Finding Your Voice: Singing the Divine
Aviva Chernick, Poretsky Artist in Residence
Description
Ozi Vezimrat Yah - God is my strength and my song. How do I know God further? How do I find my song? Will finding my voice, my song, bring me closer to that which is divine within and without? The very first songs of praise came out of people’s mouths from their hearts and were inspired by the moment. It is this moment of instinct, of creative revelation that we will be exploring together. Sessions will include breathing, sounding and vocal technique, learning and singing of established melodies and texts, as well as improvising melodies, texts, and rhythms of our own. We will be taking inspiration from Moshe and Miriam and the People of Israel as they sang Shirat Hayam (The Song of the Sea). Come prepared for delight.
Parts of the course you will stand in order to keep rhythms with your feet and bodies, while other times you will lay on your back on the floor. Accommodations will be made for participants who are unable to lie on the ground or to stand and move. Comfortable clothing is encouraged. Translations will be provided as necessary. No prerequisites are necessary. Singing skills as well as musical training are absolutely not required. Participants in this workshop should have a desire to engage in an adventure of breath and sound.
Aviva Chernick is a versatile and passionate singer working within the Jewish community and performing beyond. She is a cantorial soloist and has been a guest teacher, guest soloist and shlichat tzibur at several congregations and Hebrew day schools around Toronto and at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Aviva’s recordings include the debut album with the global fusion band Jaffa Road and Under the Canopy, a collection of Jewish love songs, released by The Huppah Project at the 2008 Ashkenaz Festival. Aviva co-leads a Kabbalat Shabbat service, Shabbat Fusion, which features some of Canada’s foremost world musicians playing traditional and contemporary compositions for tefilah from around the Jewish world. Aviva can be heard on Mitch Smolkin’s Yiddish music project, A Song is Born, with Klezmer Buenos Aires. Upcoming endeavors include a new Latino music project inspired by the music of Flory Jagoda and a continued collaborative project inspired by the Song of Songs with Arabic music master, George Sawa.
Notes
Please note that this course is a 2.5 hour course.
Categories
- Arts and Literature
- Spiritual and Religious Life
- Extended Format
- Morning Course