Performance and Lectures
Songs of Neshama
“Orit Perlman is not only a wonderful musician and entertainer with a uniquely beautiful voice, she is also a scholar of Jewish music with a deeply spiritual essence. Her performance “Songs of Neshama” is an eclectic mix of Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino pieces that range from liturgical poems in various ethnic versions, such as Persian and Yemenite, to her own original compositions. Interspersed between the pieces, Orit draws from a well of musical knowledge, sharing background information, short explanations pertaining to accent, rhythm and other musical topics, as well as translations and anecdotes. These additions turn the concert into much more than a musical performance: It is an educational and spiritually uplifting experience.”
“I am Shulamit Ziv , director of Music Lectures in Kfar Vradim for the past 15 years. We bring the best lecturers and musicians in Israel to our group. We have brought Orit Perlman twice, once for an evening dedicated to Yiddish and Hazanut, and once dedicated to ladino life cycle songs.
In both evenings she integrated historical musical and cultural information along with her beautiful singing.
This year we have invited her to sing Irish, English and Scottish songs.
In the name of our music loving audience, I highly recommend an evening with Orit Perlman.”
From Congregation Sukkat Shalom, Ramat Yishai:
“Ms.Orit Perlman gave several musical meetings to our congregation, which included ladino, Yiddish, liturgical poetry and more.
They took place in our Beit Midrash of Sukat Shalom.
Ms. Perlman gave fascinating explanations complete with depth of knowledge of language, source and history of each song. The lecture was enhanced by her beautiful singing and playing, which transformed a good lecture into a magical one.
I warmly recommend a series of lectures by Ms. Perlman to anyone whom Jewish music, Yiddish, Ladino or Piyut interest them. I promise them that they will be wiser and much happier for it.
With blessings
Eran Levita
President of Sukat Shalom,
Ramat Yishai”For more recommendations for ladino performances and performances in general by Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak, Dr. Jayson Rodovsky, Hazzan Dr. Ramón Tasat, Dr. Abigail Wood and more…
Barmitsvah and Batmitsvah
“Dear Orit,
Thank you from the depths of our hearts for all that you have given to Devin and especially for the beautiful ceremony you created and led today. It was a wonderful unifying experience for everyone who was there. Your singing is magnificent and we are looking forward to listening to your CD’s.
Thank you again with all of our love,
Jacki and Dave”
“Letter of Recommendation: Ms. Orit Perlman
I am writing to recommend in the warmest terms Orit Perlman, singer and cantorial soloist. In October 2017 Ms. Perlman performed the bar-mitzvah ceremony for our son, Yonatan, at congregation Or Hadash in Haifa. Ms. Perlman helped us make that ceremony a profoundly moving experience, and this missive is in praise of her role and guidance in both the preparations for and proceedings that morning.
My wife (Michal Spiro-Levey) and I consulted closely with Ms. Perlman before the bar-mitzvah ceremony and were very impressed with both the time and warm personal attention she devoted to us and, in fact, our entire family. From our first contact with Ms. Perlman we realized that everything to do with the service at the synagogue was in the most caring of hands. Ms. Perlman spared no effort to make us comfortable with the setting, made absolutely sure that were well prepared for the ceremony and reassured us with regard to every detail of that morning’s proceedings. We were confident that at every stage all matters pertaining to the ceremony were under her very capable oversight. She provided us with advice, suggestions when we requested those, and instruction regarding every dimension of the service about which we were not ourselves versed. She did so in the most careful and considerate manner, always taking care to ensure that we were involved, yet never intruding where not appropriate. It was with Ms. Perlman’s help that we were able to arrange the roles of each family member, show great deference to our parents, and elicit the very welcome participation of other members of the congregation.
Ms. Perlman is also highly professional, and we were grateful to have had her conduct a ceremony that was in every way both inspiring and fully in keeping with the traditions with which we are familiar. She was extraordinarily patient; for example, in exploring with us the various alternatives for the rendition of prayers sung at the service, with some of which I had grown up as a child. Hearing her lead us in prayer melodies that were deeply evocative of my own early memories of shul services was very moving, and I was amazed that there was no tune or version with which she was unfamiliar. And of course she herself sings beautifully, lending the entire ceremony an aura of dignity and grace.
This is a letter of superlatives. We hesitate not at all to recommend Orit to anyone seeking a cantorial singer (and she is really much more than that) whose sensitivity to the congregation and immersion in our traditions make her conduct of and assistance with an occasion as meaningful as a bar-mitzvah a highly memorable occasion.”
“Dear Orit,
I wanted to thank you for making my kids’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah so special. They loved studying with you and they really shone (shined?) on their special day. Besides teaching them well you instilled in them confidence, and a sense of fun. As a result, they were relaxed and happy on the Bima, and they really did well!
I think we couldn’t have chosen a better person to conduct the ceremony. You made it spiritual but not too serious, and you helped us personalize the event to suit our values and taste; the entire ceremony was “custom made” for us. The service went very well with those in the crowd who are more observant as well as the secular guests. Besides, your giving nature and spirituality permeated through, and your voice is absolutely gorgeous!
I’ll definitely recommend you to anyone doing a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, whether living in Israel or visiting from abroad (like us).
Thank you!
Nurit Manor-Gazit”