Cantors Show Off Jewish Gifts to Music

The expressive singing required of cantors in synagogues is not so different from the demands of the lyric stage. So no one should be surprised that, playing off the famous “Three Tenors” series of concerts, a trio of cantors will be singing a “Three Jewish Tenors” program Thursday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

The soloists are Alberto Mizrahi, cantor at Anshe Emeth Synagogue in Chicago; David Katz, cantor at Congregation Avodah in Long Beach, N.Y.; and David Propis, cantor at Congregation Beth Yeshurun in Houston. They will be accompanied by Carl St.Clair who will conduct the Pacific Symphony.

Propis thought up the concert, modeling it on one his father, Dov, put together. A cantor and opera singer, the elder Propis brought together tenors Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker, Peerce’s brother-in-law, in Philadelphia in 1966.

“The concert left a lasting memory on me. I was 7,” said Propis, who turned 43 on March 2.

The idea of re-creating it came to him while he was playing golf with other cantors at a national conference. As each man got up to the tee, he would sing an aria that required a high C, then he would hit the ball.

“It worked so well, we said, ‘Is it time for a concert? We could do this.’”

Propis hadn’t planned on being a cantor, however.

“I kind of lived out ‘The Jazz Singer’ story,” he said.

His father taught him (and his sister) to sing in his choir. After his bar mitzvah, Propis began singing solos and a year later became his father’s choir director until he went off to La Salle College in Philadelphia.

He majored in computer science, not music, and after graduating, went off to a job in oil-rich Houston. The oil boom quickly went bust, however.

“My company lasted nine months. I was out of a job. My dad called me up and said, ‘While you’re looking, call a friend of mine and see if he knows of a congregation that needs a cantor. Just in case.’ His lifelong dream was for me to follow in his footsteps.”

He landed a one-year contract at Beth Yeshurun that turned into a permanent job. His first year there, he proposed the idea of the three-cantor concert as a fund-raising event.

But the high costs involved--the concert requires a full orchestra as well as the singers--made the congregation wary.

Cantor Put Salary on Line

to Make Benefit Happen

Propis told the membership of his temple he believed in the concert so much he would put up a year’s salary if they didn’t make a minimum $50,000 profit.

“They said, ‘OK, fine.’ The first year we made over $100,000. The second year did even better. Both were sold-out concerts.”

Whereas the three tenors concert--and the original three cantors concert--emphasized solos, this one is different.

“Our show is based more on the trios that we sing as opposed to solos,” Propis said. “What we’ve tried to do is focus not only on Jewish music but also the Jewish contribution to music in general, especially American music.”

The program will include Broadway and patriotic songs and contemporary settings of Yiddish, Ladino (the language of Sephardic Jews) and Hebrew melodies.

“One of the medleys is called, ‘There’s a Place for Us,’” Propis said. “It paints a tapestry of the entire Jewish immigration experience, from the shtetl to America.”

The profits will go to the Jewish Community Center of Orange County and more than 20 other organizations, synagogues and day schools in Orange County, Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The community center was founded in 1977 in Laguna Beach. It merged with another center in north Orange County in 1983 and since the early ‘90s, it has been based in Costa Mesa. It serves the needs of its 2000-plus members and the Jewish community through preschool, youth and senior activities and services. The annual budget is about $2.8 million, privately raised from individuals, member fees and foundations.

“Absolutely, we would like to continue doing this kind of concert,” said David Goldberg, director of development at the Jewish Community Center. “It’s a great way of funding the activities not only at the Jewish Community Center, but throughout the county as well.”

The concert comes at an opportune time. The country is experiencing a renewed interest in the music of cantors, especially from the golden age--his father’s generation--Propis said.

“In the ‘80s and ‘90s, there was a resurgence that paralleled the rebirth of people’s belief systems and their going back to their roots and finding spirituality. That had a lot to do with the resurrection of cantors. I was happy to find a congregation.”

Cantors Alberto Mizrahi, David Katz and David Propis will sing their “Three Jewish Tenors” program at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Carl St.Clair will conduct the Pacific Symphony. $20 to $65. (714) 556-2787.