26 | JUNE 2 • 2022 H ow unlikely is it to find three female cantors on the bimah of the prestigious Orthodox Hampton Synagogue in New York? Surprisingly, it was one of many distinguished appearanc- es for these three cantors — the Shul Sisters — who are coming to Congregation Shaarey Zedek on Thursday, June 9, at 7 p.m. The concert is free, but regis- tration is required. The Shul Sisters are three of the leading female cantors in the country: Cantor Laurie Akers of Congregation Or Shalom in Chicago, Cantor Rachel Brook of Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago and Cantor Rachel Goldman of Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay in Los Angeles. The three cantors met through separate shared rela- tionships with acclaimed per- former Neshama Carlebach. Cantors Akers and Brook were each invited to work with Carlebach on one of her albums in February 2018. Later, when Brook was being installed at the Park Avenue Synagogue, Akers was com- missioned to write a song for the occasion, which cultivated their relationship. The relationship they shared with Carlebach led them to meet at a cantorial conven- tion. It all came together in February 2019, at a song-lead- ing convention in St. Louis called Songleader Bootcamp, the brainchild of Jewish music singer Rick Recht. Cantor Rachel Goldman pulled the other two aside to introduce them to a beautiful song called “Price of a Woman.” At that moment, when they started to sing together, they felt a magical connection. They realized that they had some- thing special, and the Shul Sisters were born. The Shul Sisters have been appearing together since 2019 at venues such as Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City and the International Lion of Judah Conference, both in 2020, and the Jewish United Fund of Chicago Women’s Gala with Diane von Furstenberg and the Neranenan/Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, both in 2021. ACCOMPLISHED CANTORS These three already-distin- guished cantors have individ- ually contributed to liturgical music in their own rights. Akers is a celebrated Jewish Rock Radio artist whose compositions have received national acclaim. She serves as the host of Jewish Rock Radio Chicago Sings, a concert series that brings together cantors and musicians from 20-plus congregations to create and share new Jewish music. In addition, she hosts the monthly Cantors Assembly program, Shir Chadash, and frequently serves as a guest artist and commissioned composer at congregations around the country. Her compositions can be found in numerous Jewish liturgical anthologies. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Brad, and their three sons, Isaac, Levi and Ashton. Brook, senior cantor of Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago, was the first female cantor in its 150-year history. Previously, she served as can- tor at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York. Her first solo album, L ’chayim Ul’shalom: Songs of Life and Peace, was released in December 2020, and she is a featured solo- ist on several Park Avenue Synagogue albums. Brook has served as the conductor of Shir Chadash: The Brooklyn Jewish Community Chorus and the Westchester chapter of HaZamir: the International Jewish High School Choir. She has been a service leader and educator at synagogues throughout New York City and at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where she curat- ed and taught the yeshivah’s first course on building sing- ing communities. She was ordained at the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in May 2016. Goldman currently serves as Cantor at Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay in Los Angeles. Beginning in OUR COMMUNITY Congregation Shaarey Zedek welcomes the Shul Sisters on June 9. Celebrating Female Voices in the Cantorate Details: Shul Sisters at Shaarey Zedek On Thursday, June 9, 7 p.m. at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield. Free, but registration is required at shaareyzedek. org/shulsisters. Call (248) 357-5544 for information. RUTH KREMER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS The Shul Sisters