Spiritual Singing Circle

Calling singers and musicians!

Our group gets together and practice, explore and share Devotional Spiritual Singing in the Jewish tradition.

This group is not exclusively Jewish- al are welcome—our group is made up of people with a variety of beliefs.
-I have written a note at the end for Non-Jewish folk (of which I, Arthur am one) and the Spiritual Not Religious folks as well as the lovers of Kirtan.

Do you love to sing or play an instrument (especially Middle Eastern)?
Do you have a spiritual orientation towards life?
If so- we may be a match.

Come for the joy of singing.
Come for the Spiritual practice of singing in groups.
Come learn about Jewish Spirituality.

To get a flavor of the kind of songs we sing, here are a few videos from our last performance:

Ashrei- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gUaX_VMfs
A joyous song with call and responses and some English.
It starts with a Nigunim a wordless mystical form of singing.

Kol Haneshamah- https://youtu.be/Q8thqL6CbJY?si=ebN-ZAx6NZUz6I-k&t=20
A song of gratitude for life.
The first verse says,
“Let all whom have breath
praise the Creator!”
With the second verse repeating Aleluia’s.

Yimloch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5IelLF3AuE
An exuberant song.
It too starts with a Nigunim.

This next song was arranged by Debra, our Choir Director- and it highlights our Middle Eastern influence- combining depth of devotion with joy.
https://open.spotify.com/track/6yXRavCk0EjHCHgSTMCjiw

Some of our others songs get pretty Rocking:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6yXRavCk0EjHCHgSTMCjiw
https://open.spotify.com/track/0dbaVtsEN8vIFyixNMsJvU

No Hebrew reading or knowledge required.

While we do work with sheet music, and strive for excellence in our singing and instruments, the emphasis is joyous expressive singing and feeling “The Spirit” over getting each note perfect.

We will have some upcoming opportunities to preform- however that is not a requirement to participate.

For questions- reach out to the Group Director- Debra Cohen at 727-396-3688
Or reach out to me, Arthur at 831-316-2589
If you can’t make this meeting, but are very interested, let me or Debra know and we will keep you in the loop.

Cost: Free
We were meeting once a month and now are meeting more often- stay tuned for details.
Directions:
It is very simple if you follow these instructions
Put in "194 Spruce Lane, 33760" into Google Maps or Google.com and this will bring your to my doorstep.

Other GPS systems: Put in "Shady Lane Oaks" and call me, Arthur, when you get to the park.

A personal note from Arthur for the Non-Jews and the “Spiritual Not Religious” Crowd:
I am a Universalist- I have found much comfort, joy, solace and wisdom in many traditions.
I had the good fortune to attend a Friday Night service at a Congregation Beth Shalom in Clearwater to learn more about Judaism.
And I was completely blown away by the friendliness of the people and THE SINGING.
I went back for more and was delighted to find that they had their own singing group and it has become truly a transformational experience.
I have experienced ZERO pressure to convert to Judaism or believe anything – which in and of itself has been profoundly healing.

For the Kirtan crowd-
I have been a longtime Kirtan singer and still am.
Anyone who loves Kirtan will feel very at home here- I jokingly call it “Kosher Kirtan.”
This group has the same focus as a Kirtan- to feel The Divine through Joyous communal singing.

It is more structured then Kirtan in that we practice the different parts of the songs and work with sheet music. The melodies are a little more complicated then your average Kirtan song.

I believe our group would be a great match for anyone who loves Kirtan and who loves the art of singing or wants to learn a little more about some of the nuances of singing.