SIMSBURY – Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom has announced the appointment of Audrey Klein to provide spiritual and musical support for the High Holidays this coming September.

Klein will be ordained as a cantor in June from the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College in Boston, Massachusetts, where she will receive a Master of Jewish Education degree.

A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Klein received a bachelors degree in theater from Northwestern University. She was an active member of the Northwestern Hillel, serving on the Executive Board of the Jewish Theatre Ensemble, coordinating the Reform minyan, and leading service trips to Uruguay and Cuba. Before making the decision to study for the cantorate, she worked as a performer, event coordinator and wedding consultant in Chicago.

During her years at Hebrew College she was an active member of student government and sat on the Student Advisory Committee to the President of the College. She served as the cantorial intern at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, Massachusetts, in addition to teaching in the congregation’s religious school for three years.

Klein is currently completing her fieldwork for her master’s degree at Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto, serving as the Religious School Program Assistant.

For the past three years, she has served as the High Holiday cantorial soloist for the Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life near Litchfield.

She currently lives in Toronto with her partner, Dr. Joshua Albert.