Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page
Search the Web

The Triangle Jewish Chorale learns and performs music dating from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century. It is open to singers from the entire Jewish community in Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Raleigh. The Chorale has two songs included on the "Dixie Diaspora" cd, a compilation of Jewish music from the Triangle area.

MEMBERSHIP IN THIS GROUP IS OPEN TO ALL WHO:

• want to sing and perform Jewish music in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, and English;
• who can sing in tune and listen to others at the same time;
• who are willing to put in the time to learn their parts;
• who are responsible and committed enough to attend rehearsals with great regularity!!

TO SING WITH US:

• You do not have to be able to sight read (but bring a tape recorder).
• You do not have to endure a formal audition.
• You do not need to be affiliated with any Jewish organization.
• You don't have to be Jewish.
  

  WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN OUR GROUP?

  • Rehearsals are held 7:30-9:30 pm, generally on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, from September to June
  • Rehearsals are currently held in the library at Judea Reform Congregation on Cornwallis Road in Durham (near the intersection with the 15-501 bypass -- for a map, check out the Temple's web site at http://www.judeareform.org).
  • We perform about 3-5 times a year
  • We sing secular and religious music, ancient and contemporary. Some is unaccompanied, but we often use piano, percussion, instruments played by members. Sometimes we perform with members of the band Mappamundi.

  WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN!

  

  Here are a few of our members, about to perform at a wedding at the Carolina Inn in the summer of 2006.
  

  If you would like to join us... We prefer to bring our new members into rehearsal only twice a year (in January and late August). Pleasant, informal auditions are held in August and December, but we can sign you on for the next season at any time, and you can get sheet music and music files in advance of entering the group if you'd like a head start. For more information, contact the music director Jane Peppler at jane@mappamundi.com or 919-606-2122.

  If you want to hire or join the group, contact Gayla Halbrecht, our manager. For musical and other questions call Jane Peppler at 606-2122 or send her email.

  Review: "A Chanukah Party at Temple Beth Or" By Ken Hoover (http://www.cvnc.org/reviews/2004/december/TJC.html) "Chanukah, Oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora" ~ Traditional Chanukah Song The Triangle Jewish Chorale set the mood for a Chanukah party on the afternoon of December 5 at Temple Beth Or in Raleigh. The Chorale is made up of members of the Jewish communities of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary and is conducted by Jane Peppler and accompanied by Gary Berman. The choristers, drawn together by their love of singing, have ranged from college students to professors, business people and retirees. This is not a polished group, but what it lacks in refinement is made up for in individual talents and the infectious enthusiasm of all. The program included many traditional Jewish songs, most of them related to the celebration of Chanukah. Some were sung in Hebrew, some in Yiddish, a few in the unique Spanish/Hebrew blend of the Sephardim, and a few in English. The concert was informal, with several selections on a printed sheet inviting audience participation. While the only Yiddish this gentile knows is "Oy vey," it was a delight to try to sing along with "Khanukah, oy Khanukah, a yomtev, a sheyner, Alustiker, a freylekher, ...." With the patience and persistence of Peppler, I was actually able to get most of the sylables in after the third or fourth time the chorus came around. Of note on the program were several songs of Naomi Shemer, who passed away this past summer. She was truly Israel¹s greatest songwriter, depicting the love of the land, its history, and the unifying belief that the people of Israel are one. Her song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" ("Jerusalem of Gold") became second only to the National anthem, "Hatikvah." She lived for many years at a Kibbutz in the Kinneret, writing songs about the daily lives of Israelis. Especially beautiful were two songs near the end of the first half of the concert – "Kineret," a song about the lake region and a girl of the same name, and "Shir Aviv," a song about the coming of spring and the beauty of the land. Bernie Most sang with panache a delightful rendition from the Yiddish theater – "Itsik Shpitsik." The addition of Jean Ritchie's "Now is the Cool of the Day" and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times", complemented the wistful modal lilt of the traditional Jewish tunes. There were instrumental contributions from violin, squeeze box, clarinet, recorder, harmonica, and a chorus of kazoos. Berman is an excellent accompanist, and he announced that he was not responsible for the sticking damper on the piano that allowed one note to vibrate longer than it should have. This is a very talented group and they made it a thoroughly delightful afternoon. In the inviting sanctuary at Temple Beth Or, sitting before the gorgeous woodwork of the Ark of the Covenant, containing the scrolls, one could feel at home in the world we all have been given to share. The clear glass windows at the front are a reminder that the Temple is a part of the world, not apart from it, that the community of God is in the world as God's representatives. Chanukah is a holiday that celebrates an event in which the Almighty demonstrated that He is here with his people and able to accomplish miraculous things for us and through us. Happy Chanukah. Happy holidays to all.

  Triangle Jewish Chorale Makes Its Mark on Cultural Calendar By Martin Lakin The Triangle Jewish Chorale is no longer just a group of folks who like to get together to sing Jewish songs. Fresh from a triumphant appearance at the Carolina Theater in Durham at the second annual N.C. Jewish Film Festival, the chorale is acknowledged as having made its mark on our region's cultural calendar. For four years now, the chorale, founded by Gayla Halbrecht, conducted by Jane Peppler, and accompanied by Gary Berman on piano, has been giving performances in synagogues and temples as well as for secular civic occasions. The chorale has regularly performed at Yom HaShoah, Holocaust commemorations, Hannukkah celebrations and other events sponsored by the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation and its agency, Jewish Family Service. You may have heard the group in performance at celebrations of Israel Independance Day, at installation banquets and at special meetings in the Triangle Area. The Triangle Jewish Chorale has grown to more than thirty members who rehearse twice monthly and plan their offerings to include diverse elements of Jewish music, such as Hebrew melodies from Israel, Yiddish songs from Eastern Europe and from immigrants to the U.S., Ladino songs that were sung by descendants of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492, and even some songs in mixed languages, such as Yiddish and Russian. You've not yet heard the chorale in concert? Don't be the only one in your Chavurah or social group who hasn't been to one of these performances. If you want to enhance your standing with your friends, get your synagogue or temple or other Jewish organization to call Gayla Halbrecht at 620-0546 about being included in our schedule of forthcoming concerts.