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440 E. Congress, Detroit 48226, 964-0339
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Bel Canto singers Lauren Weitz, Marcia Tanzman and Doris August.
outlet the chorus provides.
"lb me, the group is such a
wonderful way to share
music," says Marcia Tanzman,
of Oak Park, a member for
the past 15 years. "The shar-
ing and blending of voices is
a wonderful, exhilarating ex-
periences. It's the closest
thing you can get to heaven."
Shirley Stern. .'qyzai Ms
4
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1988
Like many of the members,
Tanzman studied music in
high school and college. She
sang in the Wayne State
University women's glee club
where she studied to be a
vocal music teacher. After
teaching music for six years
in the Detroit Public schools,
she quit to raise her children.
Tanzman joined the choir at
Congregation Beth Shalom,
and learned about Bel Canto
through fellow member. Cash.
"It is such a natural outlet,"
Tanzman says about Bel Can-
to. "When I first joined, I just
wanted to get up and say
`thank you' to all the
members."
Attorney Sara Zivian
Zwick], of Southfield, joined
the group last year. A
graduate of Interlochen Arts
Academy and Indiana
University, she went on to get
a law degree from Univeristy
of Michigan. As she practiced
law and started a family, sing-
ing was put on a back burner.
"This was a way to get back
into singing in a casual way."
Zwickl says. "It's a lot of fun.
It's my creative outlet. I look
forward to rehearsals as
something special for me.
And the women are warm
and caring for each other."
The choir began in the
mid-1940s as the Women's
Choir of the Jewish Com-
munity Center. The late
Julius Chajes, a composer,
served as mucical director of
the choir as well as the
Center Symphony Orchestra.
Each year, the group had a
musical soiree at members'
homes with guest artists,
such as vioinist Misha
Mishakoff, and pianist
Mischa Kottler. In 1956, the
group performed in Cleveland
at Severance Hall with the
Cleveland Jewish Singing
Society.
Mr. Chajes, who was
teaching music at Wayne
State Univeristy, left the
group in the late 1950s
because of muscal com-
mitments. Avi Kaplan, an
Israeli musician who had
come to Detroit on an ex-
change program for United
Hebrew Schools, became
musical director of the next
two years.
About this time, the
members voted to change the
name to the Bel Canto Choral
Society, because the group
was no longer affiliated with
the Jewish Community
Center. Cantor Simon Ber-
manis of the former Con-
gregation Ahavas Achim
became musical director
following Kaplan and served
for six years.
For 14 years beginning in
1971, violinist Braude, of Far-
mington Hills, directed the
chorale. Then in 1984, Dr.
Morton Gold, who was
organist and music director at
Ibmple Israel in West Bloom-
field, took over the helm.
When Denise Ogden, of
Berkley, assumed the direc-
torship last fall, not only was
she the first woman musical
director in Bel Canto's
history, she was the first
trained in vocal music. A
vocal music teacher at
Vandenberg Elementary
School in Southfield, she
holds degrees in performance
piano and vocal music educa-
tion from Madonna College.
"I was surprised at the level
of achievement of the group,"
Ogden says. "There is a very
high degree of music training
among the members. We
achieve a very high level of
music.
"While we work hard in
rehearsal, I can honestly say
that I don't know as I have
had as much fun," says
`",