Nurit Hirsh (Hebrew: נורית הירש, b. Tel Aviv, 1942) is an Israeli composer, arranger and conductor who has written over a thousand Hebrew songs. Two of her most famous and widely songs are Ba-Shanah ha-Ba’ah (Next Year, lyrics by Ehud Manor), and Oseh Shalom bi-Meromav (text from the Kaddish prayer).
Nurit Hirsh (Rosenfeld) studied at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, majoring in piano. She also studied composition with Mordecai Seter, orchestration with Noam Sheriff and conducting with Laslo Rott. She studied clarinet with Yaacov Barnea of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Hirsh did her IDF military service with the entertainment troupe of the armored corps. She began composing upon completion of her service, debuting with Perach Halilach, composed in 1965 to lyrics by Uri Asaf and which was made famous by singer Chava Alberstein.
In 1971 her song "Bashana Haba'a" was covered by Joy as "Next Year" produced by Rod McBrien.
With Ilanit she participated in the Athens song contest. Also in 1971 she represented Israel in the Split Song Festival (Yugoslavia) with ‘Na’ari bayam beito’, performed by Edna Goren, in a Serbo-Croatian version (‘Moren plovi dragi tvoj’), by Ibrica Jusić. In the Viña del Mar Song Festival in Chile she obtained the second prize with ‘Hora nova’ performed by Aliza Azikri. She obtained first prize in the 1972 Malta Children’s Song Festival with ‘Makhela Aliza’.
In 1973, her song Ey Sham, performed by Ilanit, placed fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg. She orchestrated the song and conducted the orchestra. She was the second female conductor in the contest after Monica Dominique, who conducted the Swedish entry You're Summer the same year.