Amid the grandeur of a historic setting, SFCM students performed a from-the-ground-up curated program of music. 

The Jewish Student Collective, a student group providing community for Jewish students and students interested in Jewish culture, performed their 3rd annual Jewish Music Concert at Congregation Sherith Israel April 27. The ensembles featured 15 students. 

Leora Gilgur and Alex Malinas introduce the performance.

Sherith Israel is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. Built in 1905, the famous building stands 120 feet above California Street in San Francisco, with its dome more than 60 feet wide at its outside diameter. The interior contains 20,000 square feet of space, 3,500 organ pipes, and seats 1,100. The building survived both infamous SF earthquakes in 1906 and 1989. 

Students Aleksi Zaretsky and Alex Malinas. (L to R)

“We thought the space at Sherith was sensational and the perfect venue,” said Co-President of the club Leora Gilgur. The group partnered with SF Hillel, the largest Jewish student organization in the world, to secure the space. Gilgur is a voice student, studying with Catherine Cook. The Jewish Student Collective is open to everyone and is one of many student groups on campus, fostering a place for all people to gather. 

The performance featured all Jewish music. “The question of the hour is, ‘what is Jewish music, really?’” Gilgur said. “And while we are still on our quest to find the answer, we thought that showcasing music by Jewish composers would be a good start.”

Students Isabel Tannenbaum and Leora Gilgur. (L to R)

Co-President of the club, Alex Malinas, a composition student of David Garner, programmed folk songs in Yiddish, Ladino, and Hebrew, “and even a selection from a song cycle in Yiddish written by Alex Malinas, for my voice,” Gilgur added. The group also performed on April 26 inside SFCM’s Barbro Osher Recital Hall. 

The concert also featured collaborations across the Conservatory, “One of the most exciting experiences from this is that we were able to nurture a collaboration across several departments at SFCM, including RJAM, Voice, Strings, Woodwinds, and Composition for one of our ensembles in arranging this program,” Gilgur added. “We wanted to showcase the range of genres and styles that Jewish music can encompass.” 

SFCM student Alex Malinas.

The group hopes the partnership and experience grows to more performance opportunities across the Bay Area, spreading music into the local community. “Be on the lookout for our next event: A Very Jewish Christmas Concert,” Gilgur added. 

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