TORONTO — Ten years ago, Lindi Rivers was a psychotherapist who loved her work and found it fulfilling.
Lindi Rivers
Now a cantorial soloist at Holy Blossom Temple, the lyric soprano is releasing her first CD, an 11-track collection of Hebrew and English liturgical music called Lazman Hazeh. A launch will be held Nov. 18 at the synagogue.
Last year’s “Kol Isha” concert at the Leah Posluns Theatre, in which Rivers took part, was the impetus for the CD, which took about a year to prepare.
“I thought, ‘This is the time,’” she said in an interview.
Her comment echoed the CD’s Hebrew title, the last two words of the Shehechiyanu prayer, which expresses gratitude to God at times of celebration and firsts.
Having turned 50 on June 1, Rivers says now that the CD became, in a sense, “a great milestone gift to myself.”
“I chose songs that had touched me in some way,” she added.
Shalom Rav, for example, is a sentimental favourite. “I really wanted to include that for my mother and my husband in particular – they’re both very attached to that piece – and to honour Ben Steinberg, because he’s been such a strong leader and contributor of Jewish music, and composer.”
As well, she said, Steinberg – composer-in-residence at Temple Sinai, where Rivers started her cantorial soloist career – was very supportive and helpful to her.
Rivers, a mother of two, began what would become her second career as a Temple Sinai choir member and soloist.
About 10 years ago, she recalls, the late Rabbi Jordan Pearlson – the founding rabbi of the congregation who died in 2008 – went up to her after a Yom Kippur service, put his hands on her face, and said with great deliberation, ‘You must begin to study to become a chazzan.’ ”
Another turning point – in fact, the experience that led to her decision to change course – was when she was asked in 2000 to substitute for Temple Sinai’s cantor at a Friday night service.
“I spent the next two weeks preparing,” Rivers remembers. She had never led services before, and found the preparation to be “a life-altering experience… Whenever I sang these prayers, and Shalom Rav was one of them, I would just be in tears. Suddenly it was taking on new meaning. I was going to be leading the congregation in prayer, not just involved in my own personal prayer.”
“Of course I was scared to death,” she laughed. “[But] it was fine.”
The following year, she joined the Lachan Jewish Chamber Choir, directed by Holy Blossom’s Cantor Benjamin Maissner.
Along the way, she also led High Holy Day services at Beth Israel Synagogue in Peterborough, and in 2001, she became cantorial soloist at Temple Anshe Sholom in Hamilton, where her aunt, Ruth Slater, is cantor emeritus.
Rivers was born in Toronto and raised in St. Catharines, Ont., where she attended Hebrew school at Congregation B’nai Israel. She had her bat mitzvah at St. Catharines’ Reform congregation, Temple Tikvah, which her parents and others co-founded, and was active in its youth group, where she played guitar and sang Jewish music.
After graduating from the University of Western Ontario with an honours BA in psychology, she moved to Toronto, where she obtained her master of social work degree from the University of Toronto.
Rivers grew up with music, starting piano lessons at age five, and singing lessons a year later. She first took part in community theatre at age six as one of the children in The King and I.
“I was totally hooked,” she said.
Her new CD was produced by Stuart Zaltz, who Rivers had worked with in Hamilton.
“I think the music and the arrangements are so accessible and easy to listen to,” Rivers said.
The CD is available at Holy Blossom Temple and other temple gift shops, several Toronto Judaica stores and through Rivers’ website, lindirivers.com.
