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The Music of VBS

Music plays a great role within VBS culture.

The sounds of VBS are unique to our synagogue; our melodies carry with them our history and soul.

Experience the music of VBS at a variety of prayer experiences and special engagements including:

Shiru Shabbat: Enjoy a series of special Friday nights filled with music, dinner, learning, and community.
Tot Shabbat: Sing, clap and dance together with our clergy, Shababa Band and ECC as we pray, play and make music together!
VBS Annual Concert Series: Now in its third year, our annual series of select musical engagements journey through our culture, spanning generations and genres.

and so much more! Our active VBS Youth Choir and VBS Community Choir perform on selected occasions. Previously, our unique Shabbat Jam, Shabbat Farbrengen, Rimonim Shabbat, T'marim Sephardic Shabbat and Shabbat Shira services have boasted unique cultural musical offerings to VBS.

Cantor Jacqueline Rafii

VBS Senior Cantor Rafii (see bio) is a published composer of Jewish music and a classically trained pianist. She performs Jewish music in Hebrew, Farsi, Ladino, and English. Cantor Rafii earned her JD from UCLA School of Law and practiced entertainment law for three years, representing major and upcoming artists. For her cantorial Master's Thesis, she conducted original fieldwork in the area of preserving, notating, and disseminating Persian Jewish prayer melodies.

Cantor Phil Baron

VBS Cantor Phil Baron (see bio) has written and recorded a number of soundtracks, which can be sampled in the playlists below. He has also composed a number of productions receiving national publicity including David's Quilt, an original libretto about biblical King David that premiered at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Learn more about Cantor Baron's role in David's Quilt >

Chris Hardin

Former VBS Music Director Chris Hardin is a composer, orchestrator, music director, conductor and performer. Learn more >

VBS Community Choir

Become a member of our vibrant Community Choir! Contact our Main Office at 818-788-6000 to inquire.

Listen Now

"Or Hadash" 5783 High Holiday album

Sanctuary

Listen to the audio tracks below by clicking on each linked title:

Ayekah

In preparation for the High Holidays in 2016, VBS unveiled a multi-platform, immersive campaign to draw our community together and gain collective perspective, inspiration and self-discovery. This carefully thoughtful soundtrack of spiritual “nigunim” were used for meditation, contemplation, and reflection. Click here to learn more about Ayekah >

Listen to the audio tracks below by clicking on each linked title:

CREDITS
Cantor Phil Baron (vocals)
Asher Levy (guitars, oud, mandolin, harmonium, piano)
Jamie Papish (percussion)
Miguel Atwood Ferguson (viola, violin)
Norik Manukyan (duduk, shvi, clarinet, zurna)
Kiernan Weggler (cello)
Additional vocals – Liza Baron, Marc Ginsburg, Shana Leon, Asher Levy
Recorded and Mastered by Tom Weir at Studio City Sound, Los Angeles
Produced by Phil Baron and Asher Levy
Manufactured by Private Label Music