SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
For Love of Music

Local musicians fi
 nd various outlets to make music and friends.

J

onathan Hirsch and Charles 
Chomet are attorneys who enjoy 
playing instrumental music. 
Hirsch, a cellist, and Chomet, a violin-
ist, met after separate auditions, held 
years apart, brought them into the 
Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra. 
During rehearsal breaks, Hirsch 
of Huntington Woods and Chomet 
of Berkley got to know each other 
and decided to practice law together. 
Later this year, Chomet will be getting 
married; Hirsch will play the cello to 
enhance the celebration.
Across Metro Detroit, many mem-
bers of the Jewish community have 
joined community orchestras to find 
meaningful outlets for their musical 
talents and, along the way, have estab-
lished new friendships.
These instrumentalists have 
independently shown a longtime 
commitment to continuing studies, 
whether through school programs or 
private lessons, and they even enjoy 
practicing. 
“It’
s a nice escape from the realities 
of work,” says Hirsch, who looks for-
ward to the final two concerts of the 
season. “Jubilate Deo” on March 15 
will include choral performers sing-
ing Hebrew lyrics.
Chomet, who has participated in 
out-of-state orchestras, says, “I like 
the sociability of playing with others. 
Also, performing with others brings 
a strong sense of discipline.”
Hirsch, who has played as a 
guest with the Detroit Medical 
Orchestra and for Kol Nidre ser-
vices at Congregation Shir Tikvah, 
joined the Royal Oak musicians on 
the advice of friend and clarinetist 
Michael Cher of Huntington Woods, 
chief of urology at Karmanos Cancer 
Institute and a Congregation Beth 
Shalom member.
“I believe music has healing prop-
erties,” says Cher, a founder of the 
Detroit Medical Orchestra some 10 
years ago, when free concerts were 
established. Cher also appears with 
the Spectrum Orchestra, which plays 
at Northbrook Presbyterian Church 
in Beverly Hills.
The doctor is especially looking 
forward to the last concert of the 

season on May 19, when he will 
present Mozart’
s Clarinet Concerto 
in A Major and be in the company 
of other family members appearing 
as guest instrumentalists — his sons, 
brothers and a nephew.
“I was fortunate to grow up in a very 
musical family in terms of both play-
ing and appreciating classical music,
” 
Cher says. “
Our idea of a family 
reunion always seems to involve a lot 
of chamber music.
”
A founding member of Orchard 
Lake Philharmonic, accountant Barb 
Goldman of Farmington Hills plays 
violin and is treasurer/business man-
ager for the orchestra. She was con-
firmed at Beth Israel Congregation in 
Ann Arbor and has performed at the 
Fleischman and Hechtman residences.
“It’
s great to be with people who love 
to make music,
” Goldman says. “I can’
t 
believe how many people have played 
with us and listened to us. I’
ve made so 
many friends.
”
On May 10, there will be two per-
formances of “Broadway Bound” that 
will feature some enduring works by 
Jewish composers, including Richard 
Rodgers (“
Carousel Waltz” and South 
Pacific selections) and Jerome Kern 
(Showboat selections). Both perfor-
mances that day will be at St. James 
Catholic Church in Novi.
Social worker and violinist Susan 
Feldman of Farmington Hills per-
forms with the Livonia Symphony 
Orchestra. She is a retired music 
teacher with a bachelor’
s degree in 
music and master’
s degrees in music 
and social work from U-M. 
“I consider this an encore career,
” 
says Feldman, who belongs to Adat 
Shalom Synagogue and the Jewish 
Historical Society of Michigan. “I con-
sider the Livonia Symphony a good 
match for me after retiring in 2013 and 
joining the orchestra in 2014. It’
s good 
for my brain and provides a challenge.
”
Those who have a special affection 
for the flute family can enjoy special-
ized concerts by the Michigan Flute 
Orchestra, founded by retired Israeli-
raised musician Shaul Ben-Meir, 
a former member of the Detroit 
Symphony Orchestra. 
Concerts range through five 

octaves with piccolos, traditional C 
flutes, alto flutes and bass flutes. On 
March 30 and 31, the program will 
range from arrangements of “
Adagio 
for Strings” by Barber to “Star Wars 
Medley” by Williams.
Paul Shifrin of Ann Arbor, a 
retired software developer and Beth 
Israel member, plays flute. Before 
joining the Michigan Flute Orchestra 
10 years ago, he played with a cham-
ber group, The Motor City Quartet.
Janis Braun-Levine of Commerce 
Township, a retired technical project 
manager and Adat Shalom mem-
ber, began playing flute in her early 
school years, stopped, then returned 
to the instrument five years ago. 
Braun-Levine, a music education 
major at U-M, has held affiliations 
with the Royal Oak Concert Band, 
Harbor Springs Community Band 
and the Detroit Flute Guild. She 
also plays piano and guitar and has 
taught at Temple Israel as well as 
Adat Shalom.
“I spend a lot of time practicing, 
and I get a lot of satisfaction play-
ing with groups,” she says. “There’
s 
camaraderie as we are careful about 
blend and intonation.”
Joel Stern of Birmingham, a recently 
retired fundraiser and Shir Tikvah 
member, studied piano before he was 
introduced to the flute.
“Playing music with others is a 
social art form,
” says Stern, who 
also performs with the Birmingham 
Concert Band and at jam sessions at 
Aretha’
s Jazz Café in the Detroit Music 
Hall. “I get a tremendous sense of 
enjoyment from doing this.
”
Therapist Susan Rogers of 
Birmingham is a Shir Shalom member 
who has played in temple programs. 
Although starting young with the 
cello, she found it too unwieldy.
“I love the performance part of 
playing,
” says Rogers, a member of the 
Southeast Michigan Flute Association. 
“I’
ve attended adult arts programs at 
Interlochen, and I find all the musical 
experiences encouraging and inspir-
ing. Through venues and organiza-
tions, I meet like-minded people.
“I believe that at any age, you can 
study, learn and grow.
” ■

music
arts&life

details
For schedules and 
tickets, go to 
detroitmedicalorchestra.
org, livoniasymphony.org, 
michiganfluteorchestra.
com, orchardlakephil.
org, royaloakorchestra.
com and spectrum 
orchestra.org.

Joel Stern

Michael Cher

Barb Goldman

Paul Shifrin

Jonathan 
Hirsch

Susan Rogers

Janis Braun-
Levine

Susan Feldman

Charles Chomet
34 March 7 • 2019
jn