Stereo Sinai is the Good Book like you’ve never heard it before. Miriam Brosseau (songwriter/vocals/guitar) and Alan Jay Sufrin (producer/songwriter/vocals/guitar) had been dating and making their own music for several years before Stereo Sinai came along.
They’d recently moved to Chicago, and the rabbi who welcomed them into the community had just had a son. Wanting to do something special for the rabbi’s family and their new baby, Gideon, Alan and Miriam teamed up to write a lullaby in what would become their unique ancient/modern style.
Stereo Sinai’s “Biblegum Pop” is the flip side of Ray Charles’ pioneering move to put secular words to traditional gospel music. Taking original Hebrew verses from the book of Judges and mixing them with a synthesized pop arrangement, the band’s first single, “Gideon’s Song,” was born.
If Kelly Clarkson and Gnarls Barkley had been on the mountain with Moses, they would have come down sounding a lot like Stereo Sinai. Mixing conservation with innovation, the band is not only working to lend renewed relevance to ancient texts. Stereo Sinai is also committed to acting as a socially responsible and environmentally conscious outfit in every respect.
Both Alan and Miriam are also both Jewish educators and advocates for Israel who can speak to audiences of all ages on a variety of topics in addition to their performances.
Stereo Sinai is already making its mark on the local music scene, being featured at Chicago landmarks the Chicago Cultural Center and the Cubby Bear. The group is looking forward to playing several benefit concerts and other exciting shows in the near future as their album debuts and tour schedule begins to take shape.
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Gideon’s Song
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Dance
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Hitn’aari
Anyone who thinks Jewish music equals klezmer needs to hear Divahn’s Middle Eastern and Sephardic grooves. Fans first heard Divahn’s energetic music deep in the heart of Texas. Today, this dynamic New York City-based quintet delights audiences throughout the country and has made numerous live radio appearances. Divahn infuses traditional songs with sophisticated harmonies and arrangements using tabla, cello, rabel, doumbek, violin and other acoustic instruments, plus vocals in Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, Persian, Arabic, Aramaic and Turkish.
Their beautiful lyricism flows through an intense rhythmic drive. The group distinguishes itself as the only all-female ensemble performing Mizrakhi-influenced music (Jewish music from the Middle East and North Africa) in the US, and has performed with some of the world’s most renowned master musicians, including Glen Velez and Anindo Chatterjee. Divahn, a word common to Hebrew, Persian, and Arabic, means a collection of songs or poetry. Through its music, Divahn seeks to underscore common ground shared between diverse Middle Eastern cultures and religions. The group captures the breadth and diversity of Mizrakhi and Sephardi music throughout the centuries, while simultaneously creating and redefining innovative directions for the music in the present.
Beth Schafer is an award-winning songwriter whose shows blend first-class musicianship with a little teaching and a little theatre into a high-impact transformative experience. Blazing a trail in American Jewish music for 10 years, she has been a guitarist since the age of 6 and attended the University of Miami School of Music on a jazz scholarship. Her specialty is an attention to the universal themes that not only define Judaism, but many other faiths as well. Beth’s infectious energy, well-crafted songs and intelligent lyrics coupled with a great band has made her a leading act in the Jewish music world. Her audiences are no longer just Jewish, she fans of all faiths who have found that her messages and music touch them. That universality that placed her center-court at an Orlando Magic game half-time show and won her the faith-based competition on American Idol Underground. Comfortable on both acoustic guitars and electric, she has been the “guitarist-in-residence” for the URJ’s national conferences for the past 6 years and is frequently featured at folk festivals. Beth likes making music, loves bringing people together through the power of music, and feels God’s presence when it all works right. She has no intention of forcing any beliefs on anyone, but to those who are searching for something greater than themselves, Beth seems to make a magical connection. She is creating modern-day musical midrash, the contemporary interpretations of ancient texts that help us make sense of humanity.
