Over 250 adults and children will celebrate Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, in concert, 3 P.M., Sunday, December
10, 2006 as Congregation Rodeph Sholom of Manhattan hosts its unique, multigenerational Festival of Choirs.
Congregation Rodeph Sholom is located at 7 West 83rd Street off of Central Park West in Manhattan. For more information about this concert, please call (212) 362-8800, ext. 1337. A Festival of Choirs is free of charge and open to the entire community.
The seventh annual concert will feature cantors and their volunteer adult and children’s choirs from all
over the New York metropolitan area. This year, the first night of Chanukah is Friday, December 15, 2006.
“There is no better way to usher in the festival of Chanukah than to see people from all ages, literally from age five to 85 singing together,” according to Congregation Rodeph Sholom’s Senior Cantor, Rebecca Garfein. “We all look forward to continuing this wonderful tradition for many years to come.”
Highlights of the concert will include a 100-voiced combined children’s
choir singing the song, “Raise up the Menorah” written by Rodeph Sholom
congregant, Eliot Bailen and students from the Rodeph Sholom Day School
and Religious School. Opening the concert will be singer/songwriter,
Julie Silver, along with all of the concert participants singing her new
song, “It’s Chanukah Time.” Another highpoint will be the concert’s
finale, “Bring on the Light,” a piece by composer, singer and actor,
Danny Maseng, that was commissioned by Congregation Rodeph Sholom for
the Festival of Choirs in 2001.
Cantor Garfein will be joined in concert by Rodeph Sholom’s
Cantorial-Intern Jennifer Strauss-Klein. Also participating in the
concert will be Cantors Josee Wolff and Suzanne Bernstein and
Cantorial-Interns, Todd Kipnis and Donna Mashadi, Temple Shaaray Tefila,
Manhattan; Cantor Daniel Singer, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, Manhattan;
Cantor Irena Altshul, Temple Israel, Manhattan; Cantor Kathy Barr,
Village Temple, Manhattan; Cantor Steven Pearlston, Free Synagogue of
Flushing, Queens, New York; Cantor Janet Leuchter and Music Director,
Rose Moskowitz, Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, NY; Cantor Claire
Franco, Community Synagogue, Port Washington, NY; and Cantor Micah
Morgovsky, North Country Reform Temple-Ner Tamid, Glen Cove, New York.
Accompanying the cantors and choirs will be acclaimed pianist, composer
and arranger, Jonathan Faiman. Joining Mr. Faiman will be the “Festival
of Choirs” combo: John Hadfield, percussion, Dror Ben-Gur, winds, and
Dan Freeman, bass guitar.