KBY -- Shabbat Shebalev

Shabbat Shebalev
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Bios and Photos

The participants in the Shabbat of the Heart
thank God for the gift of music.

Singers: (bios and photos)
Cantor Evan Cohen Kehilat Har-El 16 Shmuel Hanagid Street Jerusalem, Israel cantorevan@gmail.com 011-972-54-4742-314	Cantor Evan Cohen grew up in Monroe, NY, and graduated from the George Washington University in 1996. There, as a natural continuation of his music studies, he played the tympani in the Wind Ensemble, the congas in “Los Gringos,” and sang in the University Choir, receiving the prestigious Harmon Choral Award. He then enrolled as a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College (HUC) but only completed one year, having fallen in love with Israel and then making aliyah in 1998. Through the influence of Prof. Eliyahu Schleifer and Cantor Naftali Herstik, he fell in love again, this time with chazzanut. Cantor Evan is a graduate of the Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute (directed by Cantor Herstik of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue) and has served as the cantor of Kehilat Har-El since 2001. Representing his congregation and his alma mater, he has performed across Israel, Holland, and the USA to great acclaim. Cantor Evan insists on mentioning his most important love, that of his wife, Michele.
Jen Cohen (www.jencohen.com)	Jen Cohen graduated from Yale University, moved to Nashville, Tenn., and began touring the U.S., playing universities and clubs, and recording two CDs (available on www.jencohen.com). Her life has taken an exciting turn, and she's currently enrolled in the cantorial program at Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan. As legendary singer-songwriter Janis Ian has said, "In my next life, I'm coming back with Jen Cohen's voice."
Noah Fabricant	Rabbinical Student, HUC
Leah Holland	Cantorial Student, HUC Leah has just completed her first year of cantorial school at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute, and has wanted to be a cantor since second grade when she was assigned the role of cantor in her religious school class service. Before entering cantorial school, Leah was a middle school and high school music teacher and choir director. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, and a Master of Music Education degree from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Ayelet Piatagorsky	Cantorial Student, JTS

Production:
Misha Piatagorsky Producer, Arrangements & Percussion www.MishaMusic.com	Misha Piatagorsky was born in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. He grew up listening to his father compose music for the Tanganka Theatre and from the age of 5 he studied classical music. Misha immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 8, and at the age of 16 he discovered jazz. He has since studied with Kenny Barron while earning his Bachelors Degree at Rutgers and he has a Masters Degree in Music from the Manhattan School of Music. Misha began composing in his early twenties, and producing became the natural synthesis of his dual roles. In the past decade Misha has produced, and written and arranged for singers including Mariani Ebert, Barbara Mendes, Judy Bay, and Ayelet Piatagorsky. He is the 2004 winner of the Thelonious Monk Composition Competition for his piece "Low Talk", and has produced his own projects.
Denis Sobolev	Guitar
Ori Vinocur	Sound Engineer, Kadima Studio Jerusalem
Teresa Machado	Photography, and Cover Design