Jan 10, 2018
Ayelet HaShachar, a contemporary women's Jewish music ensemble, features Lisa Aronson Friedman on keyboard and vocals, Shalomis Koffler Weinreb on guitar, percussion and vocals, and Stephanie Rabinowitz on vocals. Drawing on an extensive musical background, the trio blends original songs, unique vocal, and instrumental arrangements, and beautiful harmonies to create sounds of deepest feeling that inspire and uplift. Their music is a sensitive expression of eternal Jewish themes, resonating with meaning for our Times.
Ayelet HaShachar has had three major areas of focus: to be true to Jewish and Torah values, to hold their music to a high standard of professionalism, and to use their talents and time to do chesed, tzeddakah, etc. As such, They founded their non-profit company:
Singer-songwriter-guitarist-percussionist Shalomis Koffler Weinreb has performed professionally for 40 years, beginning with a tour of Europe and Iceland as lead female vocalist and keyboardist for a seven-member USO rock ‘n roll band, performing for standing-room-only crowds of up to 5,000. Upon returning to America, Shalomis played rock, blues and top-40 music in clubs throughout the East Coast and Midwest. Before becoming religious and joining Ayelet HaShachar, she produced two albums of original, spiritual music, I Become the Eagle and Messengers Of Light, she was named one of the 100 Best and Brightest Young People in Advertising by Advertising Age magazine. Shalomis’ song, Peace Pilgrim, was used as the soundtrack for the internationally known documentary, Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk.
Pianist-singer-composer Lisa Aronson Friedman began her piano studies at the age of 5. She studied with her own father, with Harold Pries, and finally with his son, Roger Pries, who debuted with the National Symphony at age 17. Lisa also studied music theory at the American University preparatory department in Washington, DC. She was her high school choir accompanist, began some performance singing during those years and studied the guitar as well. She attended Oberlin College where she majored in mathematics instead of music, but did take music classes, sang in the Oberlin Chorus, and performed in coffee houses prior to become observant. Lisa had the role of Hodel in the Baltimore P’TACH performance of Anatevka (Fiddler on the Roof), and fit the music in when possible as she
raised her children.Dina Blaustein, A”h introduced her to Stephanie. Together, they started a duo which eventually became Ayelet HaShachar. During the day, Lisa is a biostatistician at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Stephanie Rabinowitz, on vocals, graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and studied voice, theatre, and movement at New York's Circle-in-the-Square Studio. She worked in production at the Classic Stage Company repertory theatre in New York City and performed in Fiddler on the Roof at Baltimore's Spotlighter's Theatre. After becoming religious, Stephanie performed in women's musical theatre productions in Flatbush and Baltimore and directed the Jewish women's choir which performed annually to benefit the local day school. All of this until HaShem led her to the wonderful musicians of Ayelet HaShachar, and the rest is history.
Ayelet HaShachar is available for live performances for Jewish women of all ages, educating and inspiring its audiences with themes and insights from sacred Jewish texts, providing the opportunity for its audiences to personally experience and connect to Jewish prayer.
Ayelet HaShachar has recorded two albums of original music, Ohr Chadash (2005) and Matai (2013), and are currently working on the third.
The debut concert on 9/9/2001, entitled “Prayer Through Music” was a major fundraiser for victims of terror in Israel. We have twice performed at Chol Hamo’ed Sukkot concerts at Brooklyn College as well as several concerts in the Philadelphia area. Ayelet HaShachar has traveled to Israel four times, performing in Yerushalayim in conjunction with the Israeli band Tofa’ah, in Ramat Beit Shemesh to raise money for Gush Katif kallot, in Telzstone, at the commencement program for Ahavas Yisrael in Yerushalayim, and at Heichal Shlomo in Yerushalayim to raise money for the victims of the Carmel fire. We have performed countless times in Baltimore, including two concerts at the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts to benefit the Jewish Caring Network, at a Women’s Institute of Torah Day of Learning (where we gave a workshop on z’mirot), at a benefit concert with Baltimore’s former band, Encore, to raise money for Gush Katif, in addition to multiple concerts for the Etz Chaim Center.
Check the band out: www.ayeletmusic.org