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CLARKS SUMMIT — At age 81, there are two passions that keep Cantor Marshall Wolkenstein going in his still active life: his Jewish faith and his love of the stage, especially opera.
“I’m a little bit of, pardon the expression, a ‘Jewish ham,’” he said. “I love the operatics and the stage in general. And I don’t mind using the term ‘Jewish performer,’ because I believe that theater has a very, very important part in religion, to dramatize the tenants of different faiths.”
In addition to instituting a Sabbath service once a month at Elan Gardens, the Clarks Summit assisted living home where he resides, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native is involved with local theater group Mostly Opera.
He will perform in the group’s professional production “Great Moments in Opera” at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 19 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 550 Madison Ave., Scranton. Directed by Linda Houck, musical director, and Helene Tinsley, artistic director, the program will feature masterpieces from well-known operas by Verdi, Donizetti and Mozart.
“You get a broad cross section of the most popular operas, which most people are acquainted with, which are in the Italian and some French repertoire, performed by, I would say, outstanding talent,” Wolkenstein said.
He described Mostly Opera, which he first became involved in at the urging of its founder, Norbert Betti, as, “a very amicable group to be with.
“They are performers, but they are very down to earth people,” he said. “And it also gives me an outlet to talk about music with people.”
In “Great Moments in Opera,” Wolkenstein, a bass baritone (basso), will perform “O Isis und Osiris,” an aria sung by the High Priest Sarasto invoking God’s blessings upon a young couple in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
Wolkenstein, now retired, has 50 years of experience as a professional Jewish synagogue cantor and has worked in New York City; Philadelphia; Birmingham, Alabama; Stroudsburg and Scranton. He is a member of the Cantors’ Assembly and the American Conference of Cantors. Some of his concert experience, in addition to that with Mostly Opera, is with the Florentine Opera Company, Alabama Symphony and University of Pennslyvania Orchestra and Chorus.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate in music from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the Hebrew Union College School of Sacred Music (now known as the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music).
He also received education from Workmen’s Circle Yiddish School, Talmud Torah Schools of Milwaukee, Juilliard School of Music (under the Caruso Memorial Scholarship) and Gratz College in Philadelphia. His vocal studies were under John D. Anello, director of Florentine Opera Company (then known as Opera 4 or Northeastern Opera Company); Norbert Betti and Wayne Conner, Peabody and Curtis musical institutes, Marion Freschl, Julliard School of Music and Russel Hedger, of Samford University.
“I was very fortunate that I had a father who was very interested in my career and recognized my talents at an early stage,” said Wolkenstein. “I also was fortunate enough to have parents and grandparents interested in my Jewish education.”
Wolkenstein said his career taught him many life lessons, including how to relate to other people.
“When you get into the nitty-gritty, either in synagogue life, or I would say, formal institutionalized religious life in general, you learn the ins and outs of functioning with the members of the staff and also how to relate to the congregation,” he said. “And in the final run…no matter how good you are professionally, it’s the one-one-one relationship between one person and another.
“In other words, after a while, they take for granted — understandably so, if you’re a graduate of a music conservatory and you have your religious credentials and all of that — that you know how to do those things. But the one-on-one relationship as a person, as a pastor, as a counselor, I would say is the thing that endears you on a permanent basis.”