Ruth Hertz Weber
# Ruth Hertz Weber

Ruth Hertz Weber aka Ruth Lopez-Yañez is a San Diego based composer, conductor, and pianist. She is a member of The Recording Academy.

## Biography

As a composer, Ruth's songs have been recorded in the U.S. and abroad, and she has been a winner of the New York Pro/Am Songwriting Competition, The Canadian Songwriting Competition, the Jewish American Songwriting Competition and the Music City Song Festival, among others. Her songs have appeared in film and print music.

An advocate for education, Ruth and her daughter Emilia Lopez-Yañez make up the children's music group Ruth and Emilia. Their debut album "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" received rave reviews and won numerous awards including the [Hollywood Music in Media Awards].

Ruth is presently the Artistic Director/Conductor of The San Diego Jewish Men's Choir, which performs over 25 concerts per year in the Southern California area. The choir released its first award-winning album, “Heritage,” on Jan.1, 2014, and its second multi award-winning and Billboard (magazine) charting album, KOCHI, in 2015. Under Ruth's leadership the group received a proclamation from Mayor Todd Gloria proclaiming the men's choir's festival/ release party as Chanukah JAM Day 2013. Ruth Weber and the Men's Choir have performed on national television as guests on the Chabad Telethon 2014 and on two Jewish Life Television episodes. In 2018, Ruth organized a tour for the choir to travel to Omaha, NE, where they performed alongside the Omaha Symphony under the direction of conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez, and later to Phoenix, AZ.

Ruth Weber was named music director for the Center for Jewish Cultural Renaissance after her success with these festivals. Ruth was the founder of the Cuyamaca College Chorus and the Accompanying Ensemble at Palomar College. She organized the “A Night at the Opera” fundraiser concerts, which raised over $30,000 the first year, benefiting the student support services at Poway High School, and saving the valuable program for two years in a row.

As one of the music directors at the First United Methodist Church in Escondido, Ruth directed the Children's Choir, the Youth Choir, the Church Orchestra, the Disciple Singers, and ran the Children's Choir Festival for several years. As music director for Ner Tamid Synagogue in Rancho Bernardo, Ruth formed and directed the Ner Tamid Choir and the Klezmattack Ensemble. She organized and directed two JUMP festivals (Jews United in Music Performance) which aimed to unite the community in song, raise money to buy trees in Israel and sponsor cultural activities in San Diego.

Ruth is also Artistic Director for the Jean Will Presents concert series at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, California.

As a classical pianist Ruth has performed internationally as well as in the U.S. She has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, Opera Aguascalientes, CSUN, The San Fernando Valley Men's Choir, and as a recording artist with the Marantz Pianocorder Division.

## Discography

| | Title | Artist | Contribution | Year |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1st | This Ain't the Number - Single | Marie Lester | Co-Writer | 1986 |
| 2nd | Oh My Baby | Ruth Lopez-Yañez | Artist/Composer | 1990 |
| 3rd | Eight Songs of Chanukah | Ruth Lopez-Yañez | Artist/Composer | 1992 |
| 4th | Me and the Kids | Ruth, Emilia & Enrico Lopez-Yañez | Artist/Composer | 1997 |
| 5th | Heritage | San Diego Jewish Men's Choir | Conductor/Producer | 2015 |
| 6th | Forever Strong, a Tribute to the USS Indianapolis | Stephen Melillo | Choral Conductor | 2015 |
| 7th | Kochi | San Diego Jewish Men's Choir | Conductor/Producer | 2016 |
| 8th | The Mitzvah Bus | Mister G (children's performer) | Choral Conductor | 2016 |
| 9th | Hineni, Music for the High Holy Days | Cheri Weiss | Pianist/Vocalist | 2016 |
| 10th | Shanti Samsara | Ricky Kej | Co-Composer/Choral Director | 2016 |
| 11th | Action Moves People United | Multiple Artists | Co-Composer/Choral Conductor | 2016 |
| 12th | Let's Have a Rockin Christmas Vol 2 | Various Artists | Co-Composer | 2017 |
| 13th | Buddha Lounge | Art Tawanghar | Co-Composer | 2017 |
| 14th | The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard | Ruth and Emilia | Artist/Composer/Producer | 2018 |
| 15th | We Are One | Windwalker and MCW | Co-Composer/Arranger | 2018 |
| 16th | Kokowanda Bay | Ruth and Emilia | Artist/Composer/Producer | 2020 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Nominated Work | Category | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1986 | New York Pro/Am Song Jubilee | "This Ain't the Number" | Country | Won |
| 1989 | Hollywood Song Jubilee | "This Ain't the Number" | Country | Won |
| 1993 | American Jewish Song Festival | "Dreidel Sing Along" | World Music | Won |
| 1993 | American Jewish Song Festival | "Lion of Judea" | World Music | Won |
| 2014 | Global Music Awards | "Heritage" Album | World Music | Won |
| 2015 | Global Music Awards | "Kochi" Album | World Music | Won |
| 2015 | Parent's Choice Award | "The Mitzvah Bus" Album | Children's | Won |
| 2016 | Shalshelet 6th International Festival | "Dreydl Sing Along" | Jewish Music | Won |
| 2016 | John Lennon Songwriting Contest | "Where Do I Live" | Children's | Nominated |
| 2016 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | "Enlighten Your Soul" | World Music | Nominated |
| 2016 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Dreydl Sing Along | Holiday | Nominated |
| 2017 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | "Distorted Time" | New Age/Ambient | Nominated |
| 2017 | Global Peace Song Awards | "Enlighten Your Soul" | World Music | Won |
| 2018 | Family Choice Awards | "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" | Children's | Won |
| 2018 | Global Music Awards | "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" | Children's | Won |
| 2018 | Creative Child Awards | "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" | CDs | Won |
| 2018 | Tillywig Toy Awards | "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" | Children's | Won |
| 2018 | Hot Diggity Awards | "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" | Children's | Won |
| 2018 | National Parenting Product Awards | "The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard" | Kids and Families | Won |
| 2018 | John Lennon Songwriting Contest Winners | "Repair the World" | Children's | Won |
| 2020 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | "Like Magic" | Children's Music | Nominated |
| 2020 | Kids First Endorsement | "Kokowanda Bay Album" | Audio | Won |
| 2020 | Global Media Awards | "Kokowanda Bay Album" | Children's Music | Won |
| 2020 | Mom's Choice Awards | "Kokowanda Bay Album" | Audio | Won |
| 2020 | Parents' Choice Awards | "Kokowanda Bay Album" | Music | Won |

## Education

Ruth Lopez-Yañez Weber received her Bachelor of Music degree from San Diego State University (SDSU), and her Master of Music degree from California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

