Composer, conductor duet at Downey temple

DOWNEY - Congregants of Temple Ner Tamid will be treated to an evening service on Friday, May 17, with several compositions by Cantor and renowned composer Stephen Richards.He will join Cantor Ken Jaffe in selections of his sacred vocal solos and duets accompanied by organist Norberto Guinaldo. The concert/service is open to the public and begins at 7:30 p.m. As a composer, Cantor Richards has fulfilled commissions for numerous organizations including the chorus of the San Francisco Symphony. His chorale cycle, "Songs of the Mountain" was recorded in 2007 after being performed in Walnut Creek and Oakland. His "Prayer, A Suite for Oboe and Strings", was recorded by the Krakow Symphony Orchestra and has been performed by the South Bay Chamber Symphony in 2011. Other works include: "Songs of a Survivor" and "Ballad of Ruth" which was recently performed in a chamber version at Stephen S. Wise temple in Los Angeles. Cantor Kenneth Jaffe is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He has served congregations in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Missouri and in California, where he is Temple Ner Tamid of Downey's Cantor. Prior to entering the cantorate, Cantor Jaffe sang opera professionally throughout the United States, having performed dozens of roles in several opera companies. Cantor Jaffe's bibliography, "Solo Vocal Works on Jewish Themes: A Bibliography of Jewish Composers," is published by Scarecrow Press and is considered the most extensive Jewish music bibliography published in the last 60 years. His songs have been published by Transcontinental Music and are sung in many congregations around the country. He is also a specialist in music for Jewish religious, day and preschools, and has recorded a CD of original songs for children. Cantor Jaffe has concertized throughout the country and was chosen as the tenor soloist in a work written by Ben Steinberg for the American Conference of Cantor's 50th Annual Convention. He is married to nationally known drama educator, Deanna Ableser. The couple have two daughters.

********** Published: May 16, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 05