Celebrating Jewish Music All Year at Shir Shalom
Celebrating Jewish Music All Year at Shir Shalom
Congregation Shir Shalom begins the new year 5779 with a calendar full of musical guests and specially themed services and programs. Spirit and Soul at Shir Shalom is a series of special musical services throughout the year
Celebrating the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah on Dec. 7th 6 pm, Mattan Klein, an Israeli jazz flutist will return for a special evening of jazzy Israeli and Hanukkah songs. On January 18th, the annual MLK Memorial Spirituals Shabbat will include the Serendipity Chorale with Gigi Van Dyke, conductor for the 16th year, and a new guest choir- the Keys Chorus, with Rob Silvan, director. The Keys program is a fabulous program in Bridgeport, CT that gives lessons and instruments to gifted students as well as opportunities to perform. Sharing spirituals with both choirs will be a unique experience, along with the community choir where anyone is welcome to join us that evening.
Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday was celebrated this year, and we are continuing the celebration with a musical Tribute to Leonard Bernstein on March 22 7:30 pm. Claire Simard, the Director of Wooster School’s Theater and Music program will be the guest artist along with our own Carrie Chanin, mezzo-soprano and Brian Besterman, pianist and arranger.
Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of Leonard Bernstein will be coming to discuss her book, Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein on Sunday, April 28th at 2 pm. The series concludes with an Israeli Celebration of Song with Shlomo Shai, accordion on May 17th 7:30 PM.
In keeping with supporting the arts in our community, Shir Shalom is hosting two classical concerts from the Danbury Music Centre on March 31 and June 2. Sundays at 3 pm.
Cantor Debbie will lead two folk community singalongs at the Ridgefield Library Sundays
Dec. 16th and Jan. 6th 3:30-5.
All the services and programs are open to the community. Members of the congregation are welcome to join the Adult Choir or participate as an instrumentalist. Please contact Cantor Katchko-Gray if interested. All programs are supported by donations and are free of charge. For more information please contact the temple office 203 438 6589. www.ourshirshalom.org
Syrian refugee to speak at synagogue’s Oct. 18 service
October 15, 2019 by Webmaster • Articles, Blog, Our Shir Shalom Blog, Shabbat, Social Action Tags: Jewish Music, Social action •
Syrian Refugee to Speak at Synagogue’s Oct. 18 Service
Jewish Musician Beth Styles and ‘Pizza in the Hut’ Sukkot Celebration Also on Program
A refugee from Syria is the guest speaker Friday, Oct. 18, at the Sabbath service of Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties. Also scheduled is live music performed by refugees and immigrants.
The special service, known as “Welcome the Stranger” Shabbat, says Rabbi David Reiner, “is in partnership with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and the North American Immigrant Justice Campaign sponsored by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.”
It will include music and prayers written by refugees and personal accounts from congregants, as well as prayers and reflections written by Shir Shalom’s religious school students as they learned about refugees.
The Shabbat program, from 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m., includes a separate music performance by composer and singer Beth Styles, whose music is “a soulful mix of Jewish gospel with deeply spiritual and lush melodies,” says Cantor Debbie Katchko-Gray. Ms. Styles, who is founder and music director of inspirational choir New World Chorus in Stamford, is producing a new CD of Jewish music.
To top off the evening, there is “Pizza in the Hut,” the temple’s annual Sukkot program for congregants of all ages. In addition to the food of choice, it features crafts activities.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society “works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities.”
The Religious Action Center’s Immigrant Justice Campaign “seeks to promote permanent protection, dignity and respect for all 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the USA.”
For more information: info@ourshirshalom.org; (203) 438-6589.