Music & Services
What a year of transitions this has been for music and the way we join together to pray. No doubt I don’t need to remind anyone that we began 2021 back in lockdown, and so sang our way through the first half of the year together but apart, grateful to Zoom, and yet continuously frustrated by our inability to hear each other.
There were, however, still silver linings gifted to us through the power of Zoom. In February, we were able to remember and honour our friend and teacher, Debbie Friedman, z’l, for her tenth Yahrzeit, and we were grateful to be joined by many familiar faces and voices from the USA as we sang and shared stories together. If you’d like to remember that evening, you can hear it again here:
At Pesach, still unable to gather in large groups safely, we had the chance of a few different collaborations. A gaggle of Cantors came together to record Hallel for Pesach, which you can find here:
and some of you will have joined us for a concert on 7th Day Pesach, entitled ‘Songs of Freedom’ - a concert created by Mich Sampson, Judith Silver, Cantor Rollin Simmons, Peri Smilow, and me, and again, if you’d like to revisit any of that music, you can do so here:
After we had really grown used to making videos, we decided it was time to open participation to the whole community, and from there, the idea for our community music project was born. We chose a prayer for healing - in both mind and spirit - which felt appropriate for everyone, and were grateful to get permission from the composer, Cantor Leon Sher, to create this project with his song. The wide participation was truly a gift - from members of all ages, including some of our professional members, and you can hear the final version of the song here:
This project truly could not have happened (as was the case with almost everything we did during 2021) without the enormous gifts, talent, and wisdom of both Mich Sampson and Leo Nicholson, about whom more later.
For this project, we were grateful to add a new member, Andrew Marriott, to our team, and he has made a huge difference to our work this past year. Andrew is an exceptional sound engineer who also happens to be a musician in his own right. Throughout much of this year, Andy has ensured that we can be heard on Zoom and in person, and helped us with musical projects and videos. His help was critical during the High Holy Days and on almost every Shabbat since he joined our team, along with Laura Tobias, to whom we also owe a huge debt of gratitude for her exceptional dedication, thoughtfulness, and perseverance. Between Andy and Laura, we have been able to lead services in the Rubens House garden, at Frith Manor School, with half a team on Zoom… the list is endless, and somehow nothing fazes them! We are incredibly lucky to be so well-supported, and they are now helping us to grow a tech team as we move forward to our new building together.
The High Holy Days were a high point for so many of us, as it gave us a chance to truly come back together. We heard from so many about sunset from the stands, as we prayed the text of ‘Hashkiveinu’ together - asking for peace and protection for us and the world. From a musical perspective, it gave the choir a chance to come back together - and they weathered rehearsals in the garden throughout the summer, regardless of rain, wind, and increasingly dark evenings. As always, the choir added so much to our services over the High Holy Days, and we couldn’t have managed without their good humour and their musicality. The same is true of our evening of rejoicing with ‘Shir’ - we had so missed the joy they bring to Simchat Torah and it was a gift to sing and dance together around the StoneX Stadium.
Our communal musical experience (and mine, personally!) was truly increased thanks to Mich Sampson, who took everything in her stride - including leading the choir from an entirely different ‘bima’ to the cantor! Mich continues to be not only a fabulous choir leader, but an extraordinary service leader in her own right. In the past year, Mich has been a crucial part of our team - leading us on Zoom as well as in person, both with, and often without, the choir. She’s also used this year to participate in an online course at Hebrew Union College, and we are certainly the beneficiaries of that study.
Leo Nicholson, too, is an integral member of our team, accompanying the choir, as well as helping us in many of our musical endeavours online this year. He makes everything he does seem effortless, but his read of a room, musical skill, and calm presence really makes possible so much of what we do. He’s had the opportunity to travel more recently, and we have certainly missed him!
In this unusual year, we’ve continued to be blessed by our incredible volunteers who are part of our service-leading teams - our Friday night music team, our Rhythm 'n Jews (Rnj) band and B’yachad leadership team have led on Zoom and in person, ensuring that no one was left out while the pandemic kept us apart. You can listen to RnJ here:
The energy of the individuals who make up these groups is extraordinary, and we are so lucky that they share their skills, their ruach (spirit), and their dedication, even when doing so has been especially challenged by Covid rules. We’ve all been very grateful for the chance to make music together again in person, and I’m so grateful that our Friday night musicians are once again bringing joy to our services, and that our RnJ and B’Yachad teams are back leading services in person!
Our young people continue to bring so much to our services, and you can find out more about Ruach - our brilliant teen band - elsewhere in this report, but if you or someone you know is interested in joining us, please do get in touch with Gili Goldberg. Ruach made a number of videos to brighten our spirits during the pandemic, and they were debuted during our services, but you can also watch the band in action here:
We are so grateful to other young people who contributed to our services and festivals both online and, once we joined together, in person. Rhiannon Humphreys and Shuli Morris-Evans were a critical part of our weekday ma’ariv team, along with other members of the community. Our extended youth choir were part of our Purim festivities, and even ended up on the national news as a result! In addition, a number of FRS family voices have joined our Friday night musicians this year: I’m so grateful for the harmonies of Evie and Pippa Bloom, Shifra, Nina, and Shuli Morris-Evans - and of course our 24th December special, which was song-led beautifully by Ben Berger on his own!
Finally, I’ve personally felt so grateful to have had the chance to be part of some unusual and creative programming during 2021, including being part of a conversation through the European Cantors Association - specifically focusing on the role of women in the cantorate. The joy of our construction ceremony in the pouring rain, under umbrellas with hard hats on was one I won’t soon forget (photo below), and will hopefully be topped only by our official building opening ceremony in 2022! I’ve had the chance to be part of conversations with Dr. Josh Edelman about prayer and services on Zoom and in person. This was thanks to the interest of David Jacobs, who created a connection with Dr. Edelman, and taught several workshops on music for the season in advance of our festivals, along with Mich Sampson. I’m hoping some of these programmes will continue in person in the coming year.
It’s been a year of creativity and pushing boundaries - let’s hope that it leads to a year of coming together once again, bringing back the multiple-part harmonies and community life that is so much a part of FRS in our new building.
Cantor Zöe Jacobs
