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FROM THE HEAR

Heart And Soul from page 11

"It feels good for all of us at Evolution
Media to combine our unique skills with
someone as talented as Sam, all for the
benefit of something we deeply believe in,"
Harder said. "We look forward to watching
where Sam goes from here professionally."
Harder and Victor donated their time and
talent to the project.

Clockwise from top: Sam Kay with music producer/engineer Chuck
Alkazian at his Pearl Sound Studios in Canton. Michigan rock leg-

end Bob Seger gave Sam some sound advice. Sam Kay and his
mom, Laura Solomon, of West Bloomfield with benefactor Dr. Sol
Cogan. Sam Kay in the studio with Evolution Media's Bill Harder and Fran Victor, Temple Israel members who donated

their services to create the "Raise Your Voice" video.

pleted it at home, and when I performed
the finished song for Rabbi Yedwab and
Cantor Smolash, they didn't change a thine
Yedwab said what struck him most was
the highly personal way Sam expressed
what God meant to him.
"He took Jewish text and composed lyr-
ics and a melody that was unlike any genre
I had ever heard in Jewish music;' Yedwab
said. "I've had thousands of incredibly
talented kids come through my programs
over the years, but I will say that what Sam
possesses is very rare. When he wrote and
performed this song, I saw something
above and beyond the ordinary"
Yedwab's son, Jesse, 16, a member of
the temple's Yom Sheini Jewish youth rock
band, agreed. "Everyone who saw Sam per-
form felt the power of his music:' he said.
"I know he motivated and inspired many

teens in our community to also pursue
what they love, through Judaism"

Sharing A Vision
Those who heard Kay sing his original
composition that night were swept up
in a palpable wave of positive vibration,
including longtime Temple Israel members
Bill Harder and Fran Victor. Founders of
Evolution Media (formerly Victor/Harder
Productions), an Emmy award-winning
video production and programming corn-
pany based in West Bloomfield, Harder
and Victor head Temple Israel's media and
technology committee. They had been
meeting with the clergy and executive
committee about their shared vision for
utilizing video, multimedia and other viral
marketing platforms to extol the message
that Judaism and the Bible are relevant,

uplifting and can add meaning and an ele-
ment of cool to teens' daily lives.
"After seeing Sam perform 'Raise Your
Voice' with such passion and conviction,
we knew we wanted to create a music
video around him:' Harder said.
The filming took place at Pearl Sound
Studios in Canton on Dec. 1, 2009, and
Harder and Victor spent several weeks
editing the footage. The resulting video,
featuring Kay singing and playing the
piano in a stark studio with subtle, sub-
dued mood lighting, was recently posted
on YouTube by Smolash, where more than
6,000 Web viewers have watched it world-
wide to date. Temple Israel also e-mailed
the video link to its 3,500 members on
New Year's Eve as a special musical chain
letter" in the hopes recipients would pass it
on and "play" it forward.

Musical Mentors
Kay's talent was immediately apparent to
Orchard Lake Middle School vocal music
director April Tini. He was a member of her
sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade choirs. A
passionate vocal music educator, Tini has
performed in concerts and music clinics
across the United States, Canada, Europe
and Japan.
"Sam possesses an uncanny ability to
stylize and personalize a song;' she said.
"He has tremendous musical ears; he can
hear everything and sing anything, from
harmonies to solos to show tunes to classi-
cal choral pieces to anything else I ever put
in front of him. He has incredible musical
instincts and knows what to do with his
voice and with a song. You can't teach that;
it's truly a gift. He has the talent, drive and
heart to achieve star status:"
Cantorial Soloist Michaels' wife,
Stephanie, was Kay's private vocal coach in
2007. She helped instill a profound sense
of pride and purpose in him as he pur-
sued his passion for singing. After starting
high school, Kay began taking vocal and
piano lessons from famed musician Irwin
Krinsky of Bloomfield Hills. Krinsky suc-
cessfully mentored Grammy award-win-
ning hip-hop producer and keyboardist
Luis Resto, who has worked closely with
rapper Eminem.
Krinsky also introduced Kay to his child-
hood friend, Don Was (better known as
Don Fagenson during the 1960s and '70s
growing up in Oak Park). Founder of the
popular 1980s band, Was (Not Was), Was is
a highly acclaimed, Grammy award-win-
ning record producer who has collaborated
with such legendary musical icons as Bob
Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt and
Elton John.
In July, Was arranged a meeting with Kay
and his mother, Laura Solomon, at rehears-
als for the annual Concert of Colors, Metro
Detroit's free annual diversity music festi-
val. He played Kay's music over the sound
system and was extremely impressed,
describing Kay as "brilliant" and telling him
and his mother that he has what it takes to
succeed in the music business.
Was connected Kay to Detroit's classic
rock legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer
Bob Seger, who recently extended a per-
sonal invitation to Kay to meet privately
with him at his home in West Bloomfield.
Seger offered seasoned, sound business

Heart And Soul on page 14

12

January 21* 2010

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