Scarsdale-Area Cantors Present A Celebration Of Jewish Song

SCARSDALE, NY — Cantors from three Scarsdale-area synagogues will present a celebration of Jewish song during Shaarei Tikvah’s annual concert.

There will be selections from Broadway musicals as well as Israeli and traditional tunes, with many original compositions by the cantors.

The concert will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Shaarei Tikvan, 46 Fox Meadow Rd. in Scarsdale.

Tickets are $36; $20 for students.

The performers, who are also well-known composers, will be Cantor Gerald Cohen of Shaarei Tikvan, Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller of Bet Am Shalom of White Plains and Isaac Sonnet-Assor of Westchester Reform Temple of Scarsdale along with Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn of Ansche Chesed in Manhattan. A special highlight will be Cantor Josh Ehrlich, soon to become the co-cantor at Shaarei Tikvah. He will be joining the others in singing several of numbers, including one of his own songs.

Cohen said, while every year’s concert at Shaarei Tikvah is special, he said this one was very special for him.

“Cantors Natasha Hirschhorn, Benjie Ellen Schiller and I have been close colleagues and dear friends for many years, including working together on the faculties of the Cantorial Schools at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College,” he told Patch.

“They are so multi-talented — splendid singers, pianists and composers,” Cohen said.

He said they are all active composers, and they wanted to include a lot of their own songs on the program. There will also be songs from Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Town,” “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” and a gorgeous Ukrainian choral melody.

Cohen said, as has become tradition, the concert seating will be informal, café-style at tables, with lots of good snacks and drinks.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the website or contact the Shaarei Tikvah Office or call 914-472-2013.