Jonathan Angress High Holiday Leader
I led my first service when I was 14 years old at Beth Torah under the direction of Cantor Yehuda Rottner. Cantor Rottner began teaching me how to read Torah, Haftorah, and how to lead services for Weekdays, Shabbat, Festivals, and High Holidays when I was 12 years old as I began to train for my Bar-Mitzvah. He also taught me how to read Eicha and Megillat Esther. On my Bar-Mitzvah, I read the entire Torah portion, Haftorah, and I sang the Musaf service as a duet with Cantor Rottner. Shortly thereafter, I joined the Beth Torah Youth Choir and sang with them for 4 years. At 16 years old, I became the resident choir arranger and conductor which entailed arranging the music for the choir and conducting rehearsals for the choir. In addition to my choir duties, I also filled in for Cantor Rottner when he was sick or out of town. From the time I was 15 until I was 17, I sang High Holidays with Cantor Rottner and a professional choir named The Interlude. I was a featured soloist in that ensemble. Cantor Rottner hosted several Cantorial Concerts where I was featured as a guest soloist singing one famous cantorial masterpiece per concert. I have sung in concert with cantors such as Yaakov Motzen, Chaim Adler, Avi Albrecht, Yitzhak Helfgot, Naftali Herstik, Netanel Herstik, Daniel Gildar, Lipa Glantz, Benjamin Warchawski, Ben Tzion Miller, Yitzhak Zrebker, and Israel Rand. In the summer of 2006, I traveled to Pennsylvania for a one week private master class in cantorial singing, nusach, opera, and voice with Cantor Daniel Gildar. I also had the honor and privilege to study under the world renown cantor and tenor, Cantor Louis Danto.
I was also a member of the Hillel Community Day School choir under the direction of Marlena Tuchinsky with whom I studied voice and cantorial singing for 3 years and was a featured soloist in her choir. Mrs. Tuchinsky is the daughter of the world renown cantor, composer, and choir director Abraham Nadel. I also sang cantorial masterpieces with her choir as well.
In 2005, I received a very flattering offer to attend upon graduating high school, the Tel-Aviv Cantorial Institute in Israel under the direction of the Chief Cantor of Tel Aviv, Cantor Naftali Herstik. However, I decided to pursue an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Music at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
Starting in 2004, I began to lead the Shacharit service for Rosh Hashanah and the Mincha service for Yom Kippur. I have led those two services every year since. In 2006, Cantor Rottner moved to Israel and upon his leaving, Cantor Moshe Schulhof became the cantor for High Holidays 2006. I directed the choir for Cantor Schulhof in addition to singing many duets and solos with him. I also had the pleasure of studying cantorial singing and nusach privately with Cantor Schulhof. Shortly after the High Holidays, I began to do the service on Saturday mornings twice a month for each Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration as well as Festivals which included the Yizkor Service. I have held this position for nearly two years. For High Holidays 2007, Cantor Steven Texon assumed the pulpit and I directed the choir and sang duets with him in addition to leading Shacharit and Mincha. For the past year, I have been studying improvisational cantorial singing with Cantor Texon. On my down time, I have served as a guest cantor with Cantor Julie Jacobs at Beth David Congregation in Coral Gables and opposite Rabbi Jory Lang at Temple Beth Moshe in North Miami. I have led services for the Conservative Minyan at the Hillel House at the University of Miami, ChabadUM of Coral Gables with Rabbi Mendy Fellig, and the Jewish Collegiate Learning exchange with Rabbi Shlomo Sprung. I am also one of the founding members of the Miami Jewish Chorale, a Jewish community choir which began in 2007.
I have also played violin and/or sang at community events including Israel Defense Force Fundraisers, The Greater Miami Jewish Federation Fundraisers, Bar Ilan University Fundraisers, and Jewish Community Center’s Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron services.
2002: West Side Story- Ensemble. Shylock- Renaissance Singer. 2003: Fiddler on the Roof- The Fiddler. Little Shop of Horrors- Stage Manager. 2004: Annie Get Your Gun- Chief Sitting Bull. The Matchmaker- Joe Scanlon, Gypsy Fiddler. 2005: Les Miserables- Inspector Javert. I Remember Mama- Uncle Chris. 2006: Beauty and the Beast- Gaston. Under the C+; American Gothic- The Husband, 10 Minute Play- Actor #2, Saturday- Chaim (Understudy). An Eye on American Opera- Chorus. 2007: The Merry Widow- Nejus. Shakespeare in Opera; Falstaff Finale- Ford, Stage Manager. Menotti Remixed; Help Help, The Globolinks- Mr. Lavendergas. 2008: Cerberus Waits!- Aeneas the Hero (Originated the role). Dido and Aeneas- Chorus, The Sailor (Understudy), Assistant Stage Management Crew.
Singing, violin, piano, composing/arranging, conducting.
When I was 6 years old I saw the musical Fiddler on the Roof. From the opening scene, I fell in love with the play. As a result, I became interested in playing violin. I began studying violin technique at the age of 7 years old in the fall of 1994 with Professor Aileen DiNino, a long time veteran of the Miami-Dade County Public School system with whom I also studied piano from 2002-2006. I studied with her until the summer of 2006. From 1995-2006, I played violin, sang, conducted, and composed music with the South Florida Youth Symphony of which I was the Assistant Concert Master from 2005-2006. In the fall of 2006, I began to study with Professor Scott Flavin who is currently the concert-master of the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra and who I am currently studying with. I have been playing violin for 13 years.
I began studying voice in 2004 with Marlena Tuchinsky who is the Music Director of Hillel Community Day School in North Miami, Florida. I studied with her until 2006. Upon going to college, I began to study with Professor David Malis who had a 12 year career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He was also featured with the Dallas City Opera and is currently the director of the opera program for the Crestibute Summer Music Festival, Opera Division. This past semester, I began studying voice with Dr. David Alt who has an extensive Broadway career and is currently the Chairman for Vocal Performance at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. I am also studying conducting with Dr. Donald Oglesby who is the Assistant Director of Choral Studies at the Frost School of Music and I am studying acting with Mr. Lowe Williams who is a former Broadway actor at the University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts.
2009 |