Shabbat Shalom! This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shira. Shira is the Hebrew word for song or poetry. We refer to this Shabbat as Shabbat Shira because of this Shabbat’s reading from the Torah. In this week’s Torah portion, we will read parshat B’shalakh which contains the Shirat Hayam or Song of the Sea. Moshe, Miryam, and the Children of Israel sang this song after successfully crossing the Sea of Reeds as they fled Egypt and slavery. At the Downtown Synagogue, I am very honored and humbled that Shabbat Shira is also the Shabbat that officially welcomes me to the shul’s staff as the musician in residence.
I already have had the pleasure to meet some of the wonderful people that make up the Downtown Synagogue community, but please let me introduce myself.
I describe myself as a musician and music educator. As a musician, I am a multi-instrumentalist proficient on double bass, guitar, voice, mandolin, ukulele, oud, and a variety of percussion instruments. I’ve been very privileged to share the stage with Rabbi Yosef Goldman (Hadar’s Rising Song Institute), The Shuk (Israel), Nava Tehila (Israel), and my own ensemble, The Brothers Yares. As a music educator, I am a certified public school music teacher in Michigan’s Huron Valley School District. In the classroom, I encourage my students to dive into the vast world of music as performers, creators, thinkers, and active listeners.
I am looking forward to bringing my love of Jewish music and teaching to the Downtown Synagogue. Before moving to Michigan, I was a regular musician, prayer leader, and teacher at Adas Israel and the historic Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington, DC. As a lay leader, I was an active member of Ohev Shalom: The National Synagogue and DC Minyan. I plan on using these experiences to strengthen the Downtown Synagogue’s musical traditions while incorporating new melodies into prayer services for all ages.
Even though services and events are looking a bit different that we have possibly ever imagined, I hope that we can soon join in song just as Moshe, Miriam, and the Children of Israel did as we will eventually cross our own Sea of Reeds and leave Covid-19 behind us. Feel free to reach out to me and introduce yourself. My email is musician@downtownsynagogue.org. If you would like to suggest specific melody or prayer to include with our community davening and worship, please make a suggestion here.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Gavri Yares, IADS Musician In Residence