Triangle Jewish Chorale

The Triangle Jewish Chorale learns and performs music dating from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century. It is open to singers from Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Raleigh interested in learning and performing a varied repertoire of Jewish music.

MEMBERSHIP IN THIS GROUP IS OPEN TO ALL WHO:

want to sing and perform Jewish music in various languages including Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, and English;
who can sing in tune and listen to others at the same time;
who are willing to put in the time to learn their parts;
who are responsible and committed enough to attend rehearsals with great regularity!!

TO SING WITH US:

You do not have to be able to sight read (but bring a tape recorder).
You need to pass a low pressure audition.
You do not need to be affiliated with any Jewish organization.

You don't have to be Jewish.

Upcoming Concerts on our current schedule:

* Sunday May 6, 3pm -----Durham Main Public Library

* Friday May 11, 4:30pm ----Duke Hillel, Baccalaureate Service

* Sunday May 13, 3pm ---Levin Jewish Community Center, Durham

TJC in 2009 performance.

HOW WE ARE ORGANIZED:

Rehearsals are held 6:55-8:55 pm, every Tuesday(barring holidays), from September to June.
Rehearsals are currently held at the Levin Jewish Community Center, 1937 Cornwallis Rd.in Durham.
We perform about 3-5 times a year.
We sing secular and religious music, ancient and contemporary. Some is unaccompanied, but we often use piano, percussion, instruments played by members. Sometimes we perform with guest artists.
Costs: Dues are $50/year; cost of music under copyright.
Our founder and general manager is Gayla Halbrecht
Our conductor this year is Lorena Guillen (see brief bio below).
Our wonderful accompanist is Gary Berman.

CONTACT/MEMBERSHIP INFO:

We prefer to bring new members into rehearsal only twice a year near the beginning of each new 'season'(September, January).
Our first rehearsal for the Fall is on September 6. Contact us beforehand for music.
For membership questions contact Bernard Most or 919-493-1288

WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN!

TJC just before performing May 2011.

We are available for special occasions...

For more information, contact our manager Gayla Halbrecht.

Introducing our conductor,
Lorena Guillen

(www.lorenaguillenmusic.blogspot.com

Lorena Guillen has been described as a delicate soprano by The Washington-Post, The Classical Voice of North Carolina has said that (she) produces a notably Latin sound, rich and full of expression, a sound quite different from what an American soprano produces and The Buffalo News has commented about her tango performances in the following terms: ... sung with the kind of conviction for which Guillen has become known in this material.� Guillen was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, initiating her voice training at the National Conservatory of Music. She holds a Master in Vocal Performance and a Ph.D. in Musicology from SUNY at Buffalo. Equally at home as a perfomer of art music and her homeland popular tango song, Guillen has premiered and recorded many compositions by living composers and the classics of the 20th and 21st centuries as well the standards of the tango song at national and international venues. As vocal coach and musical director, Guillen has prepared from full opera productions, such as Purcells Fairy Queen,to smaller vocal chamber ensembles, mostly at her former teaching position in Hartwick College (NY) and Hartwick Summer Festival and Institute. She has been guest vocal coach of the Catskills Choral Society (NY), Dunbar United Church of Christ Chorus (CT), and regular coach of San Pedro Telmo Church Choir and Grupo Vocal Compaz in Argentina. She also sang with some of the most important professional choirs of her native country. Guill�en has recorded for Innova Records, University of Arizona Recordings, and Kindermusik, Inc. She is a former member of the multidisciplinary ensemble Musica Aperta from Washington DC and a founding member of the word/music experimental group Lake Affect.

Archived excerpts of performances of TJC may be viewed at Jewish Sparks.

Review: "A Chanukah Party at Temple Beth Or"

By Ken Hoover (http://www.cvnc.org/reviews/2004/december/TJC.html)

"Chanukah, Oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah
Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora"
~ Traditional Chanukah Song

The Triangle Jewish Chorale set the mood for a Chanukah party on the afternoon of December 5 at Temple Beth Or in Raleigh. The Chorale is made up of members of the Jewish communities of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary and is conducted by Jane Peppler and accompanied by Gary Berman. The choristers, drawn together by their love of singing, have ranged from college students to professors, business people and retirees. This is not a polished group, but what it lacks in refinement is made up for in individual talents and the infectious enthusiasm of all.

The program included many traditional Jewish songs, most of them related to the celebration of Chanukah. Some were sung in Hebrew, some in Yiddish, a few in the unique Spanish/Hebrew blend of the Sephardim, and a few in English. The concert was informal, with several selections on a printed sheet inviting audience participation. While the only Yiddish this gentile knows is "Oy vey," it was a delight to try to sing along with "Khanukah, oy Khanukah, a yomtev, a sheyner, Alustiker, a freylekher, ...." With the patience and persistence of Peppler, I was actually able to get most of the sylables in after the third or fourth time the chorus came around.

Of note on the program were several songs of Naomi Shemer, who passed away this past summer. She was truly Israel¹s greatest songwriter, depicting the love of the land, its history, and the unifying belief that the people of Israel are one. Her song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" ("Jerusalem of Gold") became second only to the National anthem, "Hatikvah." She lived for many years at a Kibbutz in the Kinneret, writing songs about the daily lives of Israelis. Especially beautiful were two songs near the end of the first half of the concert – "Kineret," a song about the lake region and a girl of the same name, and "Shir Aviv," a song about the coming of spring and the beauty of the land.

Bernie Most sang with panache a delightful rendition from the Yiddish theater – "Itsik Shpitsik." The addition of Jean Ritchie's "Now is the Cool of the Day" and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times", complemented the wistful modal lilt of the traditional Jewish tunes. There were instrumental contributions from violin, squeeze box, clarinet, recorder, harmonica, and a chorus of kazoos. Berman is an excellent accompanist, and he announced that he was not responsible for the sticking damper on the piano that allowed one note to vibrate longer than it should have. This is a very talented group and they made it a thoroughly delightful afternoon.

In the inviting sanctuary at Temple Beth Or, sitting before the gorgeous woodwork of the Ark of the Covenant, containing the scrolls, one could feel at home in the world we all have been given to share. The clear glass windows at the front are a reminder that the Temple is a part of the world, not apart from it, that the community of God is in the world as God's representatives. Chanukah is a holiday that celebrates an event in which the Almighty demonstrated that He is here with his people and able to accomplish miraculous things for us and through us. Happy Chanukah. Happy holidays to all.

Triangle Jewish Chorale Makes Its Mark on Cultural Calendar

By Martin Lakin

The Triangle Jewish Chorale is no longer just a group of folks who like to get together to sing Jewish songs. Fresh from a triumphant appearance at the Carolina Theater in Durham at the second annual N.C. Jewish Film Festival, the chorale is acknowledged as having made its mark on our region's cultural calendar. For four years now, the chorale, founded by Gayla Halbrecht, conducted by Jane Peppler, and accompanied by Gary Berman on piano, has been giving performances in synagogues and temples as well as for secular civic occasions.

The chorale has regularly performed at Yom HaShoah, Holocaust commemorations, Hannukkah celebrations and other events sponsored by the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation and its agency, Jewish Family Service. You may have heard the group in performance at celebrations of Israel Independance Day, at installation banquets and at special meetings in the Triangle Area.

The Triangle Jewish Chorale has grown to more than thirty members who rehearse twice monthly and plan their offerings to include diverse elements of Jewish music, such as Hebrew melodies from Israel, Yiddish songs from Eastern Europe and from immigrants to the U.S., Ladino songs that were sung by descendants of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492, and even some songs in mixed languages, such as Yiddish and Russian.

You've not yet heard the chorale in concert? Don't be the only one in your Chavurah or social group who hasn't been to one of these performances. If you want to enhance your standing with your friends, get your synagogue or temple or other Jewish organization to call Gayla Halbrecht at 620-0546 about being included in our schedule of forthcoming concerts.

Triangle Jewish Chorale rehearses at Beth El (2009)

Original site created by Jane Peppler. Current editor Bernard Most