WDPR 88.1 and WDPG 89.9 offer a treat for those who love the classic cantorial voices of the past.

Leading up to the High Holy Days, Dayton Public Radio will broadcast its three-part original series, The Art Of The Cantor, on Sundays Sept. 18, 25 and Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

The series is underwritten by the Carole and Bernard Rabinowitz Philanthropic Fund of the Dayton Jewish Federation Foundation.

Co-hosts of the program are Charles Wendelken-Wilson and Mike Jaffe, who have co-hosted Dayton Public Radio’s Treasure Trove. The station’s music director, Wendelken-Wilson is conductor emeritus of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Jaffe has been on air at WDPR for more than 10 years; he is also a past president of its board.

For The Art Of The Cantor, they are joined by Cantor Jerome Kopmar, cantor emeritus of Beth Abraham Synagogue. Kopmar provides historic background and perspective to the series.

The program features archival cantorial recordings, history, and anecdotes beginning in the early 20th century; it culminates with artists who sang both cantorial music and opera, such as Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker.

One production challenge was the lack of clarity on recordings from the first decades of the 20th century, featuring such cantors as Moshe and David Koussevitzky and Yossele Rosenblatt.

Jaffe said the station “fixed up the old recordings as best we could” for broadcast.
He said this is the first locally produced show to focus on cantorial singing.

“Jerry and I have been thinking about it for several years,” Jaffe said, referring to Kopmar. “Jerry was our guru and our authority.”

The station began production on the series in May.

The program features two selections recorded by the Beth Abraham Youth Chorale with Jan Peerce under Kopmar’s direction in 1981.

Jaffe said he hopes the series will appeal to the general public too.

“We are exploring cantorial music as an art form of importance,” he said. “It really is much more difficult to sing than opera.”