88 | SEPTEMBER 22 • 2022 

A

aron Markovitz celebrated his bar 
mitzvah at Temple Israel 22 years 
ago not thinking he would return 
as a composer and performer, but that is 
what he is doing this year. 
A guitar player and singer-songwriter 
who has appeared with a California studio 
band, on cruise ships and in clubs across 
the country, Markovitz is spending the 
year as the Burton A. and Sandra D. Zipser 

Foundation Artist-in-Residence at the tem-
ple and in temple recordings. His specialty 
has been writing music and lyrics for folk 
Americana and bluegrass music. 
“So far, it’s been a lot of writing music 
for the temple, and I’ve been working with 
some of the youth there on getting together 
materials they’re going to perform in an 
upcoming service,
” said Markovitz, who 
lives in Ferndale, has stopped touring the 

country and still performs bluegrass music 
with the group Wilson Thicket and in the 
two-person arrangement Raven Grey. 
“For the service surrounding the Fourth 
of July, Cantor Michael Smolash asked if I 
could write a prayer for our government, 
and it ended up being the sermon anthem, 
‘May It Never Depart This 
Land,
’ which became the song 
featured after the rabbi spoke. 
“We’ll be going into the 
studio to record a song for the 
High Holidays so I’ve been 
working on that as well. It 
welcomes congregants into the 
Jewish community.
” 
Markovitz found out about this oppor-
tunity in March while playing at the live 
music social café 20 Front Street in Lake 
Orion. Scott Loudon, who had done audio 
and video work for the temple in addition 
to his work at 20 Front Street, knew about 
the temple program in artistry and put the 
two in touch.
“Cantor Smolash gave me a call shortly 
after that and asked if I would like to play 
at a Friday night Shabbat service and ques-
tioned if I would write a couple of songs to 
be performed at that service,
” Markovitz 
recalled. 
“While meeting with the cantor, he men-
tioned the Zipser Foundation and asked 
if that would be something I would be 
interested in. I thought it was a great oppor-
tunity.
”

ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC

Aaron Markovitz is 
the Burton A. and 
Sandra D. Zipser 
Foundation Artist-
in-Residence.

Cantor 
Michael 
Smolash

SUZANNE CHESSLER 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Making Music 
at Temple Israel

Aaron 
Markovitz

Cantor Michael Smolash, left, 
Aaron Markovitz and Rabbi Paul 
Yedwab make music together.

