The Congregation Mishkan Israel is pleased to welcome nationally renowned composer/musician Mark Berman as our special guest at Shabbat Evening Services on Friday, October 9. As part of the congregation’s 175th Anniversary celebration activies, Mark will be presenting the new premiere of “Genesis.”

Mark grew up at CMI. He originally wrote “Genesis”, his musical interpretation of creation, as a young teen but has done a new arrangement especially for the 175th Anniversary Celebration. For the presentation on the 9th, he will be joined by fellow musicians and singers from New York. Mark has been with the Broadway Tony winner, “The Boy from Oz,” and has among his credits conducting for Broadway’s “Rent,” “Smokey Joe’s Café,” and “Blood Brothers.” TV credits include HBO’s “Sex and the City,” and Bravo’s “Fame.” Artists for whom he has arranged and played piano for include Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Blood Sweat and Tears, Helen Reddy, Gladys Knight, Richie Havens and Hugh Jackman.

The community is invited. Congregation Mishkan Israel is a reform synagogue located at 785 Ridge Road in Hamden celebrating our 175th Anniversary. It is the 14th oldest congregation in the United States, and the oldest continuously operating one in New England. For more information, call the synagogue office at (203) 288-3877.