When we sing, we pray twice.
Take a Listen.
Some pieces that reflect my musical abilities and style!
Vocals/Guitar: Jordan Goldstein
Piano: Allison Sniffin
Click here for listening guide.
Worship in Action.
Beginning at the 3:25 time stamp is a sample Kabbalat Shabbat service from my most recent student pulpit, Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn. Led alongside Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, some highlights include Noah Diamondstein’s “Ahavat Olam” (43:17), Shir Yaakov’s Rishikesh “Mi Chamocha” (47:38), and Adon Olam set to a melody by Yonatan Razel (1:15:36).
Music Directing & Management
Beyond leading prayer and music myself, I have much experience working with various ensembles in music-making, too. While I love working with strings, bassists, clarinetists, and everything in between, the sound of the human voice in my first love. Once a choir kid, always a choir kid? I’ve loved waving my arms in front of singers since I began studying conducting in college, and I still enjoy it today. Featured here is “Samachti B’omrim Li” for my classmate Emily’s recital, for which she asked me to rehearse and conduct her choral ensemble.
Professional Recording
I was honored to be asked to be part of the choir of newly ordained cantors to record four selections for the 50th anniversary of the Ben Steinberg Young COmposer’s award. This series of recordings by Transcontinental Music Publications is meant to aid choirs in synagogues around the world better discover and learn new music. On this piece, Elohai N’tzor by Boaz Dorot, I am the featured soloist.
Conversations in Action
The podcast, Drinking and Drashing, is run by Rabbi Amanda Katherine Weiss and Erev Cantor Gabe Snyder. I was invited to be in conversation with Rabbi Naamah Kelman to dive into Parashat Pinchas, as we discussed the experience of taking on “first-ness,” or what it’s like to be a first in a leadership role, as Rabbi Kelman was the first woman ordained as a rabbi in Israel, and I am the first openly trans person ordained as a cantor.
Other Audio Projects.
I strongly believe in the power of connecting the sacred and the secular in order to bring new meaning and resonance to the Jewish community. In the playlist below are some of the creative pieces I’ve arranged, like intentional blends of contemporary popular music with liturgy to bring even more depth of meaning to our ancient texts. Particularly meaningful to me is “Fix Us,” a combination of Coldplay’s “Fix You,” and Leon Sher’s “Heal Us Now,” which I recorded shortly after recovering from a long personal battle with covid-19.