- Source: Mendy Portnoy
Mendy Portnoy is an English-born Israeli singer, pianist, composer, and producer. He is best known as half of the folk rock duo the Portnoy Brothers with his older brother Sruli. He has also released three albums as a solo artist.
Early life
Portnoy was born in Manchester, England, the seventh of nine children. His father is a rabbi and former orchestra conductor. He and six other siblings made aliyah to Israel as adults, however Portnoy and his brother Sruli have since moved to the USA where they currently reside (as of 2024).
Portnoy studied music from a young age and began playing together with Sruli around age 14. He originally took guitar lessons, with Sruli taking piano, before the two switched.
Career
In 2010, he performed at the Complete Unity Concert at Heichal Shlomo alongside Aharit Hayamim, Shtar, and JudaBlue. He and Sruli participated in the music video "Waving Flags", performed by campers and volunteer staff at Camp Simcha.
Mendy Portnoy was featured on composer Yossi Green's 2015 album Pianesque. That same year, he collaborated with singer and saxophonist Daniel Zamir on Esa Einai, an album of Shlomo Carlebach songs, and released a short online-only piano album entitled Holy Days.
He was the final keyboardist for the Jewish rock band Hamakor, performing on their 2014 single "Lift Me Up".
As of 2020, Portnoy moved to New Jersey to work for Jewish music company Thank You Hashem where he works as a music producer under the studio name Farbrengable Studios.
= Portnoy Brothers
=Mendy and Sruli Portnoy began collaborating as the Portnoy Brothers in 2012 with their debut single "Kol Ha'olam". They received further attention in 2014 with their single and music video "Learn to Love". An album of the same name was released in 2016. This was then followed with No Complaints in 2019. The album The Shabbat Project is expected to be released in the near future.
= Other activities
=In addition to being an artist and a producer, Portnoy is also a professional editor and photographer and was Ezra Kress's rotator at camp simcha special from 2010-2011.
Discography
= With Hamakor
="Lift Me Up" (single) (2014)
= With Portnoy Brothers
=Learn to Love (2016)
No Complaints (2019)
= Solo albums
=Esa Einai: Mendy Portnoy Plays Shlomo Carlebach (with Daniel Zamir) (15 February 2015)
Holy Days (7 September 2015)
Introspection: Mendy Portnoy (with Avraham Balti) (September 2020)
The Chabad Sessions, Vol 1 (2023)
= As featured artist
=Yossi Green, Pianesque (2015)
= Other credits
=Yerachmiel, "Acheinu" (2014) – piano, arrangement
Sarah Dukes, "Raining Rockets" (2015) – piano