Gershon Kingsley
| Gershon Kingsley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Götz Gustav Ksinski |
| Born |
October 28, 1922 Bochum, Germany |
| Genres | Electronic, classical, pop, sacred, crossover |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, arranger, keyboardist, conductor |
| Instruments | Synthesizer, piano |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Website | Official website |
Gershon Kingsley (born Götz Gustav Ksinski; October 28, 1922) a contemporary German-American composer, is a pioneer of electronic music and the Moog synthesizer and founder of the First Moog Quartet, as a partner in the electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, and writer of rock-inspired compositions for Jewish religious ceremonies.
Kingsley conducted and arranged many Broadway musicals, and composes for film and for television shows and commercials. Kingsley also composes classical chamber works and his most recent opera, Raoul, was premiered in Bremen, Germany in 2008. His compositions are eclectic and vary between avant-garde and pop styles. Kingsley is most famous for his influential electronic instrumental composition "Popcorn". His work garnered recognition with a Tony Award nomination for Best Conductor and Musical Director, two Clio Awards for his work in advertising, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bob Moog Foundation.
Gershon Kingsley was born Götz Gustav Ksinski in Bochum, Germany, in 1922, to a German father who was Jewish and German mother who was Catholic. Kingsley was a member of a Zionist youth movement and at the age of 15 left Germany in 1938, a few days before Kristallnacht and joined kibbutz Ein Harod, Israel, while his parents stayed behind at that time. At the kibbutz he taught himself to play the piano. He joined the Hagana Jewish Settlement Police (Notrim) and also played jazz in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. He studied at the Jerusalem conservatory of music. His parents emigrated to the United States where Kingsley met up with them eight years later.
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