Announcing European Cantors Association's 14th Cantors Convention
Budapest, Hungary, 2nd - 7th November 2022

Back after the pandemic, European Cantors is staging its 14th Convention, returning in 2022 to Budapest - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this time based at the beautifully restored Rumbach Street Synagogue (pictured)

Our theme is 'Invigorating Nusach for the 21st Century'

Join with like-minded people to share knowledge and experience, gain new insights and material, build personal networks, make new friends and sing together.

We have invited renowned cantors, choirs and Jewish music experts from the UK, Europe, Israel and the US, across the spectrum of Jewish worship, to lead sessions and entertain us with their music.

Our faculty this year will include
Cantors
Asher Hainovitz (Jerusalem), Benny Rogosnitzky (New York) Faith Steinsnyder (New York), Natan Baram (Los Angeles) and Beny Maissner (Toronto)
plus Professor Mark Kligman (Los Angeles), Jonny Greenstein (Israel), and Jeremiah Lockwood (New York)

Enjoy five days of choral and cantorial beauty, and an inspirational Shabbat and a Gala Concert plus a optional tour of Jewish Budapest and visit to a famous spa.

Details of the programme will be available in due course but you can be assured that, like our previous thirteen conventions, it will be a memorable and wholly delightful experience.

The registration form is here. There is an early bird discount of £20 until 31 July.

Alex Klein, ECA Director, writes:

With all the doom and gloom going on in the world, for which we pray for peace, let us share with you a little light – the next European Cantors Convention.

Called: ‘Invigorating Nusach for the 21st Century’, this is planned for Wednesday 2 to Monday 7 November 2022 at the magnificent and recently refurbished Rumbach Synagogue, Budapest Hungary, at the invitation of the Hungarian Jewish Community.

There will be study sessions, masterclasses, and joyous singing and praying together in harmony with open mike opportunities. There will be a Gala concert on the evening of Sunday 6 November.

Convention ends on Monday morning with an optional tour of Jewish Budapest and visit to a famous spa.

Over the last few years, we have all seen huge changes taking place in how we look at life surrounding our synagogues. Online services, concerts and programmes have uplifted, inspired and connected people wherever they live as never before. With the popularity of Zoom we have more choices available and the ability to visit congregations around the world virtually.

What we have witnessed, week in and week out, is that the public want and need tradition and music in their prayers. Cantors have been the heroes, coming up with innovative ideas to keep services fresh, sustain interest and keep communities together.

We at ECA have made many new friends across the ether, widening our horizons. Zoom has given everyone from the many branches of Judaism the opportunity to join together to look at Jewish worship and the best way it can be expressed.

ECA values working with wonderful partners and associates: the Cantors Assembly, Cantors World, Milken Centre UCLA, International Forum for Jewish Music Studies, Edgware Synagogue, our Facebook friends and all those wonderful people who have agreed to take part in our conversations and conventions, and all those who have supported us.

The Convention is open to everyone, and we encourage not only cantors, but rabbis and synagogue lay leaders and congregants also to participate and to taste the joy of the atmosphere for which ECA is renowned. We hope you will all join us in Budapest.

Save the dates. More information will be forthcoming in due course.

The general registration form is here
The registration form for choirs is here