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February 13, 2004
Community choirs celebrate
Lift Up Our Voices concert brings some 300 people together in
song.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Approximately 300 people filled the Beth Israel Synagogue sanctuary
last Sunday for Lift Up Our Voices, British Columbia's largest celebration
of Jewish choirs. The afternoon concert offered a diverse selection
of Hebrew, Yiddish and English pieces sung by six choirs from Vancouver
and Victoria.
Members of the Shiron Singers, the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir,
the Temple Sholom Sisterhood Choir, the Vancouver Jewish Men's Choir,
the Victoria Jewish Community Choir and the Beth Israel Choir –
some 100 singers – crowded onto the bimah to begin the Sunday
event with the Canadian and Israeli national anthems and "Ma
Tovu." The performers then became part of the audience, as
they got to enjoy listening to selections from each choir's repertoire.
The Shiron Singers, who have been performing since 1981 and have
just released a new CD, were "first up." Under the direction
of Elizabeth Wolak, they performed both upbeat and moving songs,
setting the tone for the afternoon.
Founded in 1980 by conductor/arranger/composer Searle Friedman with
the aim of keeping Yiddish music alive, the Vancouver Jewish Folk
Choir sang four songs that reflected the more lighthearted aspects
of Yiddish culture. Conducted by David Millard, the choir seemed
to especially impress the audience with the multilingual "Katarina
Moloditsa" and the fast-paced "Un Mir Zaynen Shvester
Brider."
One of the newer choirs, the Temple Sholom Sisterhood Choir, with
director Joyce Cherry, featured a refreshing composition of "Oseh
Shalom" that was accompanied by the composer herself, Joan
Beckow. This group regularly augments the Sisterhood Service, adding
new music to the Shabbat service, and rehearses for just seven weeks
prior to the service each year.
Always a crowd-pleaser, the Vancouver Jewish Men's Choir, conducted
by Michael Linde, performed a repetoire that included "Ki Vesimcha"
and "Lo Tedah." The men – who perform primarily in
aid of fund-raising and charity events within the Greater Vancouver
Jewish community – had everyone clapping along by the end of
their set.
The Victoria Jewish Community Choir, founded in 1999, engaged the
audience with several songs composed by choir members, including
conductor David Brook's arrangements of "Pitchu Li" and
"Shnirele Perele" and Carol Ann Sokoloff's "Halleluyah
– Psalm 150." Performing at religious and intercultural
events all over Victoria, they exhibit the excitment that arises
when a group of multitalented people become involved musically in
the community.
As one of the smallest choirs in the concert, Beth Israel offered
a tight ensemble sound. Performing music by the late Israeli composer
Aminadav Aloni, the group sang a jazz version of "Ein Keloheinu"
that had some audience members singing and clapping along. Founded
in 1930, the choir is currently under the direction of Beth Israel
Cantor Steve Levin.
The afternoon ended with all of the choirs coming together again
to sing two beautiful but very different versions of "Eitz
Chayim" and a rousing rendition of "Halleluyah."
The choral event was organized by Levin, who repeated his success
of three years ago, when he first presented Lift Up Our Voices:
A Celebration of Jewish Choirs.
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