About Our School
Tota alterum eu vix. Alii tritani liberavisse et vix. Errem tantas postulant an quo, sed scripta suscipiantur eu, ne eum cetero.
Tota alterum eu vix. Alii tritani liberavisse et vix. Errem tantas postulant an quo, sed scripta suscipiantur eu, ne eum cetero.
Enjoy food, drinks (open bar), and prizes. Spaces are limited – get yours by November 6.
Co-Sponsored by Hebrew Union College
Generously underwritten by Stacy J. Kanter & Eric Kornblau
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Other, playing Off-Broadway now until December 6.
Contact us at hootenanny@crsnyc.org or 646-454-3024
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, Elana Arian is one of the most influential voices in contemporary Jewish music. A nationally touring artist serving over 30 distinct communities each year, Elana’s music is an important part of Jewish life across the globe. Elana has released five albums of original music, and she is the subject of a forthcoming composer’s anthology published by Transcontinental Music Publications. A beloved teacher, Elana serves proudly on the faculty of Hava Nashira (Oconomowoc, WI), the Wexner Heritage Foundation (Aspen, CO), Shirei Chagiga (London, England), and Hebrew Union College in New York, where she teaches in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Elana has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her wife, Julia, and their two daughters, Maya and Acadia.
Noah graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in piano and jazz composition, and has maintained a 20 year position as Artist-in-Residence at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA.
In addition to attending Berklee, Noah completed the prestigious Lehman Engel BMI Musical Theatre Writing Program and received a certification from Dubspot Electronic Music School. Noah also attended rabbinical school at Hebrew College in Boston and completed the one year Fellowship at Yeshivat Hadar in Manhattan.
Noah’s groundbreaking album entitled ‘The Left Side of the Page’ revolutionized the way that contemporary Jewish communities engage with their liturgy. By setting contemporary readings to new music, progressive communities were able to redefine the ways they engaged with the traditional prayer experience.
Noah partnered with Behrman House Publications to produce the series ‘Hebrew In Harmony;’ a first of its kind multi-media curriculum that assists congregations and schools in teaching Hebrew and Jewish prayers through music.
During the Pandemic, Noah quickly pivoted to online engagement and began running programs through his online platform called BeMajor. Through BeMajor, Noah offers online courses as well as in-person workshops exploring themes of spirituality, creativity and movement.
Additionally, Noah hosts the BeMajor Podcast series where he interviews guests and offers his unique perspective. Noah also leads the Noah’s Ark online community with courses and regular online events.
To date, Noah has released 8 albums as a solo artist and continues to break ground and innovate in his field making him one of the most sought after entertainers in contemporary Jewish music today.
There is a reason why Time Magazine has listed Michelle in their Top Ten list of Jewish rock stars.
Best known as a pioneer in creating holiday viral videos on Youtube that have garnered millions of views and leading soulful worship services, Michelle enjoys “taking what’s old and making it new” to help people connect to the rich tradition, culture and wisdom of Judaism.
Michelle’s music is celebrated in Jewish communities around the world, on radio and on television and her knack for songwriting and composition has led to a variety of accolades such as ranking as one of Billboard Music’s top Songwriters, A VH1 Song of the Year Finalist, and is proud to have been considered one of Jewish Week’s “Next Wave of Jewish Innovators.”
Kol B’Seder has been composing and performing contemporary Jewish music since the early1970s. Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper met as college students; over the past 50years they have released numerous CDs and songbooks. With Debbie Friedman (z”l) and others, they forged a new musical sound for American Jewish camps, schools and synagogues. Their songs, such as “Shalom Rav,” “Modeh Ani,” and “Lo Alecha,” have become traditionalJewish melodies around the world. They are delighted to be inaugurating their fiftieth anniversary celebration by appearing in support of URJ camps, where they first composed and incubated many of their early songs.
Alan Goodis is a touring Jewish musician playing over 150 events a year. Born and raised in Toronto, Alan is a proud product of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute. Noted for his dedication to building relationships and community through music, Alan tours throughout the US to serve as an Artist-In-Residence and performer at Temples, Youth Conventions and Jewish summer camps.
For more than a decade, Alan has been a strong presence in the Reform Jewish movement to engage and empower Jewish youth and adults through music. He’s served as Musical Director for NFTY InternationalConvention and on faculty at Hava Nashira. In 2011, he developed Nashir: NFTY Teen Song leading Institute in partnership with the URJ to provide meaningful song leader training to high school students. Alan has been a featured performer and presenter at URJ Biennials and the Wexner Foundation. In 2014, Alan released his long awaited full-length studio album “This Place.” In 2016, Alan co-founded “Friday Night: A Key ShabbatCelebration” with two Chicago congregations to engage underserved young professionals. Later that year he was named to Chicago’s Jewish 36 under 36. Later this year Alan will release a new album entitled Joy.
Alan lives in Chicago with his wife Codi and their daughters Noa and Maya. To learn more about Alan visit: www.alangoodis.com.
Boston based Jacob ‘Spike’ Kraus is a 33 year old singer-songwriter, producer, and educator. His music has been included in the cantorial curriculum of H.U.C. – J.I.R., and is featured on Jewish Rock Radio and PJ Library. His music is inspired by prominent pop, rock, and folk artists of the last 60 years, but also heavily influenced by jazz and classical traditions. Al shlosha d’varim…the three things that Spike stands on: deep understanding of Jewish content, musicianship of the highest caliber, and an infectious energy and joy for his work. Throughout the year, Spike tours Jewish communities across the country as a performer, teacher, composer, consultant, and energetically joyful individual. Find out more at www.jacobspikekraus.com.
Her destiny became obvious to Joanie Leeds’ parents when, at the tender age of 2, Joanie grabbed the performer’s mic at a party and belted out the entire song“Tomorrow” from Annie. Jaws dropped! No one could remember ever hearing a big voice like that coming from one so tiny and certainly no one would have thought she would one day earn a GRAMMY® Award for her original music.
As a musical theater major at Syracuse University, Joanie began composing her own songs. After graduation, she did the New York City thing, bartending at The Bitter End when not on stage performing. While making the rounds as a singer/songwriter in NewYork clubs (her favorites were Rockwood, The Bitter End, The Living Room, Arlene’sGrocery and CBGB’s), Joanie tried her hand at about ten different day gigs until a friend suggested that she get a job where she could sing with kids during the day and perhaps sleep at night. You could say that Joanie found (as in “discovered”) herself, managing one of the Manhattan Gymboree locations and singing with and for kids all day long. The nocturnal club scene was fun, but making music with children was real fun. Life clicked into place when Joanie realized that when she was with children, they transformed themselves into amazing creatures of joy, forgetting how to hold back. Seeing the kids get in touch with their true selves gave Joanie a sense of fulfillment that far surpassed playing for adults on the club circuit.
The songs that Joanie Leeds began turning out reflected this sense that life is a joyful adventure. Entertaining at birthday parties and pre- schools soon progressed into concert performances nationwide back in 2008 and has since generated material for nine full length albums: City Kid!, Challah, Challah, I’m A Rock Star, What A Zoo, Bandwagon, Good Egg, Meshugana, Brooklyn Baby and most recently, GRAMMY®Nominated All the Ladies! Joanie has also released 2 full length DVDs, City Kid Live and Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights- Live from Madison Square Park.
Over the past decade, Joanie has won 1st place in the USA Songwriting Competition, an Independent Music Award, a GOLD Parents’ Choice Award, NAPPA GOLD Award, Family Choice Award and is a John Lennon Songwriting Competition Finalist and international Songwriting Competition Finalist. She has performed at venues nationwide including Lollapalooza, Clearwater Festival, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Wolftrap and Levitt Pavilion. Her music has been featured in the New York Times, People Magazine, Parents Magazine, Billboard and The Washington Post and played on radio stations and rose to #1 on Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live.
Joanie released her GRAMMY® AWARD WINNING album (All the Ladies) in April 2020 during the ongoing pandemic and spent the pandemic working on song commission work, releasing several singles and performing from home. Joanie is thrilled to be back on tour bringing songs from her 9 albums to a city near you. Her favorite job of all is mama to her 6 year old daughter.
Naomi Less (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based, internationally celebrated singer, composer, musician, ritual artist and experiential educator. A co-founder of Storahtelling and ultimately Lab/Shul, Naomi has enjoyed the many hats she’s worn in this sacred work – trainer, facilitator, worship leader, officiant, fundraiser and of course singer/musician. She tends to individuals and families in different life stages, particularly the B mitzvah cohorts and trainers and the Kaddish Club for grievers and mourners. Naomi’s original music is sung in worship communities worldwide, including many she has visited as an artist in residence. Naomi is a critical part of the Jewish music ecosystem, hosting Jewish Women Rock, a show on JewishRockRadio.com, and as a Core Educator at Songleader Boot Camp. She has studied formally and informally music, education and spiritual training through mentors and programs including the Rising Song Institute Fellowship,Northwestern University, Jewish Theological Seminary, Institute for Informal Jewish Education at Brandeis University, Institute for Jewish Spirituality and ChangeCraft. Listen to Naomi’s songs wherever you stream music.
Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 25 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, L’takein, B’tzelem Elohim, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.
Dan has toured over 190 days for the last 20+ years, where he often serves as artist-in-residence and teacher for congregations and camp communities. He has served on the faculty of Hava Nashira since 2001. In 2009 he co- founded Shulhouse Rock, a songleading workshop for Jewish high-school students. He has performed live in Israel at the historic fortress of Masada and in the studio for the groundbreaking XM Radio presentation of Radio Hanukkah.
Dan created the Road to Eden Deep South Sukkot Tour to bring the message of Sukkot to communities in the southern United States, where he and his band played 11 shows in 10 days. Their experiences are captured in the documentary film, Road to Eden. In addition to these highlights, Dan has been featured at conferences and conventions of nearly every major Jewish movement, including the URJ Biennial, NFTY Convention, BBYO International, Limmud and the Wexner Heritage Program.
Julie Silver is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence, and her megawatt smile for over 25 years.
Although she resides in Southern California, Julie’s roots are deep in New England. She was raised in Newtown, Massachusetts and by the time she was 18, she was leading raucous song sessions throughout the Reform Jewish movement and playing coffeehouses in and around Boston. Eventually, she would become one of the most sought-after song leaders in the country. She graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and was selected by her senior class to deliver the commencement address and sing an original song at Graduation in May, 1988. It was her first audience of thousands—the first of many.
After college, Silver landed a job as an on-air personality at WMJX, Magic 106.7 in Boston, the number one adult contemporary radio station in the city. She started as an overnight DJ, and quickly became the weekend host of “Bedtime Magic”, a show that consistently hovered at the top of the Boston radio market.It was a natural fit for Silver who has impeccable comic timing as well as a silky-smooth speaking voice.
However it was her singing voice, her overwhelming desire to play her own music that would eventually take center stage. Julie moved to Santa Monica in June of 1994 to continue writing and recording. By the time she released her first album, Julie was stepping confidently into the national spotlight—a place where she shines most brightly to this day.
Without backing from a major label, Julie has sold more than 120,000 copies of her CDs. Between 1992and 2020 she released some of the highest selling, successful albums of original Jewish music (Together, From Strength to Strength, Walk With Me, and beyond tomorrow). Her songs have become so tightly woven into the fabric of American Judaism that they have become “standards” in worship, camp, and academic settings.
In 2002 Julie released Notes from Montana, a collection of original folk/rock songs that featured a duet with the Academy Award winning actress Helen Hunt. Julie’s children’s CD, For Love to Grow, was released in spring 2005 and quickly honored as a Parents’ Choice Blue Ribbon Recommended work. The honor is especially sweet for Julie, who recorded this beautiful CD as a tribute to her childhood music teacher, the prolific Boston-based composer, Aline Shader. It’s Chanukah Time, was recorded in 2007, and was the first Jewish holiday CD produced exclusively for the Barnes and Noble bookstore chain. It was also the ONLY Jewish album to ever be recognized on any of the Billboard charts, peaking at #5 in 2009.
Julie released Reunionin 2009, a mix of new liturgical settings and narrative story-songs with smart, sophisticated lyrics in English (“Monica’s Chair,” “The Barefoot Sisters”). As a bonus, Julie includes a cover of Carole King’s classic “Been To Canaan.”
In 2014, Julie released Anniversary, a retrospective collection celebrating her 25 years of composing, recording and performing Contemporary Jewish Music throughout the world.
Silver is focused on painting (see link), zoom concerts, being a mother, mentoring up-and-coming singer-songwriters, participating in Social Justice projects and making the Jewish experience more meaningful. “I try to enhance the way people experience Judaism by adding my own take on our sacred texts” Silver says. “I also want people who have historically been marginalized to feel included in the Jewish community or in any community and to be encouraged to tell their stories and live their lives openly. Our tradition compels us to express ourselves…our joys, our hopes, our faith and our fears. The only path to healing is through sharing our stories with one another. As a songwriter, I write and sing my story and hope it resonates with people”
Julie whole-heartedly supports and is quite often the featured performer for many worldwide Jewish organizations including the Association for Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), The World Union of Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), National Council of Jewish Women(NCJW), Hadassah, The Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), The Religious Action Council (RAC) and Women of the Wall in Israel. She also performs for American Jewish World Service and has performed and has served on faculty for The Wexner New Member Institute in Aspen, Colorado. In April of 2015, Julie helped lead a March of the Living trip through Poland and Israel.
In 2016 was given a lifetime achievement award by ARZA, in honor of her work in supporting pluralism, peace, and progressive actions in Israel.
During the summer of 2011, Julie sang the National Anthem before 38,000 fans at her beloved hometown Fenway Park in Boston, a dream come true for a life-long Red Sox fan. Also a published author, Julie’s essay, “From Exile to Redemption” is included in the anthology, “Dancing at the Shame Prom”(Seal Press, September 2012). Julie made her acting debut in the feature film, Then She Found Me, inascene opposite Bette Midler.
Silver lives in Southern California with her partner Mary Connelly, a highly acclaimed Executive Producerand their daughters, Sarah and Katie.
