The annual North American Jewish Choral Festival (NAJCF) brings hundreds of singers together to share their love of Jewish choral music and feel a sense of pride and belonging. The 2025 event will be held from July 20-24 in Stamford, Conn. Participants will enjoy a five-day musical experience with a harmonious choral community.
“The festival is for anyone who wants to celebrate the joy of Jewish music,” says Maestro Matthew Lazar, festival founder and director. “The attendees include amateur singers, professionals, cantors, conductors, and lovers of Jewish music of all ages.”
NAJCF is a program of the Zamir Choral Foundation. Festival participants will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from leaders in Jewish choral music in a supportive setting, and to learn and grow through personal attention and expert insight and interpretation. Musical selections include folk, contemporary, classical and traditional Jewish compositions.
“Being able to connect to this type of music and this type of text is something you can’t get anywhere else,” says NAJCF participant Dor Kaminka, an Israeli-American composer and conductor from Los Angeles.
There are a variety of uplifting Jewish musical activities during the five-day festival, including daily community sings as well as evening concerts featuring guest choirs and outstanding performers. North American Jewish Choral Festival “instant ensembles” will be conducted by Lazar, Richard Cohn, Joyce Rosenzweig and Scott Stein. Special guest performers include the award-winning a cappella vocal ensemble Six13 and acclaimed musical artist Noah Aronson.
Each year, the festival presents the Hallel V’Zimrah Award to honor individuals who have made important contributions to the world of Jewish music. This year’s recipients are Cantor Robert Lieberman and Rabbi Vicki Lieberman, who are being honored for their generous support and visionary leadership of Zamir Choral Foundation’s new Jewish Choral Conducting Institute.
A selection of workshops and seminars are offered throughout the festival on a wide range of topics, including “Precision Singing: Pitch, Tone and Timing,” “Jewish Music and Themes of Water,” “Techniques for Singing,” “Friday Night Choral Repertoire,” and “Shalom Gorgeous: Barbra Streisand and Jewish Identity.”
NAJCF provides an environment of fun and excitement as well as a sense of healing, hope, unity and Jewish pride, as participants share a bonding experience and forge new friendships.
“The North American Jewish Choral Festival is my happy place,” says Cantor Mira Davis of New York City. “It’s a community of people who are like-minded, love each other, love Israel and love Jewish music—a place where you can be yourself. The friends I’ve made at NAJCF will last a lifetime.”
“Whether you’re a novice or a pro, you’ll leave with new skills, new music and new friends to cherish from this transformative Choral Festival,” concludes Lazar.
For more information or to register for NAJCF 2025, see: https://zamirchoralfoundation.org/north-american-jewish-choral-festival/ and watch this video highlighting the NAJCF experience.