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October 15, 2004/Tishri 30 5765, Vol. 57, No. 7
Series seeks wider audience
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
"Jewish Pops: Music from the American Exper-ience," the first event in the new season of Temple Beth Israel's Cultural Arts Series, is designed to appeal to everyone, from children to seniors. It's all part of the TBI Cultural Arts Committee's plan to expand the audience for the series' second season and get more Jews involved in Jewish culture, says com-mittee chairman David Hock.
"We've spread our fingers a little bit more this year, in terms of an overall Jewish cultural experience," he says.
The season opens on Nov. 7 with "Jewish Pops," a casual, family-friendly afternoon event that will present a wide variety of contemporary Jewish music in the TBI courtyard. Themed food, like Popsicles and popcorn, will be available.
Hock says, "It's going to encompass all the flavors of Jewish music because we're coordinating it with the year-long 350th anniversary of the American Jewish experience."
The second event of the series, a Musica Nova perfor-mance of Handel's "Judas Macabeus," will take place Sunday, Dec. 12. A Hanukkah gift sale will also be held at the concert.
The third event will be a reprise of the "Cantors' Cabaret." Last year's cabaret, in which Cantor Mikhal Shiff-Matter of TBI and Cantor Roz Barak of Temple Emanuel in San Francisco sang Broadway songs in a lounge-style setting, was a big hit, according to Hock. This year, Shiff-Matter will team up with Cantor Steve Dubov of Congregation Chaye Olam in Bloomfield Township, Mich., on Jan. 6, 2005.
Finally, a unique lecture-and-music performance, "You Can't Do Business (or Any-thing Else) Without Yiddish," by local author Leon Gilden, will be held March 6, 2005. Gilden will present a talk on the way the Yiddish language has pervaded American culture, and Yiddish music will be performed.
Hock says that this year's series is the best of both worlds: a reprise of some of last year's favorites, plus new events designed to appeal to a wider audience.
He cites Pardes Jewish Day School's move to TBI as a major influence on the new, wider focus; while last year's core audience was age 40-60, many young adults are now taking a look at TBI.
"We have a new set of people that are now exposed to Temple Beth Israel that weren't exposed before, but the majority of those people are younger, because their kids are going to the school.
"I know the membership has increased at the temple and I think it's increased on the younger side more than the older side. Part of the reason for the events that we picked - i.e., the Jewish Pops, is to try to get those people involved more."
More afternoon events than last year's series also means that seniors who don't drive at night are more likely to attend, Hock adds. The Cantors' Cabaret, which is geared to an adult audience, is the only series event held at night.
Despite the success of last season's final event, "Bye Bye Birdie," Hock says the committee opted not to do a musical this year because TBI is planning an elaborate Purim spiel, and because "it just didn't fit into the overall scope of being able to reach out to a larger part of the community."
Like last year, attendees may purchase individual tickets or become season subscribers. The cost for all four shows is: $72, TBI member; $60, TBI member senior/student; $80, non-member adult; and $70, nonmember senior/student.
Details
- What: Jewish Pops: Music from the American Experience
- When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7
- Where: Temple Beth Israel, 10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale
- Cost: $15-$18 adults, $10-$12 seniors, $8 children
- Call: 480-951-0323
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