Choir
"And Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord" (Exodus 15: 1).
From Judaism's earliest history and throughout the ages, music and song have been means of expressing prayer and joyous reverence. This tradition of using music and song to express our prayers continues today at Brith Shalom with the Makhelah, Congregation Brith Shalom's adult choir, which has long been a part of the life of this synagogue, bringing beauty and joy to our services. The combined voices of these talented Brith Shalom volunteers have added meaning and spirituality to our prayers through the years.
The choir originated in the mid-sixties through the efforts of the Moser family, including Ed, Irving, Bella Rae, Harriet and Elliot, all of blessed memory. Elliot served as the choir director, and Harriet as the accompanist, a position she continued to fill for more than 20 years. The Mosers set the standard for the quality of the choir and for its commitment to service to the synagogue.
For over 40 years, Brith Shalom has been blessed with beautiful choral music on holidays, Shabbat, and special concerts. Loyalty to the choir is not short-lived. Bernie Goldberg of blessed memory and Steve and Barbara Robbins were also among members from the early years; others have been members for fifteen years or more. Some of the choir members are trained musicians; some have sung in other choirs; some have extensive knowledge of Jewish music; and some are also skilled in davening. They represent a diversity of careers professionally, but they share musical talent and a love of singing.
Martin Kagan, a president of the choir has said, "The commitment of the members to the choir is based on their love of music and their love of Judaism. They believe that music is one of the most effective ways to achieve spirituality, and their mission is to give this music to the congregation." The adage "practice makes perfect" is certainly true for the choir. To prepare for the High Holidays the members must be willing to commit to hours of rehearsals, after their regular work day. Typically they begin in May and go into September, with a short summer break. In August and September, the choir meets every Tuesday and Thursday evening for two hours, to rehearse under the skilled direction of the choir director, Ryan Villaverde, with the accompanist, Charles Tauber. They willingly volunteer their time to achieve an outstanding level of professionalism.
There have been many highlights in the history of choir. In the 1980s with Cantor David Propis, the choir learned a new repertoire of music, increased in size, and began giving concerts. During Cantor Steven Berke's tenure, the choir continued to grow in the depth of its knowledge of Jewish choral music. And in 2000 the choir's concerts reached their pinnacle with a concert that featured the world-renowned Chief Cantor of the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, Naftali Herstik.
Over the years, the choir has also reached out into the community. Notable among those was the Black-Jewish seder and a Martin Luther King day celebration at Antioch Baptist Church in downtown Houston. The choir has an additional distinction: three of its former members have pursued careers as cantors. Wendy Portman and Seth Adelson are now graduates of the Jewish Theological Seminary's Cantorial School, and Sharon Colbert is currently a student at the Academy for Jewish Religion in California.
The congregation is fortunate to have this talented group of members who share their love of music and singing by being part of the Makhelah, continuing the tradition begun by Moses and the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
