Every year the Night of Music and Art becomes harder to sum up in one single Koleinu article and with so many highlights, one thing is for certain, it just seems to get better every year! The 14th annual Night of Music and Art was chock full of great performances, art and happenings.

This year’s Drawing From the Text class, taught by Ora Meier and David Wander, illustrated Shir HaShirim and for the first time included music as part of the book. After months of hard work, these amazing books were finally released, wowing everyone with their artistic rendering and interpretation of the text. Ty Rocker performed a live version of the songs from the book, accompanied by Wander. The lobby and hallways were filled with the incredible art, photos and sculptures created by students in Emet Sosna’s, Wander’s and David Friedman’s classes. The artworks ranged from the playful to the highly personal and intense. Amazing animations by students Tal Najman and Tova Kleiner in addition to a performance art piece by Gaby Broome were on screen in the lobby.

After walking through the halls, the crowd was treated to the unveiling of the work of this year’s Artist in Residence, Tine Kindermann. Kindermann along with a select group of students painted their interpretations of various characters from the Tanach.

The evening culminated with student performances organized by Rabbi Kenneth Birnbaum, Dr. Amy Reich and Dorit Katzenelenbogen. The Jazz Band, led by Dr. Reich, sounded tighter than ever and took new chances, including a vocal performance by Akiva Haberman singing “All of Me.” There were original musical compositions performed by individual students such as Duly Rosenberg, Ty Rocker, Jesse Gronowitz and Elizabeth Muss, in addition to spoken poetry and beautiful performances of classical, pop and rock standards.

All in all it was a fantastic evening!