By Ariella Shapiro
Thousands of years after the first women danced in the vineyards of Israel, a gathering of forty women made their way to the home of Mrs. Shaindy Jacobson in Crown Heights for a concert featuring classical soprano Mrs. Chava Shapiro, accompanied by pianist Mrs. Mirele Rosenberger.
The evening began with chocolate chip cookies, still hot from the oven, and a d’var Torah by Ms. Aden Ratner-Stauber, expounding upon the facets of Tu b’Av. Tu b’Av is a holiday of unification. It is a day when the tribes of Israel were finally permitted to intermarry. It is a day when shevet Binyomin was welcomed back into the fold after a period of excommunication.
It is a day when the gates separating the northern and southern kingdoms of Judah and Israel were opened. It is fitting that on the heels of the 9th Av, a day of exile and destruction, G-d has provided us with the chance of healing during the festival of Tu b’Av. On this night, some of us sat as strangers, others as friends, but these boundaries between us fell and were swept away by music. We were united.
Singing with a depth beyond her years, Chava performed songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Ladino, as well as classical selections from acclaimed composers such as Bellini, Hahn, Rachmaninov, and Puccini. As I looked across the room, meeting the eyes of other women, I could see them wiping away tears. After the concert, one woman described it as a “rare and transformative experience.”
Classically trained since 14, Chava has expressed that “singing is a source of a joy, and a way to connect with others and with G-d.” In her youth she performed with choirs across the globe in a variety of esteemed venues, including New York City’s very own Carnegie Hall. She currently resides in Crown Heights, training with prominent vocal teacher and founder of Brooklyn Jewish Dance, Mrs. Rivka Nahari.
For the past eight months, under Mrs. Nahari’s guidance, Chava has been studying the Old Italian school of vocal technique (also known as the bel canto technique) and says it has “opened my eyes to an entirely new way of singing.”
After adopting a religious lifestyle, Chava now sings for women’s audiences only. One of her most memorable performances was for the Gala Banquet at the International Conference of Shluchos, where she and Mirele Rosenberger performed a haunting rendition of “Ani Ma’amin.”
It is easy when there is such a voice to be heard, to neglect the music accompanying it, but this is not the case with Mirele Rosenberger. She is a truly gifted artist with an extraordinary command of her craft.
Chava and Mirele will be performing together again at the upcoming National Jewish Retreat in Alexandria, Virginia on August 8th, Rosh Chodesh Elul.
This concert can be done any time. The main thing for a holy day would be nigunim, no question about it, and not only Chabad holy nigunim.
–A Jewish Woman of CH
didn’t see this advertised, i would’ve loved to go
Did anyone know about this? I would have loved to have gone, I love music.
Surely good intentions
But if im
Not mistaken in that gemora footnote mentions how He would stop and listen to (roman i think) orchestra on way to BHMK everyday and rebbe explains 2 things metamtem moach
And lev.. Goyishe music and chalav akum. This story was obviously not referring to trashy pop but rather real “classical”
Found it distirbing that of the whole article col found it fit to hilight and head it with the classical music info…
nice rambam set in the backround
Look, they have good intentions and are great people but this has to be said – there’s a story with the Rebbe where someone kept having the image of a tzelem R”L in front of him while davening and the Rebbe said that this came from hearing classical music (albeit a different composer than the ones mentioned above). Non-Jewish music is also cited as one of the reasons R’ Elisha Ben Avuyah became Acher, R”L. This does need to be said.
Wonderful! I wish I lived in CH or they would tour the country.