SEPTEMBER 22 • 2022 | 89

A LIFELONG LOVE OF MUSIC
Markovitz, 35 and single, started playing guitar 
when he was 7 years old, became serious about 
becoming a musician in his teens and played with 
a band while attending Walled Lake Northern 
High School.
“I started to realize that I could sing and, after 
high school, I went to the Los Angeles College of 
Music (formerly the Los Angeles College of Music 
Academy),
” said Markovitz, whose work kept him 
busy in California before he joined a band and 
toured the country.
Smolash appreciates Markovitz’s religious work. 
“He’s so talented, and his main focus for the 
first few months has been creating new Jewish 
music, which is the big focus of the Zipser 
Foundation,
” Smolash said. “He’s already written 
a new ‘Shema’ and a new ‘V’shamru,
’ which pre-
miered at our summer services.
“His anthem for the Fourth of July weekend 
should be a favorite when he records it and makes 
it available for synagogues all over the country. He 
also wrote a new anthem for Rosh Hashanah to 
welcome people back to synagogue life. It sounds 
awesome.
”
Smolash also described Markovitz’s work on 
programming for the temple as including a song 
leading class for young people to teach them how 
to sing and play instruments confidently. He’s also 

working with the rabbis and staff to come up with 
creative ideas.
“We also found out that he’s an expert guitar 
technician when we had a travel guitar that wasn’t 
working,
” Smolash said. “He took it home and 
brought it back the next day good as new. 
“He looks at temple and his talents and tries to 
figure out artistically how he can elevate our con-
gregation, so I’m sure there will be new projects 
joyful for our community.
”
David Radner, president of the Zipser 
Foundation, explained that the temple chose this 
year’s artist-in-residence for the program that 
started in 2020. 
“Our foundation promotes and enhances 
Jewish music activities in the Metro Detroit area,
” 
Radner explained. “Burton [Zipser] was a music 
teacher in Oak Park, so the couple would be glad 
to support participation in these Jewish music 
activities.
”
Markovitz feels lucky to be accepted into this 
program.
“I would list music as something I like to do in 
my free time,
” he said, “but I do it for work.
” 

Aaron Markovitz 
records a song in 
the studio.

