The Zamir Choral Foundation, created by Matthew Lazar, promotes choral music as a vehicle to inspire Jewish life, literacy and community. Its programs include the acclaimed Zamir Chorale; Zamir Noded for young adult singers; the North American Jewish Choral Festival; the Jewish Choral Conducting Institute to train the next generation of Jewish choral conductors; HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir; and the HaZamir Preparatory Program for middle-school singers. Matthew Lazar, founder and director of the Zamir Choral Foundation, is the leading force of the Jewish choral movement in the United States. The Zamir Choral Foundation is guided by an expansive vision of vibrant Jewish identity across the generational, denominational and political continuums through the study and performance of Jewish music at the highest level of excellence.