OFIR

Ofir Ronit Engel is an international charismatic songstress, multilingual singer 8 times award winner songwriter, songwriter captivating dancer, actress and vibrant poet, original in style and passionate in performance. Born in Israel, she moved to Canada from the small City of Nahariya in 2004. Ofir began her path to success at the tender age of seven, winning a national cartooning competition, acting in plays and performing in the school band. At age 12, in the school’s High Holiday ceremo...

Ofir Ronit Engel is an international charismatic songstress, multilingual singer 8 times award winner songwriter, songwriter captivating dancer, actress and vibrant poet, original in style and passionate in performance. Born in Israel, she moved to Canada from the small City of Nahariya in 2004. Ofir began her path to success at the tender age of seven, winning a national cartooning competition, acting in plays and performing in the school band. At age 12, in the school’s High Holiday ceremony, she sang “Lu Yehee,” the Israeli ballad which means “whatever you wish for will come true.” Mesmerized by her voice, all who heard that performance recognized that Ofir Ronit Engel had a unique talent and a bright future. During the 1990s, Ofir spent a few years in New York City, studying acting at the Actors’ Studio and the William Asper School of the Arts, and developing her speech, vocal and dance skills. Soon she landed some acting jobs, chalking up credits that included roles in James Gray’s The Yards, Sex and The City, and The Unfortuneteller, a funny sitcom that she created, wrote and produced, and in which she starred. When that show aired on MNN, it created quite a buzz, helping Ofir move on to a gig as co-host of two TV Shows, where she interviewed celebrities, including Hutch from Starsky and Hutch, the first Playboy girl, and Dr. Who, with whom Ofir worked on other TV shows and in films. Subsequently Ofir had the honor of working with the Israeli French Director, Amos Gitai, in his movie, Haalila. And, back in Israel, she sang at the famous celebrity club, “Stage” in Tel Aviv. More recently, Ofir has had much success in singing and songwriting competitions, garnering rave reviews. While her music is hard to define, it has been acclaimed as “dramatic,” “theatrical,” “throbbing with rhythms,” “edgy,” “real,” “deep,” and “futuristic.” Commentators have also noted the intellectual content of her poetic lyrics and suggested an affinity with Madonna, Geri Helliwell and Celine Dion. Since her move to Canada in 2004, Ofir has won international acclaim as a songwriter. That year, her hit, The Passion Show, was a finalist in the Pop and Dance Category at Canada’s Song of the Year Competition and won the United Kingdom’s Songwriting and Top 5 International “Song of the Year” Contest. (These two international contests are judged by a jury of Grammy Award winners like André Fisher, recipient of 40 Platinum/25 Gold albums & 3 Grammy Awards; Wayne Watson and others.) She also won the Impressive Songwriter Award twice – for The Passion Show in 2004 and It’s Awesome in 2006. In 2006 Ofir released her first album, produced on her own. Called Poetry of the Brilliant Silence, it contains selections, set to music, of the melodic poetry that won her the International Society of Poets poetry writing contest in 2003. In August 2007, she produced her long dreamed-of Dance/Music CD. Titled The Passion Show, it consists of her own original songs, released under her Passion Show Records label, and includes the song Outrageous that captured semi-final honors in the UK Songwriting Contest in 2005. Response has been very enthusiastic and her songs continue to be played on CBC Radio 3. Ofir also reaches out to the community. She wrote and performed a song for a crime victim and his family in Aquuasearch, Texas, composed and recorded a haunting tribute to Natalee Holloway on the first anniversary of her disappearance and participates various charity fundraising events.