Oh, and his latest music CD, which includes folk tunes and a rap tune about Passover, is selling well.
Eskin has been a faculty member of the University of Manitoba for 40 years, but his other career has taken him in an entirely different direction.
"I wanted to be an opera singer," Eskin notes, "but my parents encouraged me to go to university and seek an alternate career in case the singing didn't work out."
However, biochemistry worked out. Born in England, Eskin did his Ph.D in toxicology and emigrated to Canada where in 1968 he joined the (then) School of Home Economics as an assistant professor in food chemistry.
Determined to maintain both his interests, even as he taught and conducted research, he was also active as a folksinger and performed across Western Canada as a Cantor. Eskin was guest Cantor for the High Holiday in Sheffield, England, several years ago, where he also gave a concert of English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian and Italian songs plus some of his own original works.
As a committed educator, he has written songs on food and contributed to the Canadian version of Sesame Street. Recently, he recorded a CD of songs based on Bible stories such as Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel. Supported by a grant from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, the CD incorporates several different musical styles including folk, reggae and country music. Perhaps most remarkable is the fact that one of the most catchy tunes on the CD features him rapping a story about Passover.
The video of the Passover Rap is available on YouTube at: http://www.tinyurl.com/eskinmb
Eskin's CD, titled "Michael Eskin Performs Mostly Genesis With A Little Exodus," is available at: eskinmusic.ca
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