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Arnie Davidson is a songwriter from Glastonbury, CT, just outside of Hartford. His prayer-based composing began in 1999 with the compositions of Y'hiyu L'ratzon and his contagious melody for Adon Olam, written for his son's Bar Mitzvah service.

"It seemed that those two prayers instantly became a part of our regular worship service."

Fast forward 10 years and Arnie has performed and presented his workshop "Finding Music in Prayer" at synagogues and conferences across the US and UK.

This music is unique and fresh, and Arnie has thoughtfully woven English translations with the original Hebrew text to make these pieces very singable and accessible.

"I often saw congregants, lacking a strong Hebrew background, struggling with the traditional music for Hebrew prayers. I felt that I could increase the participation and appreciation for our beautiful liturgy by interpreting these prayers through a blend of English and Hebrew lyrics."

In 2005, Arnie approached Beth Schafer to consider producing some of his Jewish music, which now numbered over 25 songs. "Beth is a Jewish musician that is writing leading-edge faith-based music, and who has raised the bar for the quality and standards of this genre. It truly was an honor to have her arrange and produce my music with her vision. We decided that we wanted a sampling of music to appeal to music leaders, cantors and camp music settings. We selected 10 of the strongest prayers, and each took it's own path during the two-year journey from conception to completion of this album."

As the pieces took shape, many well known musicians and vocalists joined this project to lend their voices and music. In the end, Beth Schafer, Julie Silver, Peri Smilow, Josh Nelson and many others took these prayers to a new level through their gifted singing.

"It is my hope that this music builds bridges of accessibility to our liturgy, and, as we find in our own community of prayer, that these words and melodies stay with us throughout the week, as we live Jewish lives."

Years later, Arnie has a second CD, Into the Light, reflecting his prayer based music journey. He frequently performs at synagogues in the NorthEast US and in England, and has presented and performed at NewCAJE, Limuud UK, Boston and New York. He is currently the worship leader of a music worship chavurah in Hartford, Connecticut - Shir Hamakom. (shirhamakom.com)

View all albums by Arnie Davidson

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