Tag Archives: Lake Street Church

Jewish Music, Performing

Shabbat Sweet in New Mexico, and Three New Videos

Yup, you heard it right.  This Friday, March 15, I will be sharing “A Shabbat Sweet” in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Congregation Albert!!! This will be my first time sharing the service outside of Chicagoland.  Wow am I excited and nervous!  And I’ll be flying solo! No back-up band.

And… here are three new videos. The first two are from “A Shabbat Sweet” at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston, Illinois as I shared the service on January 11, 2013 with an amazing back-up band: Hannah Kaplan on vocals, Emma Chanen on vocals and ukulele,  Jim Cox on bass, Mike O’Mara on Keyboards, Dave Newman on drums and, yup, that twelve-year-old clarinet player, Jonah Karsh, is one amazing musician!!!!  I know, I know: it’s not the entire service.  I guess it’s time for me to invest in a new video recorder!!!!!!

The third video is from a service played by an Interfaith Youth Orchestra made up of teens from JRC and the Lake Street Church.  Yes, that IS my daughter as lead singer and band leader (not that I’m crazy proud!)!!!

Jewish Music, Performing

And the Birdie Flies from the Nest

I guess there comes a time for every composer when you realize your music is no longer your own.

My time has come.

Last Sunday I rehearsed with an amazing group of teenage musicians – vocals, guitar, ukulele, piano, drums, clarinet and violin – on five of the pieces from “A Shabbat Sweet.” They are going to share their arrangement on March 1, 2013 at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) for an interfaith youth service.  About half the kids were from JRC and half were from the Lake Street Church.

And then the music happened… and I was NOT playing or singing.  It was a little difficult not leading the music. But the joy from just experiencing it was more than enough to get me through the difficulty.

Ok. I admit it. I was kvelling (Yiddish for bursting with pride) that music I wrote was being wonderfully interpreted by these young musicians.  As I am fond of saying here: WOW!