ZAMIR CHORAL FOUNDATION INC
October 15, 2009
I first learned about the Zamir Chorale when, as a teenager, my parents took me to see their concert in Town Hall. I was captivated by the high quality of their performance, their passion, the spirited leadership of the conductor, and the dozens of cute girls. I resolved that, if I could get in, I would sing in the choir myself. I began singing in the Zamir Chorale in 1967 as a high school senior, and continued for nine years, until I moved out of New York. This was a formative experience for me, as it was for many of my fellow singers. I learned a Jewish music repertoire of the very highest quality. I met and interacted with Jewish college kids very different from me, whom I would never have had anything to do in another Jewish organizational setting, such as Hillel, and this propelled me to become a committed pluralist. I learned music history and theory and sight singing and vocal production, and this turned me into a competent musician. I learned to blend with other voices, singing in harmony and breathing in unison - an unparalleled lesson in cooperation. I learned that I could be a leader without being charismatic, just by knowing my part well and singing confidently, in a way that helped others around me. I was transformed. Within a few years, I was honored, and shocked, to be asked to be a section leader, and then business manager, and eventually - amazingly for a non-music major like me - assistant conductor. I was inspired by my experience in Zamir to take a handful of music courses in college, and I used the vast knowledge of Jewish music I had gained through Zamir to write my doctoral dissertation in religion and education: "The convergence of Jewish and Western culture as exemplified through music: Some educational consequences." My daughter joined HaZamir: the International Jewish High School Choir, sponsored by Zamir, less than a year ago, and she is now learning and growing as a singer and as a Jewish young person in ways I vividly remember having experienced 40 years ago. I am now privileged to serve Zamir as president of its board.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
the subtle way in which, subliminally and by indirection, singing transformed me as a person.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
inspirational.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
extend its extraordinary impact to thousands of Jewish young people, transforming their inner landscape and strengthening interdenominational Jewish understanding, Jewish literacy, collaboration, leadership, and identity.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
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