He received hisadvanced degrees in conducting from the Kishinev Conservatory, 1966 and violin performance from the Moscow Conservatory, 1960 in the former Soviet Union. He served as conductor of the Moldavian Chamber and Symphony Orchestras and the Moscow Bolshoi Theater before immigrating to the United States. Mr. Gershfeld is also the Director of the Anna Maria Island Community Orchestra and Chorus, has been the Principal Conductor of the Alhambra Community Orchestra since 2009, and has served as Artistic Director of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. He has appeared as guest conductor at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, the New York Music Festival, the Quad Cities Symphony, the Eastman School of Music, the Miami City Ballet, and the Naples Philharmonic.