From November 9th to November 11th, the Ramaz Chamber Choir spent the weekend traveling throughout New York City, performing during their Chamber Choir Shabbaton. The choir performs at numerous schools, shuls, and Shabbat meals across Manhattan every year, ending their weekend performing at the Ramaz Upper School Open House. Through these performances, the Chamber Choir can broadcast its talented group of singers to prospective students, interested audience members, and fellow New Yorkers. In preparation for the busy weekend, the singers in the Chamber Choir spend hours learning the music and practicing. All this hard work results in the Chamber Shabbaton being one of the most memorable weekends of the year for its members and the audiences.
The jam-packed weekend began on Thursday evening with choir practice lasting until 9 PM, with singers tirelessly working through a setlist of 25 songs until they were performance-ready. After practice, the students enjoyed nighttime choir bonding with a movie in school, followed by an after-party at the Rechtschaffen home. The next day, the performances started; the students sang at several schools, including the Ramaz Middle School, Schechter Manhattan, and Yeshiva Har Torah. Going from school to school with long hours on the bus, the close-knit students practiced to perfection, sang with ruach, and had lots of laughs together.
After preparing for Shabbat at their hosts’ homes, the singers went to Congregation Ramath Orah on the Upper West Side, where they sang in Friday night services and at the shul dinner that followed. Alex Sultan ’25, one of Chamber Choir’s newest basses, stated that his favorite performance from the entire weekend was “Friday night davening because we sang Lecha Dodi…It was actually very fun singing this song because I’ve heard it before from the Maccabeats and actually singing it and just laughing was amazing.” After these performances, the choir headed down to Ohab Zedek for a post-dinner performance and then an oneg at the Rosenfeld home, a highlight for everyone in the choir. According to Sultan, “The energy that we had was really amazing, and it definitely carried the Shabbaton.”
On Shabbat day, the Chamber Choir went to Lincoln Square Synagogue for morning services, followed by two performances at the shul. They then headed to the Rabbani home for lunch, where melodies were flowing throughout the entire meal; the lunch was a moment of true choir bonding. After that, the group concluded Shabbat with a performance during seudat shlishit at Kehilath Jeshurun and havdalah at the Ramaz Open House, where the choir showcased one of the many clubs at Ramaz to the prospective students.
When reflecting on the weekend, Mikayla Leifer ’26 said her highlight from the Shabbaton was “just being with everyone all the time because we’re all so close and always have a good time.” Being a sophomore and a first-year in Chamber Choir, Mikayla continued to say, “Everyone just makes sure you are feeling included all the time, so even if you’re younger, you’re still going to have fun and feel included.”
According to Adrian Rosenfeld ’24, one of the Choir Presidents, “The Chamber Shabbaton this year was amazing. I think it was the best Chamber Shabbaton that I’ve ever been on”. He explained that “this is because of all the bonding that we had between the different members of choir, the many inter-grade friendships this year, and the top-notch group of kids this year.” Overall, the entire weekend was a huge success, and the choir can’t wait for next year’s Shabbaton.