Magevet is a collegiate Jewish a cappella singing group at Yale University. The group's repertoire includes liturgical, traditional, and modern arrangements of Jewish, Hebrew, and Israeli songs. Each year, Magevet conducts two major domestic or international tours and numerous weekend-length tours throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic states. The group has also performed special concerts for Israeli statesman Shimon Peres and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

Magevet
Magevet in November 2006 after a performance for Shimon Peres, former President of Israel.
Magevet in November 2006 after a performance for Shimon Peres, former President of Israel.
Background information
OriginYale University
GenresA cappella
Years active1993–present
MembersSopranos
Hemakshi Gordy (Business Manager)
Violet Barnum
Gloria Kim
Altos
Emma Donnini
Ada Perlman
Sophie Schonberger
Madison Hahamy
Lia Solomon
Tenors
David Liebowitz (music director)
Jordan Akers
Akiva Weinberger
Ilan Eisenberg
Basses
Noah Stein
Shlomi Helfgot
Max Bamberger
Websitehttp://www.magevet.org

Name

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The group's name is the Hebrew word for "towel." The group was allegedly founded in the spring of 1993 in a sauna in the basement of Calhoun College (now Grace Hopper College), one of the undergraduate residential colleges at Yale, by four Orthodox Jewish men who enjoyed the acoustics of the sauna and decided to form a singing group. "Magevet" was chosen as the group's name to remind its members of their early experiences together.[citation needed]

Membership

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Members join the group through the a cappella rush process at Yale University. This process begins when first-years arrive on campus in late August and culminates in mid-to-late September with tap night. Members audition and are selected for membership based on their singing ability and the musical needs of the group. Students typically join during their freshman year and sing in the group for their four years as undergraduates at Yale.

Tours

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Each year, the group embarks on two major tours. Internationally, Magevet has visited Germany,[1] the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Canada, Israel, South Africa, Argentina, and Chile. In the United States, the group has traveled to California,[2] Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Arizona, Louisiana, Georgia (U.S. state), Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many other states. Throughout the Yale academic year, the group also embarks on weekend tours of the Northeast, including to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and communities throughout Connecticut and New Jersey.

On May 25, 2014, Magevet joined in solidarity with the Belgian Jewish community in the wake of the tragic shootings at the Brussels Jewish Museum.[3]

Repertoire

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The group's repertoire is selected by the group's musical director (affectionately known as the "pitch"). Each new musical director chooses songs to add or remove from the previous year's repertoire, many of which are arranged by members of the group. The repertoire includes music from Jewish communities around the world, from the Israeli song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" to a version of "L'cha Dodi" based on a Jewish melody from Calcutta.[4] The group sings in many languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Hindi, Luganda and English.

Discography

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Magevet has released eight albums to date:

  • Mem's the Word (1995)
  • Ekh Hu Shar (1997)
  • Amen, Selah (2002)
  • K'mei Nahar: A Shabbat with Magevet (2003)
  • Mik'tze Olam (2004)
  • Divrei Shir (2008)
  • Aranen (2011)
  • Naveh Katan (2016)
  • Afikei Mayim (2020)
  • Refuat Hanefesh (2023)
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References

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  1. ^ "Jewish Museum Berlin - Event on 16 March 2010". www.jmberlin.de. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  2. ^ "'Glee'-ful Magevet bringing sound of (Jewish) music to L.A. | Community". Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  3. ^ "Belgian Jews touched by a cappella group's impromptu set". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  4. ^ pine, dan (21 December 2007). "Yale's Magevet is one OK chorale | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California". www.jweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.