On Friday, December 11, at 6:45 p.m., historic Beth Israel Synagogue in Wallingford will welcome back folk musician Rick Calvert for its annual “Sabbath Joy” program. “Rick Calvert will lead us in a service that will be exciting and enriching. We will wind up dancing in the aisles, singing with loud voices and embracing the Sabbath,” she said. Mr. Calvert is an award-winning singer-songwriter and cantorial soloist/synagogue musician who began composing modern settings for liturgical text in 1997. His compositions and performances reflect his dual musical roots of acoustic folk and choral work. His second CD, "Arise,” was released in 2013.
“What makes ‘Sabbath Joy’ (and similar creative services around the country) so special is that it gives congregants the opportunity to experience prayer through familiar sacred texts with a blend of traditional and contemporary musical settings,” said Calvert.
“The goal is to provide enough of a blend of the familiar to establish a foundation of comfortable anchor points throughout the service. This provides a setting for enjoying interspersed newer, more unfamiliar settings, which constitute new commentary on familiar prayers,” he said. Please visit http://www.rickcalvert.net to learn more about Rick and hear a bit of his music.
Menorah lighting shall be followed by potato latkes with all the trimmings! This event is open to the community. For more information, please call Alida Cella at (203) 949-8656 or by email at s_alida@hotmail.com
Beth Israel is located at 22 North Orchard Street, just off Center Street, in downtown Wallingford.
Sponsor: This program is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.