Special Report

FROM THE HEART I ON TH

Heart oul
SINGER

Sam Kay inspires
other teens
while impressing
music industry
hit makers.

Carolyn Krieger-Cohen

Special to the Jewish News

Photos by Ang ie Baan

B

illy Joel once defined music
as "an explosive expression of
humanity ... something we are
all touched by"
One year ago this weekend, on Jan.
23, 2009, congregants at a special Teen
Kallah Shabbat service led by more than
25 musically inclined teens from Temple
Israel's Yom Sheini and Teen T'efillah youth
groups experienced exactly that kind of
profoundly powerful musical explosion.
The students had worked incredibly
hard with the rabbis, Cantor Michael
Smolash and Cantorial Soloist Neil
Michaels, many writing and performing
beautiful original music that evening. One
of them was West Bloomfield High School
sophomore, Sam Kay, 15, son of Laura
Solomon and Mike Kay, who took his
turn at a piano positioned on the bimah
and performed his inspiring composition
based on Psalm 150, "Raise Your Voice."
People were mesmerized. Moved to tears.
Spontaneous applause filled the main
sanctuary.
It was a shared, goose bumps-inducing
moment none in attendance will likely
forget. Because what they witnessed that
evening was a truly extraordinary teen
talent destined to make his mark on the
music world.

A Ballad Is Born
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield recalls how "Raise Your Voice"
came to life during those teen rehearsals.
"Cantor Smolash had been working on a
translation of Psalm 150," Yedwab said. "He
had written the first four lines on a sheet of
paper that was on the piano. Sam glanced
at it, sat down at the piano and just started
improvising. Our jaws dropped."
Kay, now 16, said, "I was playing around
with some cool tones and felt my spiritual-
ity and soul in the flow of the music. I corn-

Heart And Soul on page 12

January 21

2010 11