A New Haven Chapter of HaZamir, the international Jewish teen choir, will begin holding auditions and rehearsals this month on Sundays for new members and their parents at a location to be determined.

Teens in grades 9-12 will get the chance to sing Jewish choral music, join an international pluralistic youth movement and meet other Jewish teens from across the United States and Israel. The group will be conducted by B’nai Jacob’s Cantor Malachi Kanfer.

Chapters learn the same music, and then joint concerts are given at amazing venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera House. The group would also perform at local and regional concerts. 

Cantor Kanfer is willing to direct and manage the choir, but he is also looking for co-directors. If anyone is interested and willing, please contact him.

“A New Haven chapter of HaZamir will be a wonderful thing for our kids and our community, but it will only work with your participation and effort,” Kanfer said. He is hoping to begin rehearsals immediately after the High Holidays.

HaZamir was first created by Matthew Lazar in 1993 as a way to offer high-school age teens the opportunity to gather together and learn and sing Jewish choral music in local ensembles.

Each year, in addition to performing in their own local areas, HaZamir chapters from across the United States and Israel gather for a weekend festival and concert in New York City. The group helps preserve and foster Jewish identity through Jewish choral music.

For more information on the local New Haven Chapter of HaZamir, contact Kanfer at (203) 389-2111 or at: cantorkanfer@gmail.com.