Adult Education
Adult Education
Monthly Classes with Hazzan Sarah
Join us for interesting discussions led by Hazzan Sarah Alexander
Chazzan Sarah Alexander
Hazzan Sarah Alexander is thrilled to share her love of davening and dedication to meaningful
Jewish education with the community of Kehillat Shalom.
She never dreamed that this would be her life’s path when she began a musical life as an
instrumentalist almost 30 years ago. In her early twenties, Hazzan Alexander was called by G-
d to pursue the sacred calling of the cantorate, which her mentor Hazzan Rabbi Shlomo Shuster
has aptly characterized as “leading our people up the mountain of prayer.”
A passionate Conservative Jew, Hazzan Alexander is an invested member of the Cantors
Assembly, the largest organization of professional Hazzanim in the world. A past president of
the Chicago Milwaukee Association for Synagogue Music, she currently serves as Secretary-
Treasurer for the Midwest Regional Chapter of the Cantors Assembly.
Another of Hazzan Alexander’s missions is making prayer accessible and understandable to
everyone. For this purpose, she has created transliterated learning siddurim for Conservative
shuls, which she gives away for free. She has also created custom prayer books which are
currently in use by Anshe Tikvah and CJE SeniorLife.
Congregations Hazzan Alexander has served include Congregation Shirat Shalom, Anshe
Tikvah, Ezra Habonim, the Niles Township Jewish Congregation, and Mikdash El Hagro
Hebrew Congregation. She is also involved in the greater Jewish community, from lecturing
for Hadassah groups to davening with nursing home residents to leading community sedarim
to serving as Cubmaster for Chicagoland’s only Jewish Cub Scout Pack. In 2003, Hazzan
Alexander was named a “Jewish Chicagoan of the Year” by the Chicago Jewish News.
In addition to her cantorial pursuits, Hazzan Alexander is a recitalist, orchestral performer,
and chamber musician. She has soloed with various orchestras, including the Chicago String Ensemble, the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra, the DePaul University Chamber Orchestra, and the Lake Shore Symphony. She was the featured soloist when the Wheaton Symphony
performed Strauss’ Don Quixote. Hazzan Alexander has been presented in recital by WFMT’s
“Live from Studio One”, the MacDowell Arts Society, the Spanish Consulate, the Beck Institute
for the Arts, the Union League Club, the North Shore MacDowell Society, the Chicago Musical
Arts Club, and other organizations too numerous to mention.
World music is one of Hazzan Alexander’s passions, and in that vein she has performed with
T.I.M.E., Lingua Musica, and StringFusion. She has performed over 60 world premieres to
date, including several works written specifically for her. In addition to the violoncello, she also
performs on the violoncello piccolo and the oud.
Hazzan Alexander lives in Skokie with her husband Daniel and their children Aaron and Esther.
contact Hazzan Sarah at hazzanalexander@yahoo.com
Fri, April 19 2024
11 Nisan 5784
Click to Link to Ezra Habonim Niles Township Jewish Congregation
Calendar
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Tzav
Candle Lighting
Friday, Mar 29, 6:56pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Mar 30, 8:05pm |
Parshat Parah
Shabbat, Mar 30 |
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