The new year, 5768, is going to be a great one for music at Temple Micah. All of our musical forces will be busy throughout the year.

The Temple Micah Adult Choir will kick off the year with the Days of Awe and will continue to add to the beauty of b'nai mitzvah services from September to June. On March 2, the choir will join many area synagogue choirs at Strathmore Hall to honor the 60th anniversary of the statehood of Israel. Two years ago, some 400 singers performed two, sold-out shows in commemoration of 350 years of Judaism in America. This next event should not be missed.

The choir always welcomes new members. We rehearse on the first and third Thursday evenings of the month. Singers of all backgrounds and abilities are encouraged to join us.

The Temple Micah Youth Choir (grades two through four) continues to help lead the Kabbalat Shabbat service on the first Friday of the month, beginning in October. The singers and their families enjoy a collegial dinner in the social hall after services, building strong bonds in our community. This is a fabulous opportunity for families to meet and schmooze. The annual Washington Area Youth Choir Festival will be held in early spring. The Temple Micah Youth Choir is one of just two groups to have participated every year since this festival began in the early 1990s!

The Temple Micah Pickup Band (flute, clarinet, violin, and drums) continues to enliven the Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday of the month, beginning in September. This great group will be joined by the rest of the Temple Micah Orchestra for the musical highlight of the year: Shabbat Shira, on Jan. 19. All instrumentalists in the community are invited to join us. We will rehearse a few times throughout the year (new this year!). Please email me for more information.

This year marks the debut of Temple Micah's newest musical group, the Kol Bo Choir. "Kol Bo" is a (Hebrew) play on words: it means both "all come" and "a voice comes." The choir is open to all students in grades five through seven. We meet at 9 a.m. on every Sunday that religious school is in session, beginning Sept. 9. We will sing on a number of special occasions, including the Book Fair at Politics and Prose on Nov. 18 (along with the Youth Choir), the Youth Choir Festival, some Shabbat services and Shabbat Shira.

I look forward to a great year at Temple Micah, where we celebrate our Jewish heritage with joyful and compelling music.