Alisa Pomerantz-Boro
Alisa Pomerantz-Boro | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alisa Batya Pomerantz |
| Born | March 31, 1965 Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Genres | Music-Jewish Liturgy |
| Occupation(s) | Cantor |
| Instruments | Guitar, Violin |
| Years active | 1991- |
| Labels | Modim Music |
| Associated acts | Divas on the Bima[1][2], Three Divine Divas |
| Website | alisapomerantzboro |
Alisa Pomerantz-Boro (March 31, 1965, Lincoln, Nebraska - ) is an American hazzan (cantor) and composer.[3] Her family settled in Mercer Island, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, where she lived until the age of 22. She served as the second female President of the Cantors Assembly[4][5] from 2017 through 2019.[6]. The theme of her presidency was "Every Voice". [7] She is married to Stephen Boro, an administrator at Temple University. They have two children, Rebecca[8] and Joshua.[9]
Biography
A product of an observant Conservative Jewish family, she was raised with an older sister and two younger brothers. Her father, Rabbi Moshe Pomerantz, was the spiritual leader of Herzl-Ner Tamid Synagogue on Mercer Island and later Midchester Jewish Center in NY[10][11]. Her mother, Kay Kantor Pomerantz, was a Jewish educator and cookbook author.[12]
Hazzan Pomerantz-Boro studied at Mercer Island High School, participated in the third year of USY-Nativ's Nativ College Leadership Program in Israel, and holds a degree from the University of Washington in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Pomerantz-Boro is a strong believer in Jewish camping, having both attended and worked at Camp Ramah, and Camp Solomon Schechter. She was educated for the cantorate at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where she earned a degree in Sacred Jewish Music and was invested as Hazzan. While in Cantorial school she served as Hazzan Sheni at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City where she was the first female clergy in their history. She served as the Cantor of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego for 13 years. Hazzan Pomerantz-Boro currently serves at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, NJ since 2004, where, as the first female clergy there, she experienced a shift to greater egalitarianism.[13]
Performances
Pomerantz-Boro is noted for her moving renditions of liturgical works, as well as for the accessibility of her voice to the listening audience. Since 1991, she has performed multiple times each year in locales and venues around the world and with noted names in Jewish music.
The 1990s
With appearances all around California, in the Midwest (Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis), and New York, the early years of Pomerantz-Boro's career carried several achievements. Notably, in 1993, she was selected by Cantor Moshe Ganchoff (1904-1997) to premiere his new wedding service. She gained notoriety for her performance of another Ganchoff piece: From the Milwaukee Jewish Chronicle: “…the controversy a few years back about admitting women to the Cantor’s Assembly should be quieted for good after hearing San Diego Cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro sing Moshe Ganchoff’s “Yir’u Eineinu.”[14] In 1997, she was a guest soloist for both the Calgary Girls Choir and the San Diego Master Chorale. This period also saw the inception of Hazzan Pomerantz-Boro's 'every voice' passion, as she performed with in a variety of configurations with other female Cantors.[15] In 1994 in Minneapolis, a concert called "B'Kol Isha:Voice of Women Cantors", in 1997 in Los Angeles, "The Three Sopranos - Women Cantors in Song," and again in 1998 in San Francisco as part of "Three Divine Divas".[16]
The 2000s
The new millennium brought many more concert appearances, with several international performances (Canada and Israel). It also brought more critical acclaim and a higher profile. “The rest of the program, settings of traditional songs, chants and liturgical texts, was a reminder of how much passion, personality and humor is woven into Jewish music. The evening's finest moments came … in the powerful chanting of the prayer "Modim" by Cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro”. [17] in 2000, at the Copley Symphony Hall, Pomerantz-Boro premiered her own composition "Modim" with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jung-Ho Pak. It brought her first of several guest performances with Jewish rocker Rick Recht came in 2004 during the promotional tour for Recht's "Free to be the Jew in Me" album. This time also brought Hazzan Pomerantz-Boro's first on-stage collaboration with Hazzan David Propis, resulting in a concert tour and the production of a CD of duets, "Together As One". They have since performed together over a dozen times.
The 2010s
It was during this time period that Hazzan Pomerantz-Boro joined the Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly. This leadership role brought opportunities, including missions to, and performances in, Germany and Spain. She was also part of the delegation of 4 cantors to visit Lithuania and perform at the dedication of the Holocaust Museum in Vilnius in 2011.[18] This decade was filled with collaborations for Hazzan Pomerantz-Boro. With the creation of the "Divas on the Bima", Pomerantz-Boro has toured continuously since 2010 with her colleagues Cantor Jen Cohen[19], Hazzan Elizabeth Shammash[20] and Cantor Magda Fishman[21].[22]
In addition to her national "Every Voice" initiative, Pomerantz-Boro acts locally as well, instituting a variety of programs of benefit to the special needs community and the community of women. Her participation in "Project Lev"[23] is of note, as well as her Wednesday Morning Minyan and study session designed specifically for the women of the community.[24] She has also been vocal about #MeToo and wellness issues.[25][26]
Discography
Albums
- Modim - We Give Thanks
- Together as One: Duets of Praise and Inspiration (with Hazzan David Propis)[27]
- "My Zeide" Digital Single
Featured
- The Spirit of Celebration — Voices of the Conservative Movement CD 2015 - “Adon Olam” w/Hazzan Howard Glantz
- The Spirit of Hope & Healing - Voices of the Conservative Movement CD 2014 - “I’ll Be Here For You” w/Cantor Leon Sher
- The Spirit of Peace – Voices of the Conservative Movement CD 2011 - “Prophecy of Peace”
- The Spirit of Israel II – Voices of the Conservative Movement CD 2008 - “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav”
- The Spirit of the Jewish Wedding – Voices of the Conservative Movement CD 2006 - “Y’verechecha”
- The Spirit of Israel – Voices of the Conservative Movement CD 2003 - “Dodi Li/Erev Shel Shoshanim”[28]
- Sounds of Sinai: Numbers in Song - Sounds Write Productions 2001 - “Vayiplu” from Korach
- Sounds of Promise: Deuteronomy in Song - Sounds Write Productions 2001 - ”Tsedek, Tsedek, Tirdof” from Shoftim
Affiliations
Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs, Women's League of Conservative Judaism, Hadassah, Masorti Olami, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, Jewish Family and Children's Services, Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options
Performances
Solomon Sulzer Torah Service, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA May 2018[29]
References
- ↑ http://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2018/08/21/cantors-in-concert/
- ↑ https://www.timesherald.com/business/divas-on-the-bima-to-showcase-lighter-side-of-cantorial/article_31e9efe5-1203-5da1-bd37-4c349a4c3670.html
- ↑ http://www.jewishvoicesnj.org/articles/beth-els-alisa-pomerantz-boro/
- ↑ https://forward.com/scribe/.../this-year-dont-forget-about-your-cantors/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8TQXGCPBns
- ↑ http://ca-convention.org/event/every-voice-gala-concert/
- ↑ https://www.cantors.org/message-from-our-president/
- ↑ Rebecca Boro - Dare to Dream - YouTube
- ↑ http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/usa/california/san_diego/tifereth_israel_synagogue/2002-01-04-brit_milah-pomerantz-boro.htm
- ↑ https://h-nt.org/
- ↑ https://westchester.pastperfectonline.com/photo/DAEEF0F0-50A5-450A-B8B6-881304302566
- ↑ https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/slow-cooked-through-the-ages/
- ↑ https://www.philly.com/philly/local/nj/nabes/20071014_Congregation_Beth_El.html
- ↑ "Our Golden Heritage Concert Review". Milwaukee Jewish Chronicle. 1994.
- ↑ "Jewish world is much enriched when women raise their voices". Jewish Exponent. 29 May 1992. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ↑ "Three Divine Divas broadening image of cantors". 30 October 1998. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ↑ Reinthaler, J (13 February 2002). "At Adas Israel, An Audience's Knowing Ears". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAGjgJHISA. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ http://www.tbsonline.org/cantorcohen/
- ↑ https://www.elizabethshammash.com/
- ↑ https://www.tbe.org/clergy/
- ↑ http://www.montgomerynews.com/entertainment/divas-on-the-bima-to-showcase-lighter-side-of-cantorial/article_b40dea73-a8cf-50b0-89dc-42809502774f.html
- ↑ https://bethelsnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Project-Lev-Brochure-2018-2019.pdf
- ↑ https://www.jewishvoicesnj.org/articles/wednesday-mornings-are-a-special-time-for-women-at-beth-el/
- ↑ https://jwa.org/blog/risingvoices/blazing-trail-one-note-at-a-time
- ↑ http://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2018/08/21/sacred-music-female-key/
- ↑ http://jhvonline.com/hazzan-alisa-pomerantzboro-to-perform-in-together-as-one-concert-p1513-89.htm
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkQfHLarusY
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuCxVrHNuPo
External links
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