Cantorial Class of 2003 Presents Concert

Rising Voices: Cantors of Tomorrow in Concert
Concert in Honor of Cantor Helene Reps

Sunday, October 27, 2002, 7:00 pm
Temple Israel of New Rochelle
1000 Pinebrook Boulevard, New Rochelle
(914) 235-1800

The May 2003 graduating class of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s School of Sacred Music will perform a concert of Jewish music at Temple Israel of New Rochelle on October 27, 2002 at 7:00 pm. The evening will honor Cantor Helene Reps, the synagogue’s Cantor Emerita and an alumna of the school.

The ninth annual senior class cantorial concert, this event was first established at Woodlands Community Temple as a way to honor local cantors and to introduce the community to the next generation of cantors. Past honorees include Cantors Burton Borovetz and Benjie Ellen Schiller.

This year’s honoree, Cantor Helene Reps, is a beloved presence in Westchester County. She has served congregations in New Rochelle, Rye, and Scarsdale and White Plains. Her congregants and students praise her for her artistry, intelligence and warmth, and her colleagues look to her for guidance. In addition to Cantor Reps, several Westchester area cantors, many of whom are themselves graduates of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s School of Sacred Music, will sing at the concert. Performers include Dana Anesi, Kerry Ben-David, Annie Borenstein, Angela Buchdahl, Ida Rae Cahana, Erik Contzius, Jonathan Comisar, Ellen Dreskin, Jennifer Frost, Rebecca Garfein, Margot Goldberg, Jonathan Gordon, Alane Katzew, Fredda Mendelson, Jacob Mendelson, Stephen Merkel, Miriam Miller, Benjie Schiller, Stephen Sher, and Faith Steinsnyder.

For 2000 years, the cantor has served the Jewish people as leader of prayer, as composer of liturgical poetry and song, and as educator and communal leader. Today, the cantor is part of a professional synagogue team working to enhance Jewish life. As a calling and career, the cantorate continues “to wed the worlds of spirit and art.”

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion established the School of Sacred Music in 1948 as the Reform Movement’s only institution for the training of cantors. Created at a time when the Holocaust threatened the continuity of Jewish heritage, the SSM has flourished as a center dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and creating Jewish music.

For further information and tickets, please contact Cantor Erik Contzius at Temple Israel of New Rochelle, 914-235-1800, extension 219

For an electronic image of Cantor Helene Reps, please contact: Sarah Schriever, 212-824-2293, sschriever@huc.edu.