Sydney-born U.S. cantor to visit Emanuel
Cantor George Mordecai will visit Sydney in August and will participate in a range of events and services at Emanuel Synagogue.
George Mordecai
Cantor Mordecai is well known to many in our community having being born in Sydney and becoming a regular part of services at Emanuel including the early period of the Masorti service. He possesses a great breadth and depth of musical and liturgical knowledge, together with a deep sense of spirituality and creativity. He has over 20 years’ experience in building community and teaching and engaging students of all ages.
From an early age, Cantor Mordecai was immersed in the rich musical and cultural traditions of his family. He received a B.A. in history from the University of New South Wales and his Cantorial and Master’s degrees in Sacred Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2000. He has worked as a cantor in Sydney, Philadelphia, Miami, Stamford and is currently the cantor at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, New York.
Outside of the synagogue, Cantor Mordecai has performed Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and Middle Eastern liturgical music at concert halls and synagogues in various cities around the US, as well as in Sydney, England, Paris and Israel. Recently, he also performed with Seraphic Fire, which brings together singers from across the country for cutting-edge concerts of rarely heard classical music.
Among other appearances at Emanuel Synagogue, Cantor Mordecai will present Lunch ‘n’ Learn after services Saturday August 12 on the topic Every shepherd has a unique melody to sing in this world. Rabbi Nahman of Breslov in his major work “Liqutei Moharan” teaches that we all have a special song to sing in this world. Cantor Mordecai will lead an exploration of this deep and beautiful text, with a focus on how Rabbi Nahman can guide us in helping build a rich and powerful singing community at Emanuel.
On Friday August 18 from 6:15pm to 7:30pm, Cantor Mordecai will be joining Rabbi Ninio in leading the Shabbat Live service accompanied by a group of talented musicians in Emanuel’s main sanctuary.
From 6:15pm on August 25, Cantor Mordecai will be joining Rabbi Orna Triguboff for a Renewal Kabbalat Shabbat. This will be a musical and meditative delight and will be followed by a pot luck vegetarian dinner. People are encouraged to bring a vegetarian plate to share.
For more information on Cantor Mordecai’s visit to Emanuel Synagogue, please see: www.emanuel.org.au or email [email protected]
