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10 Must-Have Albums from the Milken Archive of Jewish Music

When philanthropist Lowell Milken heard beautiful synagogue music that was performed once—possibly never again—he set out to discover, record, preserve and disseminate music inspired by Jewish life in a land of freedom. Lowell’s vision resulted in the founding of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music in 1990, which has produced more than 700 recordings—the largest collection of American Jewish music ever assembled. 

Each album is meticulously researched and recorded by extraordinary talent from around the world. The recordings feature works by more than 200 composers and world-renowned artists, from Dave Brubeck and Bruce Adolphe to Gerard Schwarz and Leonard Bernstein. Record producer and pianist David Frost won five Grammy awards for Classical Producer of the Year in 2005 for his work on several Milken Archive albums in this list, including Dave Brubeck, Bruce Adolphe, Genesis Suite, Jewish Operas Volume 1 and Yehudi Wyner.

Much of the Milken Archive repertoire was unknown to audiences or was either never recorded, or not recorded to acceptable standards, and thus in danger of being lost to future generations. Enjoy this selection and take part in continuing to preserve a vital part of the American Jewish experience.