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| | Email this article • Print this article | 'Little treasures are out there'
Shalshelet seeks to showcase new liturgical music; concert set for Sunday
by Aaron Leibel
Arts Editor
Music can bring Jews closer to their religion, and a new nonprofit is dedicated to making that happen, say the group's founders.
We hope Shalshelet will be a powerful tool to let people think about the texts, to bring spirituality into their lives, says Ramon Tasat, cantor at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, speaking about the nonprofit Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music.
The goal, he continues, is to create a center for people to use, to find versions of liturgical music for where they are [spiritually].
Co-founder Norma Brooks of Bethesda believes there is a wealth of Jewish liturgical music in the country, but much of it is known only in the composer's home congregation.
Little treasures are out there but are unknown to the public yet, explains Brooks, a clinical psychologist who divides her time between her practice and her music. She points as an example to Rabbi Ethan Seidel of Tifereth Israel Congregation in the District, who has been composing music for his congregation for years.
One purpose of Shalshelet is to make that music known, Brooks says. Also, Shalshelet will encourage people to compose new music. There will be a place for it, and it will be featured in an annual music festival.
Cantors' associations share music but those groups are denominationally oriented, says Tasat. Shalshelet, on the other hand, is nondenominational and inclusive. Shalshelet is open to everyone, Tasat says. We care about the music, not where you come from.
Shalshelet, Hebrew for chain, also refers to a rare trop or cantillation found in the Torah. It was chosen as the name for the organization, Tasat explains, because it is eminently Jewish and thus provides an element of identification.
A concert this Sunday at Tifereth Israel is a preview of the First National Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music, to be sponsored by Shalshelet in the District next spring.
The evening concert will feature pieces written by seven composers and will include folk, classical, jazz, gospel, klezmer and Sephardic music that will be performed in a cappella, vocal and instrumental, and choir styles.
Five of the seven composers, joined by the Bountiful Light Choir, will perform 18 works. The Jewish choir takes its name from Tasat's and Brooks' CD of the same title and has performed regionally.
Tasat hopes the music will be accepted by congregations of all Jewish denominations. There is no such thing as Orthodox, Conservative or Reform music, he says. If the synagogue is open to new ideas, it should be receptive to new music, he notes.
But, Brooks stresses, the idea is to supplement, not supplant, existing liturgical music. We have some of the most beautiful music, which hopefully will last forever, she says. We don't want to take away melodies that help people enter into prayer in a meaningful way.
Tasat echoes Brooks' idea. Much of Jewish liturgical music is in the hearts of people, it resonates emotionally for people who pray.
The idea is to create alternative melodies for texts that have music and for texts that don't, the cantor explains.
It's not only a question of finding music that is inspirational for congregants but of rescuing texts that in some cases have been dropped by synagogues because the music wasn't interesting, he says.
Shalshelet is brand new -- it was incorporated in Maryland last month and is seeking IRS recognition of its 501(C)(3) status.
It has a post office box in Chevy Chase and a Web site (www.shalshelet.org), but no office as of yet, with Brooks and Tasat working out of their homes.
If we see the foundation is growing and we need an office, we'll get it, says Tasat, who generated the idea for the group about a year ago. Our main interest is to produce CDs of the music and publish the music for single voices, choirs and instruments.
So far, the foundation is being financed by its two founders. We believed that we needed something tangible before trying to raise money, says Tasat. The concert, as the foundation's first activity, will be followed by attempts to raise funds, he says.
Brooks and Tasat believe that next spring's festival will serve as a catalyst for the spread of new Jewish liturgical music. They hope to attract people from all over the country who will take new music back to their home congregations.
Shalshelet's preview concert will take place on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel in the District. Tickets, at $18, can be purchased from Politics and Prose in the District by calling 202-364-1919 or online at www.shalshelet.org. Tickets at the door are $20. There is no charge for children under 16, but they must have tickets.
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