Music

The LJS is renowned for the beauty of the music during our services and we are delighted to work with the finest musicians. Music features in nearly every aspect of synagogue life at the LJS, from Shabbat and festival services, to religion school classrooms, assemblies, public concerts, adult education courses, fund-raising events, and social and community gatherings. Each week the LJS hosts Singing for the Mind, a community activity for people with dementia and memory loss and their carers .

Repertoire

The LJS is one of the leading religious choral establishments in the UK, specialising in Jewish liturgical music from the Liberal and Reform movements.  The liturgy, sung by both the professional and members’ choirs under the direction of Cathy Heller Jones, encompasses a wide range of styles from around the world, including Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions. As well as the choral style sung during Shabbat and festival services, we also include a wide range of styles, from chants to contemporary compositions, including folk and classical songs. 
 
Other instrumentalists provide music in services, particularly on Yom Kippur when Bruch’s Kol Nidrei is played on the cello, and for our intergenerational L’Dor va-Dor services, which are led by song leaders with guitar accompaniment.

Our Choirs

The synagogue has three adult choirs: the Professional Choir, the Members’ Choir and the Community Choir. 

The Professional Choir and organist

The Professional Choir sings at three Shabbat morning services each month, accompanied by Tim Farrell. It is enlarged to a choir of up to 12 voices for the High Holy Days. A professional soloist or duo with piano accompaniment leads the singing at evening Shabbat and festival services.

The Members' Choir

The Members' Choir, open to all congregants, is run by LJS member William Falk and accompanied by Martin Sanders-Hewett. This choir leads the singing on the first Shabbat morning of each month, for some of the High Holy Day services, and for Erev Simchat Torah. Members of the choir usually have some level of previous singing and music reading experience, and those with less experience are supported by the Director of Music and other members of the choir. 

All congregants who wish to belong to a choir which meets regularly and sings in services are welcome to join. We are always actively seeking new members. If you enjoy singing, why not consider joining? They sing on the first Shabbat of each month and rehearse on alternate Monday evenings. Contact the LJS Office or send a note to the Members’ Choir Director via email

The Community Choir

The Community Choir was formed in 2017 to provide an opportunity for anyone and everyone who wants to sing. Recognising that many people love to sing but for whatever reasons lack the confidence to do so, the Community Choir is musically structured so that all feel welcome. Singing songs in unison and simple harmony, the music is carefully selected to enable all to develop their musical confidence. Learning is supported by recorded material, and the atmosphere at rehearsals is designed to make everyone feel welcome and enabled.

During the choir’s 2018 visit to Paris, we sang with the congregations and choirs of Kehillat Gesher and the Communauté Juive Libérale. To enquire about joining the Community Choir, click here