Double Chords

After more than half a century of solo singing,
Temple Israel welcomes a second cantor.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN

C

STAFF WRITER

ome July 15, Temple
Israel congregants will
hear a new voice at ser-
vices.
Cantor Harold Orbach, the
temple's longtime vocal leader,
is not leaving; rather, David
Katz, a cantorial student with
one year to go, will join Cantor
Orbach in directing voices at the
nation's largest Reform temple.
Mr. Katz will be commuting
between Long Island, N.Y., and
Metro Detroit — weekends here,
weekdays there — until he fin-
ishes cantorial school, Cantor
Orbach says. And after that, "it
will be my hope that he will con-
tinue on."
The temple was looking for a
fulltime cantor to work side-by-
side with the four rabbis and one
cantor already on staff, he says.
But they wanted Mr. Katz, a
lyric tenor, more.
After 56 years in operation,
and with more than 3,000 fam-
ilies as members, Temple Israel

is bringing on a second cantor
because "our programming and
our scope of operation continues
to broaden, and so I think addi-
tional staff is called for," Cantor
Orbach explains.
David Katz, 30, grew up in
Phoenix, where he attended the
Conservative Beth El Syna-
gogue in what he describes as "a
very thriving Jewish communi-
ty at that time."
"I always loved to sing and I
knew I was supposed to sing, but
oddly enough I didn't sing a note
until I got to college," he says. "I
was just very interested, loved
music, had played trumpet since
I was a child."
It was studying with a Jewish
woman from Brooklyn, "a very
accomplished opera singer and
teacher," that turned Mr. Katz
toward a vocal career. "She sug-
gested that I look into becoming
a cantor, so I could utilize my
voice and also have a very com-
plete life and a way to take care

of myself and my family."
Mr. Katz led congregations in
He says it is a perfect fit.
song. Most recently, he was at
"It's a gift; it seemed very ap- Temple Shearith Israel in Ridge-
propriate for me, the place to field, Conn. Before that, it was
give it back."
As a child, Mr. Katz
"used to hum along to
songs. I had a musical
ear, knew I was in key
... the next thing I
knew I had a full four-
year scholarship for
opera studies at major
universities — first at
University of Arizona,
then Arizona State
University."
Next stop, big
stage. Mr. Katz put
his voice to work at
Phoenix theaters in
such productions as
Hair, Big River: The
Adventures of Huckle-
berry Finn, The Mika-
do
and
H.M.S.
Pinafore.
He ended up at He-
brew Union College
School of Sacred Mu-
sic in New York.
Mr. Katz says he
doesn't miss the stage David Katz: New voice at Temple Israel.
"because I get tremen-
dous fulfillment from singing in Union Reform Temple in
the synagogue." He also per- Freeport, N.Y.
forms in concerts.
He and his wife, Julia, an el-
Throughout cantorial school, ementary-school art teacher, are

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"From what we've seen so far,
as a community, it's just gor-
geous and every-
body welcomes us
with open arms,"
Mr. Katz says.
Mr. Katz will not
be working under
Cantor Orbach, but
rather with him.
The two willshare
High Holiday and
Shabbat services,
Cantor Orbach ex-
plains.
In the fall, Tem-
ple Israel intends to
start two-track ser-
vices on Friday
evening — informal
participatory ser-
vices and more tra-
ditional services.
'With four rabbis
and two cantors,
we're able to do
that," Cantor Or-
bach says.
Mr. Katz also will
work with temple
youth, choirs and its
concert program, as
well as with b'nai mitzvot, Can-
tor Orbach says. He will "fully
share in the life of our congre-
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