Cantors Concert,Feb 8 at 3 pm, Temple B'nai Israel Clearwater
Cantors, cantorial soloists, and musicians of the Tampa Bay and Sarasota/Manatee region from Bay Area Cantorial Association (BACA) will present a 21st annual concert benefitting scholarships for students of Reform and Conservative schools of sacred music. The versatile program of liturgical, cantorial, stage, popular, and Israeli music, titled "Ahavah Rabah: Abundant Love — What the World Needs Now!" is on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 3 PM at Temple B’nai Israel, 1685 S. Belcher Rd., Clearwater, FL 33764. Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested donation of $18 each (cash or check only). All donations of any amount will be gratefully accepted and no one will be turned away. For details, please call 727-531-5829.
Participants include Riselle Bain (Temple Israel of Highlands County, Sebring), Laura Berkson (Spiritual Care Coordinator & Chaplain, Empath Health of Clearwater), Deborrah Cannizzaro Buchman (Congregation Schaarai Zedek of Tampa), Joy Katzen-Guthrie, (Temple Ahavat Shalom of Palm Harbor), Janet Nagourney (Congregation Kol HaNeshama of Sarasota), Allison Rosoff (Temple Ahavat Shalom of Palm Harbor), Beth Schlossberg (Congregation Schaarai Zedek of Tampa), Jonathan Schultz (Congregation B'nai Israel of St. Petersburg), Jeremy D. Silverman (Temple B'nai Israel of Clearwater), Murray Simon (Cantor Emeritus, The Jewish Center of Princeton, NJ), Kei Reea Sulhi (Temple Beth Israel of Longboat Key), Neal Taibel (Temple Beth Sholom of Sarasota), Marci Vitkus (Jewish Congregation of Venice), and pianist Tara Swartzbaugh of University of Tampa.
Founded in 2002 by members of the Tampa Bay cantorial community and now in its 22nd year, BACA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising scholarship monies for Reform and Conservative sacred music study. BACA’s annual concerts in the Tampa Bay, Bradenton-Sarasota, and other areas of Florida have celebrated Jewish life with musical solos and ensembles covering a global range of writers, eras, styles, languages, genres and cultures. BACA membership includes cantors and cantorial soloists in the Tampa Bay/Sarasota, and Central Florida region. Current officers are Joy Katzen-Guthrie (President), Deborrah Cannizzaro (Secretary) and Riselle Bain (Treasurer).
Since 2002 to date, BACA has raised over $85,000 that has benefitted cantorial scholarships, publication of new sacred Jewish sheet music, support of cantorial professional organizations, and emergency relief.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3422278-0
