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November 7, 2003/Cheshvan 12 5764, Vol. 56, No. 7
TBI expands Valley's cultural arts programs
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
Temple Beth Israel has joined the Valley's growing Jewish community in offering more cultural programming to affiliated and non-affiliated Jews alike.
Last August, temple volunteer David Hock, with the help of Rabbi Stephen Kahn and Cantor Mikhal Shiff-Matter, formed a cultural arts committee to increase the amount of Jewish cultural programming available to Valley residents.
The result is a four-part series to be held at Temple Beth Israel throughout the upcoming year.
"Rabbi Kahn is very cultural-minded," says Hock, who is now chairman of the cultural arts committee. "He loves the idea of as much culture for the Jewish community here as possible. He's 100 percent behind this."
The first event in the series, "Entartete Musik: A Concert of Music Forbidden by the Nazi Regime," will feature Musica Nova, a newly formed orchestra from the Northeast Valley. The symphony, including more than 50 musicians, will play compositions by Mendelssohn, Mahler, Korngold and Schrecker 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at the synagogue.
"Its basically a symphonic concert," says Hock. "But they are going to have a couple guest opera singers too."
The second event in the series, scheduled for Dec. 13, will be "Two Cantors Cabaret," featuring Cantor Shiff-Matter and nationally known Cantor Roz Barak.
Barak will adapt her show, "Lady Sings the Jews," to include the talents of Shiff-Matter, and follow the cabaret theme.
"We're going to do it in the ballroom and set it up like a cabaret with the black curtain, lights, the band, the whole thing," says Hock. "We'll even have round tables, cocktails and food like you were going out to a cabaret show."
The third event will be a concert featuring the secular and sacred sounds of Leonard Bernstein, an internationally known Jewish composer. The Arizona Arts Chorale and the Temple Beth Israel adult choir will revisit Bernstein's music, from the popular musical "West Side Story" to his religious compositions.
"This show has a very broad appeal because Bernstein's work is so famous," says Hock. "This is something (Shiff-Matter) has wanted to do for a very long time."
The Bernstein concert is scheduled for March 20.
The fourth and final part of the cultural arts series will be a performance of the Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie," scheduled May 15-16.
"The show has lots of kids in it and we hope it will draw in the larger community," says Hock. "There will be open auditions and it will be cast like a regular theater show."
Hock and other committee members, including Laurie Shapiro, Mindy Brandt, Jettie Kootman, Jean Loeb, Sheri Rothstein and Brett Rothstein, hope to make the series an annual event.
"It's really going to be a wonderful series of events because I have the best team behind me," Hock says. "(Shiff-Matter) is incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about everything she does here. The biggest reason of forming the cultural arts committee was to help her organize all the things she wanted to do while she continued to meet cantorial needs."
Hock stresses that the series is open to all members of the community - synagogue members and nonmembers, affiliated and nonaffiliated, Jews and non-Jews.
"This is an ongoing, year- after-year situation," he says. "As we get to know more groups, we'll incorporate more of the community. This is for everyone."
In addition to the shows "being for everyone," Hock also believes that the quality of entertainment is strong enough to rival any local show.
"It's got to be professional," he says. "These are the same people that go to Gammage or to the Dodge Theatre. We didn't put this together to do little temple shows. These are for real."
Temple Beth Israel is located at 10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale. All performances will take place at the synagogue, either in the 500-seat sanctuary or the ballroom.
Cost for TBI members is $72 for series, $54 for last three events, $21 per show. Cost for nonmembers is $80 for series, $60 for last three events, $24 per show.
Call 480-951-0323.
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