Louis Danto

Who was Louis Danto?

Louis Harry Danto was a lyric tenor and cantor. He was acclaimed for his cantorial music, concert appearances and recordings of Italian, Russian, and French opera repertoire. Danto performed throughout North America, Europe and Israel, and recorded 24 solo albums.

Danto was recognized for the "rare beauty and purity of his voice, its mastery, power and control, and for his breathtaking emotional expressivity." After a performance at Carnegie Hall, Alan Rich of the New York Times wrote, "a voice of great beauty, clear and true — breathtaking, radiant, as though from another world." George Jellinek, broadcaster and music critic for Stereo Review magazine, wrote of Louis Danto: "No other tenor under contract to a major U.S. opera company today can duplicate such technique and overall control."

Danto served as cantor at Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda synagogue from 1973 until his retirement in 1998. In 2005, he donated his historical collection of Jewish sheet music, recordings and books to the synagogue.