of young men
though with a different flavor than the Chevra. “Menucha”
means contentment in Hebrew and with their sweet sound and distinctive
harmonious melodies, that’s exactly what they bring to their
listener. Their first album of the same name was released on January
1, 2003 and now they—after a banner year filled with sold-out
concert performances around the country—are eagerly &
excitedly anticipating the imminent long-awaited release of their
second album, Menucha2—Sh’ma Yisrael.
Another one of those sensations was just around
the corner. Despite tremendous success with his solo albums, and
the groups “Chevra” and“Menucha”, forming
a boys’ choir was a project that Eli Gerstner wanted to undertake
for many years. In 2003, Eli partnered with his close friend, Yossi
Newman, to create Yeshiva Boys Choir. YBC instantly catapulted to
fame and popularity with hits like “Kol Ha’Mispallel”
and “Adon Olam” on their first self-titled album. With
amazing musical compositions, engaging performances, and creative
choreography as their trademark, they quickly became the most sought
after boys’ choir in the nation. April 2005 saw the release
of Yeshiva Boys Choir 2, and the title track, “V’Ohavta”
immediately became a fan favorite. After much anticipation and with
great excitement, Yeshiva Boys Choir 3 was released in March, 2007.
It’s no surprise that its title track, “Shabichi”,
topped the charts without delay. YBC 3 also included the Choir’s
first English track, “In a Song”, which has earned rave
reviews and touched the hearts of fans all over the world as it
is dedicated to the residents of Gush Katif. Eli capitalized on
the phenomenal popularity of YBC—along with taking his artistic
& imaginative flair to a new level-- with the production of
two DVDs, YBC Live! And YBC Live! 2. YBC Live! 3 was just recorded
this past Chol Ha’Moed Pesach and is set to be released on
Chanukah while—much to the delight of fans young & old--
YBC4 will hit the shelves in just a few short months!
During this time, Eli expanded EG Productions into
a full service music company. He formed The Yosis Orchestra, which,
too, released an album in 2004. In addition to routinely accompanying
EG Productions’ vocal ensembles for performances in the greater
New York City area, Simchos are the Yosis Orchestra’s specialty!
Adept at a wide variety of music—including Yeshivish, Chassidishe,
Israeli and Sefardi-- and conducted by Eli Gerstner himself, no
special occasion is complete without the unbeatable sound of the
Yosis Orchestra & Singers.
In late 2005, Eli released another new project,
“Tek-Noy”. The Tek-Noy album is distinctive as the group’s
name: “Tek-Noy” is the Yeshivish version of the word
“techno.” Eli charted new territory by skillfully &
successfully merging the excitement of “techno” music
with the ideals and standards of the Yeshiva world. Working with
electronic music afforded Eli a new challenge of working with ten
to twenty thousand sound possibilities and combinations that cannot
be achieved with acoustic music.
Eli’s latest release, in September 2008,
was Melech a solo album from a brand new recording artist, Dovid
Stein. With a voice that is at the same time both strong and sweet
and that adeptly performs a varied blend of inventive Eli Gerstner
compositions, Dovid immediately—following in the footsteps
of all of his EG Productions predecessors—became a fan favorite
and tracks from this album, most notably “Hashem Yimloch”
and the title track, “Melech”, became instantaneous
hits.
When not performing in Israel, England, Canada,
Mexico or Australia —and of course in many other locations
across the United States-- Eli, his wife Chani, and their sons Yaakov
and Moishe, make their home in Brooklyn, New York.
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