 Introducing Rabbi Tova Leibovic-Douglas…an amazing mom, wife, activist and one of our High Holy Day prayer leaders:
I realized that my life and all of our lives are a series of these accumulated “what ifs”. It was clear that the more I attempted to write a brief piece with clarity and vision, the deeper the layers were to my story of “what if”. |
We are going to posting about our extraordinary High Holy Da prayer team. First up is the uber talented and sweet guy Jeremy Lawrence:
I grew up in the NYC suburbs of New Jersey, moved to Los Angeles 3 years ago and have been working full time as a guitarist, bassist, and music producer since then. I’ve produced 4 albums and 10 singles for artists in genres ranging from soul to pop to worship music, which has garnered over 8 million digital streams and several television placements. Now I am developing an inter-faith and inter-racial band called Blesd that creates spirit-driven pop music with the goal of crossing divides, connecting cultures and bringing people together through messages of unity and love. I’m excited to be a part of PUP High Holidays because I love to worship through a musical experience and connect with communities by sharing my musical gifts. I look forward to collaborating with this awesome band and expanding my community with PUP this year.
Introducing Valerie Stern, one of our great High Holy Day musicians. I met Valerie many years ago at Tom Weir’s Studio City Sound. The rule is – if Tom intros you, they gotta be good. And, Valerie didn’t disappoint. Thrilled she will be joining us again this year for the Holy Day’s and hope you will too!
My name is Valerie, and I work as a freelance pianist, dividing my time between performing classical music and writing songs with my Japanese pop band Layla Lane. This summer Layla Lane was invited to perform the Japanese national anthem on the field for Dodger Stadium’s Japan Night, which was an especially unexpected honor for a blonde girl from the valley. I also love working with high school and college music students, and serve on the piano faculty at El Camino College, and most recently California State Summer School for the Arts on the CalArts campus. I’ve lived in Los Angeles my entire life and am continuously grateful for the vibrant diversity and vast opportunities that our city offers. This year I’m looking forward to spending the time of renewal at the Pico Union Project, with good company, positive reflection, and of course great music.
 Introducing Rick Lupert, not only our guru of all things visual he is also our voice of poetic sprit. Just one more reason to spend the Holy Days at the PUP! Here’s what Rick Lupert has to say:
I love the concept of being outside of the box. Full disclosure: I don’t even want the box to be visible…I’d like it to be in a completely different room, or building. Pico Union Project starts in a place where we question if there ever was a box to begin with. We show up on the backs of every background with a wide open space and a community of people ready for anything. I’m excited about High Holy days at Pico Union Project because I’m ready for anything. I’m ready for the wide open space and every possible direction in it. I’m ready for music and souls and poetry to blend together. Bring it on. |
Introducing High Holy Day prayer team member Jason Chu, whose official title at the PUP is Chief Storytelling Officer.
Join Jason and the rest of the community for the Holy Days!
