Vocolot

Vocolot
Origin	California,United States
Genres	a cappella Jewish folk world
Years active	1988(1988)–present
Members	Linda Hirschhorn Elizabeth Stuart Talia Cooper Shana Levy
Website	www.vocolot

Vocolotis a contemporary Jewish women'sa cappellaensemble based inCalifornia,USA.

History

Vocolot began in 1988, when singer-songwriter Linda Hirschhorn informally assembled a group of musicians to record some of the songs she had written for four- and five-part vocal harmonies. When they had finished recording those, for theGather Roundalbum, she asked the singers to join her in an ongoing group. The founding members were Rosalind Glazer, Max Ventura, Tay Holden and Linda Hirschhorn.

Vocolot has gone through many incarnations as new members joined and prior members left to start families and pursue other careers. Besides the current members and the founders, there were Kirsten Zerger, Alisa Peres, Helen Cohen, Ellen Robinson, Gale Kissin, Judy Larson, Sharon Preves, Abbe Lyons, Naomi Hannah, Judith-Kate Friedman, Fran Avni, Jennifer Karno, Alison Lewis, Felicia Sloin, and Julia Bordenaro.

Although Vocolot performs mostly a cappella, in the early 1990s they began incorporating percussion into some of their songs, with Helen Cohen, Gale Kissin, Ellen Robinson and Liz Stuart on doumbek and frame drums, and their song, "These Hands", integrates body percussion.

They were the only American group to make it to the finals at the 2008 International Jewish Music Competition inAmsterdam.

Musical style

The group performs original compositions and arrangements of traditionalJewish,folk,andworld-musicsongs in English,Hebrew,Yiddish,Ladino,andArabic.Mi xing folk,classical,cantorialandJazzidioms in apolyphonicstyle of intricately interwoven voices, the women performa cappellablended withhand drumsandBody percussion.The ensemble has been compared to the groupSweet Honey in the Rock.

Many of Vocolot's songs share themes of peace and justice, and Vocolot has sung at numerous rallies and fundraisers on behalf of women's empowerment organizations, MLK Day and Civil Rights events,El Salvador,Nicaragua,thehomeless,women's shelters,Darfur,and at many anti-war demonstrations. In addition, they commonly perform at festivals, conferences and conventions, folk music clubs, Jewish community centers and federations, colleges and universities, churches and synagogues throughout the U.S.A.

Name

The name 'Vocolot' (Hebrew pronunciation:[vokoˈlot]) is a bilingual pun on the English word 'vocal', and theHebrewword קולותqolot[qoˈlot],meaning "voices". The name was chosen by the founding members in November 1988, at a time when the politically active group was encouraging electoral participation with the slogan "Get out the local vote with Vocolot!" at their performances.

Personnel

Current members

As of 2017,the Vocolot lineup was:

• Linda Hirschhorn (director)
• Elizabeth Stuart
• Talia Cooper
• Shana Levy

Former members

• Rosalind Glazer (1988–1997)
• Max Ventura (1988–1991)
• Tay Holden (1988–1989)
• Kirsten Zerger (1989–1992)
• Alisa Peres (1989)
• Helen Cohen (1992)
• Ellen Robinson (1989–2005)
• Gale Kissin (1991–1992)
• Judy Larson (1990–1991)
• Sharon Preves (1991–1992)
• Abbe Lyons (1992–1995)
• Naomi Hannah (1992)
• Judith-Kate Friedman (1995–2003)
• Fran Avni (1996)
• Jennifer Karno (1997–2006)
• Alison Lewis (1998–2003)
• Felicia Sloin (2003–2005)
• Julia Bordenaro (2004-2010)

Discography

Vocolot has produced five albums.Their work is distributed under the Oyster Albums label by Kehila Productions inBerkeley, California.Their songs are registered withBMI.

• Gather Round(1989)
• Roots & Wings(1992)
• Behold!(1998)
• Heart Beat(2002)
• Vocolot at 25(2012)

Awards

• International Jewish Music Festival 2008 Amsterdam Competition Finalist
• Harmony Sweepstakes Bay Area Regional 2nd-Place Winner
• Just Plain Folks 2006 Music Awards Nominee, forBehold!
• Just Plain Folks 2017 Music Awards Nominee, forVocolot at 25

External links

• Official website