Murray Savar, our resident organist/pianist/substitute cantor is also director of music at The Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA. He has been at Irwin's since 1977, teaching Kindergarten through high school general music, conducting choral concerts, composing and producing children's operas, musicals, and songs. His musical training started at Settlement Music School. Attending Central High School of Philadelphia, he was awarded the Board of Education Music Scholarship to attend Temple University College of Music. 

His long-term collaboration with cantor Robin Sherman began as both were music education students. He has also studied in Hungary at summer graduate seminars at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and at the Kodály Institute of Music in Kecskemét. His Judaic background includes study at Gratz College and Temple University, teaching Hebrew School at Temple Beth Tikvah-B'nai Jeshurun in Flourtown, PA, and organist at Or Ami in Lafayette Hill, PA. 

Murray also is a lover of languages. He can converse in Hebrew, Hungarian, German, and French. Presently studying Spanish, he hopes to add this to the list soon! 

In 1993, when TE was in need of an organist, Cantor Sherman asked Murray to substitute until a replacement could be found. Because of his already very busy schedule, he was reluctant to commit to a permanent position here at TE, but Murray fit so well in the TE family, that he's been here ever since. 

In addition to being an organist here, he added piano into the service. His extensive knowledge of Hebrew, cantillation, and Jewish music has enabled him to fill in as substitute cantor. In 2001 he and Cantor Sherman completed a CD recording of the Shabbat liturgy.

In 2003 he composed the musical score for La France Divisée, a film documenting the collaboration and resistance in Vichy France and the deportation of the Jews during World War II.