Cantor Yoed Sorek was born in Jerusalem in 1980. At thirteen, he performed a solo part in Luciano Berio's "Ofanim" with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado. After serving in the IDF as a paramedic, he continued his vocal studies at the Jerusalem Academy with Agnes Massini (and a double major in piano with Eitan Globerson). He completed his second bachelor's degree in 2010 at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Rita Dams and Diane Forlano. He studied at the Scuola Civica in Milan in the class of Roberto Balconi. In May 2015, he completed his Master's degree in ensemble conducting at the renowned Schola Cantorum in Basel. He also participated in the International Vocal Arts Institute program in Tel Aviv. He is an experienced vocal coach and piano accompanist.
He conducted the synagogue choir "Shma Kaulenu" of the IKG Munich in 2012 and was the conductor of the "Chant Sacré Chor" of the synagogue in Strasbourg from 2014 to 2015.
Cantor Yoed Sorek specializes in Yiddish song and, as a duo with pianist Susanna Klovsky, won the "Best Yiddish" prize and the Utrecht Mercaz Prize at the 2014 International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam. He has sung as a soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Pera Ensemble and in 2017 with the MDR Orchestra in the leading role of the Rabbi in Kurt Weill's ״Die Verheißung״.
His debut album of Yiddish songs "Sima's Songs" was released in May 2014. With his educational project "Sima's Songs - Stories & Songs from the Vilna Ghetto" he performs in schools and at major festivals, including the IJMF in Amsterdam and the Suzan Dallal in Tel Aviv.
He is the founder and director of the "Shir Chazanut Ensemble", with which he performs as cantor, director, pianist and with his own musical arrangements in concerts and services, e.g. in the Munich Gasteig, at the "Stuttgarter Jüdische Kulturtage 2016", at the inauguration of the German Federal President Budo Ramelo in 2021 in the Berlin Ryckestr. Synagogue in 2021 and at the Deutschlandfunk concert at the Wartburg in 2023, which was broadcast to 1.5 million listeners.
As a cantor, he has led services in many European cities, including Amsterdam, Warsaw, Berlin and Stuttgart. In the years 2021-2024 he served as cantor of the liberal community in Hannover.
Appearances at the the Jewish Music Festival in Weimar, Jewish Culture Days in Stuttgart, Munich, Chemnitz, Constance and Oldenburg, the Lange Nacht in Augsburg and the International Museum Day at the Mozarthaus in Augsburg round off his stage career. Memorable participation in commemorations of the Shoa includes the Vilnius Day of Remembrance in 2015 and the memorial service in the German Bundestag on 27.1.22.
In addition to numerous interviews and articles, a film documentary on Yoed's life and work, “Gesungene Errinerungen”, was made for the German public broadcaster ARD.
He completed his cantorial studies at the Geiger College and a third bachelor's degree, this time in theology, at the University of Potsdam in 2023. He speaks Hebrew, German, English and Italian.
Since 2021 he has been the cantor of the Liberal Jewish Community of Hannover.