Song is embedded in the souls of our people and the practice of our prayer.

When the Hebrews left Egypt, they sang, led by Miriam. Deborah sang after Israel's victory over Sisera. Hannah sang after she had her child, Samuel. Throughout our history, our prayer has often been through song. In fact, the Talmud teaches us that "song is obligatory in the ritual of the sanctuary" (Arakin 11a). Music encodes, communicates and inspires prayer viscerally: we use music to express emotion.

As a cantor, a chazzan, I am privileged to work as part of a team on and off the bima, fostering opportunities for communities to come together, lifting their voices, hearts, and spirits in song, following the musical and spiritual threads of our tradition to discover dynamic new ways to join together.