Shireinu Choir performing community concert at North High on June 2

The Island Now
The 58-member Shireinu Choir will perform for the community on June 2 at Great Neck North High School. They recently performed at Temple Israel of Great Neck, as seen above. (Photo courtesy of Shireinu Choir of Long Island)
The 58-member Shireinu Choir will perform for the community on June 2 at Great Neck North High School. They recently performed at Temple Israel of Great Neck, as seen above. (Photo courtesy of Shireinu Choir of Long Island)

Hebrew, English and Yiddish songs will melodically come to life when the Shireinu Choir of Long Island holds their second annual concert for the community on Sunday, June 2, starting at 7:30 p.m.

The renowned 58-member singing group, which draws members from New York City as well as throughout Nassau County, has received widespread praise for their many performances during their first year.

​“The mission of our choir is to bring the community together through song,” said Sherry Husney of Great Neck, a co-president of the non-denominational group.

​Concert selections include “Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of Roses),” a sensitive portrait of the Israeli desert and of love, taken from the biblical “Song of Songs;” “I Got Rhythm,” a jazz standard from the Broadway musical “Girl Crazy;” “Chai,” a popular Israeli tune; and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” featuring words adapted from the Book of Numbers.

“When selecting songs to perform,” Shireinu Director Deborah Tartell said, “I look for a variety of songs in different styles of music and languages to help make it most enjoyable for the audience members as well as for the singers.”

Among the featured guest soloists are three-time nominated Grammy Music Educator Joseph Rutkowski, the director of instrumental music at Great Neck North High School, who will play Klezmer and jazz clarinet, and Raphael Frieder, who has served as the cantor at Temple Israel of Great Neck for the past 28 years. The musical accompanist is Gayle Ashkenazy.

During the past year the Shireinu Choir has performed for the Nassau County Legislature, the Great Neck community Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Interfaith Service, the Regency Assisted Living Center, the Yom Hashoah Service at Temple Israel of Great Neck, and at a benefit for Hatzilu, a Jewish organization dedicated to feeding the hungry.

Tickets to the June 2 performance, being held at Great Neck North High School beginning at 7:30 p.m., are priced at $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the door.

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