Conor O'Neil

Conor O’Neil is the Director of Music at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim. A born-and-raised Montrealer, he received his Bachelor’s of Music (Faculty Program) at McGill University in 2007 and his Master’s in Music (Film Scoring) from Université de Montréal in 2012. A member of the Synagogue Choir for nearly 20 years, he was blessed to hone his craft under the guidance of his friends and predecessors, Stephen Glass and Roï Azoulay. Conor collaborated on the choral arrangements for Leonard Cohen’s “It Seemed the Better Way” and “You Want It Darker”, the latter of which garnered the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. He also contributed to Cohen’s track “Puppets” from the posthumous release “Thanks for the Dance”, nominated for the 2021 Grammy for Best Folk Album. Conor co-founded and played in the Canadian Indie-rock band Lakes of Canada from 2010 through 2020. Along with Cantor Gideon, Conor seeks to further the wonderful musical legacy of SH’MA, Shaar Hashomayim Music & Arts.