Cantor Deborah Bletstein
Cantor Deborah Bletstein
Cantor Deborah Bletstein, originally from West Bloomfield , MI , received her Bachelor's in Music with distinction from Ohio Northern University in 1992. In addition to performing with both the opera and musical theatre departments, she created the position of lead singer for both of the ONU Jazz bands, which had historically never appeared with a vocalist. This lead to an opportunity to open for Marvin Hamlisch at The Veteran's Memorial Convention Center in Lima, Ohio. She went on to earn her Master's of Music from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh , where she majored in classical voice, and was the lead singer for the CMU jazz band. While at CMU, she performed leading roles in opera and musical theatre productions, and received rave reviews in the Pittsburgh press for her portrayal of Golde in Fiddler on the Roof . A member of Actor's Equity Association, she has appeared on the summer stock stages of The New London Barn Playhouse and The Hampton Playhouse, as well as Theatreworks USA in New York , and Walt Disney World's MGM Studios in Orlando .
In 2002, Cantor Bletstein decided to devote her voice and her love of Judaism to the cantorate, and began her studies at the H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City . She spent her second year of the program learning at The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem , as well as ulpan at Hebrew University . While at JTS in New York , Cantor Bletstein was active in Student Life, Va'ad Gemilut Hasadim, and a number of tzedaka concerts, including a series devoted to Alyn Children's Hospital in Jerusalem . She earned her Cantorial Investiture and a Master's in Sacred Music from JTS in May of 2007. Cantor Bletstein has served as guest hazzan, speaker, and scholar-in-residence at numerous congregations throughout the United States, and is sought after as a concert artist for her ability to seamlessly cross over genres of opera, musical theatre, classical hazzanut, contemporary Jewish music, jazz, pop and folk stylings. Her writing will be published in the inaugural issue of the new quarterly magazine, CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism, celebrating 20 years of women in the Conservative Movement cantorate. Cantor Bletstein is a proud member of both the Cantors' Assembly and the American Conference of Cantors.
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