From a pulpit at the center of a maze of pews on the sanctuary floor of Temple Emanuel in Providence, R.I., Cantor Brian Mayer, PhD, leads a different kind of Shabbat morning service. Like an orchestral conductor, he fires up an inner circle of a dozen exuberant regulars, who, depending on the page in the siddur, hum in low tones like bagpipes, sing a Carlebach melody or listen to the cantor chant a traditional prayer. This informal group—which Mayer calls the m'shor'rim, or harmonizers—revs up the congregants, who then pound on the pews, clap their hands, shuckle and dance in the aisles.

Modeled after traditional Ashkenazi synagogues that once dotted Europe, Mayer's service combines frequent congregational singing with moments of inspiration from the center. It also features a cantor who acts less like an operatic performer and more like a spiritual leader on equal footing with the rabbi. Precisely the type of leader that Mayer aims to develop this fall when he joins Hebrew College's new cantorial training program as adjunct associate professor of Jewish music.

Mayer will be part of a faculty team headed by Cantor Scott M. Sokol, PhD, that includes Dr. Joshua Jacobson, author of the definitive work on cantillation; Jeff Klepper, a leading composer of contemporary synagogue music; and Cantor Charles Osborne, distinguished composer of Jewish works. Beginning this fall, Hebrew College's Cantor-Educator Program combines a Master of Jewish Education degree with cantorial ordination within a transdenominational setting.

In his new capacity, Mayer, 42, who has served as full-time cantor for Temple Emanuel since 1989 and educated cantors at the Jewish Theological Seminary (his own training ground) for nearly as long, will teach classes in nusach and lead a workshop on the Minchah service. In addition, he'll assist Sokol with curriculum development. "The prospect of building a program from the ground up with someone who shares my vision of cantors as spiritual leaders is what makes this so appealing," says Mayer. "We want to train cantors who can offer this kind of leadership in services and in education."

Toward that end, Mayer plans to share lessons from his own experience at Temple Emanuel. In addition to co-creating highly participatory services, he has also developed several innovative youth education initiatives. These include bar/bat mitzvah training with specific exercises to help students manage their anxiety as the big day approaches and a five-year Torah Tutor program that enables them to continue practicing the skills they've acquired—both as mentors to the next generation of bar/bat mitzvah students and as Torah readers at Shabbat services.

For Mayer, this is all familiar turf. During his youth in Fairfield, Conn., he apprenticed for his cantor—his own personal mentor—and led Shacharit services on the High Holidays. As Mayer recalls, "I was one of those kids who at services would be happy to get up and lead Yigdal."

back to top