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Background
The High Holy Days are a time for introspection, providing space for us to consider our connection to our spiritual lives. The traditional liturgy of a worship service hits on a number of significant and powerful themes, including: humility, presence, forgiveness, and commitment. The prayers ask us to make ourselves vulnerable to our own mortality and encourage us to engage in deep reflection around the state of our lives and the world around us, inviting us to consider what changes we may want to make in the year ahead.
A traditional worship service offers folks an opportunity to hear and recite prayers in the context of the liturgical setting for which they were composed. If this is what you are looking for this Kol Nidre, we encourage you to check out one of the many amazing synagogues in the Twin Cities.
This program takes an entirely different approach, inviting us to imagine how we might connect to liturgy outside of a liturgical setting. The goal is to take something with traditional roots and breathe new creative life into it. Our hope is to expand the possibilities of what it might look like to connect to liturgy today and contribute to the ongoing evolution of Jewish spirituality.
This effort is a product of the question, "What would you do if you didn't have to do it the same way it has always been done?" Rabbi Jill Avrin and Rachel Calvert, our lead musician, were thought partners in creating the vision for this program and have worked together to develop both the structure and the content.
What to Expect
We will be focusing on depth over breadth, isolating three of the most significant prayers of the High Holy Days: Hineini, Unetane Tokef, and Kol Nidre.
We will be removing these prayers from the context of a service, and organizing our evening into three sections, each of which will focus exclusively on one of the prayers listed above. In each case, Rabbi Jill Avrin will provide teaching and commentary to frame each section based on the themes of the prayers and then our musicians will perform both a traditional version of the prayer, as well as contemporary selections that serve as modern midrash (interpretation) on the prayers. They will be performing songs by Leonard Cohen, Weyes Blood, and Lucinda Williams, to name just a few. Each of the contemporary selections have been carefully chosen to evoke the themes of the liturgy and to help folks make connections between the old and the new.
Who is Involved
We are absolutely thrilled to have an incredible lineup of local talented musicians with us for this program. We can't wait for you to meet them.
Rachel Calvert, Lead Musician
Vox, Violin
Minneapolis-based fiddler/violinist, vocalist, and music educator Rachel Felicia Calvert has performed her unique “chamber-grass” approach to fiddle music at stages all around the world, from Nashville to Istanbul. She can be seen performing with fiddle ensemble Triple Fiddle, folk trio Said in Stone, and award winning band Barbaro, as well as frequently collaborating with dozens of folk, country, rock, and classical ensembles throughout the Twin Cities. Rachel is the music and violin specialist at Zen Montessori Preschool in Minneapolis, teaches private lessons, and leads workshops for all ages alongside her Barbaro bandmates.
Mike Hedding
Guitar, Mandolin
Mike Hedding has been a staple of the Minnesota bluegrass scene for the better part of a decade. He picked up the mandolin and banjo while studying at the University of Minnesota, and began to teach in-person lessons in 2009. In 2014, Mike launched his online teaching business, Mike Hedding Music, through which he interacts with thousands of students all over the globe through banjo, mandolin, and guitar video lessons. Mike plays with several Twin Cities bands including Brotherhood of Birds, Pistol Whippin' Party Penguins, and The Katey Bellville Band.
Joe Strachan
Synths
With over a decade of performance experience, Joe’s career playing the piano includes accompanying dance, performing on synths and electronics, and composing for a diverse range of collaborations in dance and theater. Recent work includes performing Terry Riley's 'In C' with six musicians and 18 dancers, touring with Craig Finn and Mixed Blood Theater, and performing locally with ThoughtCast, Ahndendet, Charanga Tropical, Little Boat, Adam Zahllers' Wheel Eternal. Joe’s work has been recognized with awards such as the Next Step Fund (2020).
Gus Murphy
Bass
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Gus Murphy is a multi-instrumentalist from Columbus, Ohio by way of Lawrence University. He’s been involved in the Twin Cities’ jazz, rock, and improvised music scenes as a bassist and trombonist—currently with the throwback-rock trio Adam Zahller’s Sick Eagle.
Jack Lussenden
Drums
Jack Lussenden is a Minneapolis based drummer and graduate of Lawrence University who has been featured on various recording projects by various Minneapolis artists including, Dex Wolfe, Pat Keen, and Liam Moore. Jack is also a member of Big Thanks.
Jakob Jarecki
Harmonica
Jakob Jarecki is a local musician who sings and plays guitar, piano, trumpet, and harmonica. He performs at LTD and Mainstreet Bar and Grill in Hopkins. He is also a local urban farmer and owner of FeedMeFarms.
Rabbi Jill Avrin
Teaching, Commentary
Rabbi Jill Avrin is the rabbi of YourJewish and will be providing teaching and commentary on the musical selections throughout the evening. She is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in an unaffiliated and interfaith family. Her childhood inspired her to pursue the rabbinate with hopes of serving those who grew up like her. She was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 2013. Following ordination, she moved to Minnesota to work at Bet Shalom Congregation, first as Rabbi Educator and then as Associate Rabbi, and left in the summer of 2023 to co-found YourJewish. She is passionate about finding new and creative ways for folks to connect to Judaism and is thrilled to see this vision come to life.