Audio & Video

Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice & guitar

David Strickland, piano & sound editing

Hinei Mah Tov celebrates our ability to come together to pray and sing.. I love to use this setting by my teacher, Elana Arian, as an opening song. It sets an upbeat, participatory tone for the service. The use of English and call and response makes this very accessible. When I use it, it tells the congregation that I value experiencing their participation in the service, whether it’s hearing their voices or watching their faces on Zoom. I brought this setting to Temple Beth Shalom, and we sing it together nearly every week.

 

 

Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice

David Strickland, piano & sound editing

The text of this piece was written by Hannah Senesh. She was a member of the Haganah, a pre-state Israeli paramilitary group. She was only 23 when she was captured and executed by the Nazis after parachuting into Hungary. When I sing Yeish Kochavim before Kaddish or during a funeral, it connects us to personal memories of love and loss, but it also connects us to the memory of this heroic young woman.

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice

Fred Milder, guitar

Recorded live at Temple Beth Shalom on November 3rd, 2023

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Fred Milder and I have been working together on the worship music at TBS for nearly three years. We co-wrote this Mi Chamocha with a rock and roll vibe as something that would really capture the joy of freedom, and also be something that our congregation could learn quickly and really enjoy singing with us. This is the world premiere, and you can already hear people singing along!

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice

Lydia Madrick, Piano

Temple Beth Shalom High Holy Day Choir & Soloists

Recorded live at Temple Beth Shalom on September 16th, 2023

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I like to choose one piece to use as a recurrent theme for our High Holy Day services so that the choir can really sink their teeth into it and shine, and the congregation can learn it and sing along. I love this piece for its exuberance  and accessibility. Five singers sang brief solos, which they really enjoyed doing. This was such a joyful and communal way to conclude our High Holy Day services.

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice & guitar

Fred Milder, bass guitar

Rabbi Neil Amswych, voice

Recorded live at Temple Beth Shalom on November 3rd, 2023

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This is one of my signatures - two prayers woven together with some nusach, sung and played all the way through. It creates a sense of flow, and allows people to pray without interruption. I love having a rabbinic partner who sings along with me and that I can sing rounds with - and I love how the congregation sings along too. I believe that the best way we express God’s love is by raising our voices together.

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice

David Strickland, piano & sound editing

 

I created this arrangement of Mi Chamocha by combining a contemporary congregational melody with nusach. I take inspiration from many different styles of Jewish music, and I love finding creative ways to weave them together. By using both tunes, I aim to capture the joy that our ancestors felt at crossing the Red Sea, and also the amazement they felt at bearing witness to the miracle of the parting of the sea.

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice

David Strickland, piano & sound editing

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After I became Bat Mitzvah, I joined the High Holiday choir at my synagogue, where I was the youngest member. I have such powerful memories of singing the choir parts of Avinu Malkeinu, and feeling for the first time like I was able to help facilitate our plea for God to hear us. Now, when I sing this prayer as a cantor, I hope that I am forming memories for others and helping them to connect to the awe of the High Holy Days.

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice & guitar

Recorded live at HUC-JIR on March 20th, 2019

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This is an Israeli song from 1939 that talks with nostalgia about love and life on a Kibbutz. I performed this piece during my third-year practicum at HUC-JIR, which was a celebration of Israeli music. Israeli music is a deep-rooted passion of mine. Understanding Israeli musical culture helps me feel like I have a stake in Israel and its history, and I enjoy using Israeli music to build those connections for others.

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Cantor Lianna Mendelson, voice

Fred Milder, guitar

Recorded live at Temple Beth Shalom on November 19th, 2022

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I was ordained as a cantor during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore was given permission by HUC to perform my senior recital at my pulpit later, when it was possible to collaborate with musicians and have an audience live. I just performed my recital on November 19th, 2022, and it was such a privilege to be able to offer it for my congregation. This piece was the closing song. It is a petition for after the reading and study of the Song of Songs that comes from Nusach Edot HaMizrach, the Middle Eastern Jewish prayer book. This particular setting comes from Kehilat Zion in Jerusalem, which was one of the focuses of my exploration of how the Song of Songs is used in Israel in the 21st century.

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