Congregation Beth Israel

Organ Sounds is our popular concert series started by our own former Music Director Natasha Ulyanovsky. The concert series highlights our historic 1934 Austin organ and often features special guest soloists. The concert series is supported by CBI congregants; organ music lovers who helped to completely restore our historic organ and wish to continue to keep this majestic instrument sound alive. All concerts are held at Congregation Beth Israel (701 Farmington Ave., West Hartford). Concerts are free, open to the public and both in person and livestreamed. Donations are welcome at www.cbict.org/support.

2024-2025 Organ Sounds Concerts

Friday, September 20, 2024 at 6:30pm
Join us for half-hour organ concert featuring Beth Israel’s magnificent Austin pipe organ with Michelle Horsley!

Michelle Horsley is a conductor, organist, pianist, and collaborative artist whose musical endeavors have taken her into diverse artistic engagements across the world. She has served churches of various sizes in Central Florida, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Central Connecticut and in positions of musical leadership and has extensive experience both leading and accompanying choirs in religious, academic, and community environments. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from Stetson University and a Master of Sacred Music from Duquesne University.

Michelle is the Director of Music at St. James’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford. She is past dean of the Hartford AGO chapter as well as on the Jolidon Grant Sub-Committee, which distributes substantial annual funding for organ study and diverse musical programming throughout New England. Michelle has a private piano studio, where she teaches students of all ages. She also does freelance work as a recording artist, guest organist/pianist, and music educator throughout Connecticut.

Organ Sounds Concerts, 2023-2024 Season Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Our Austin Organ:

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online for an incredible concert season! We hosted special musical guests at all of our eight wonderful concerts to mark this momentous anniversary! Links to the concerts are listed below. A special thank you to the sponsors this season: Arnold Chase, Jim & Dianne Friedman, Gale & Bern Kosto, Natasha Ulyanovsky and the Greater Hartford Guild of American Organists. A huge thank you to Natasha Ulyanovsky, CBI’s organist, for producing these amazing concerts.

Built by Austin Organ Company in 1934 as its Opus 1853, the four manual, three thousand pipes organ was especially crafted to match the acoustics of the magnificent Beth Israel sanctuary. Our Austin organ was the last 4 manual instruments built by the original Austin company. In 2004 representatives of the American Historical Society presented to CBI its Historical Organ Citation plaque, declaring the CBI organ to be of significant historical importance. 

“La Primavera” with Liudmila Matsyura (Madrid, Spain), Organist & Composer
May 5, 2024
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO CONCERT

Alla Borzova, Organist & Composer
April 19, 2024
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO CONCERT

“Mostly Mozart” with Kathleen Callahan-Hardman, Soprano & Natasha Ulyanovsky, Organ
February 16, 2024

“Winter Organ Concert” with Scott Lamlein, Organ
January 19, 2024
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERT

“Classics for Clarinet & Organ” with Alexander Kollias, Clarinet & Natasha Ulyanovsky, Organ
December 15, 2023
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERT

Monika Krajewska, Soprano, Patrick Buckley, Baritone, Natasha Ulyanovsky, Organ
Friday, November 17, 2023
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERT

Ronald Ebrecht, Organist
October 20, 2023
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERT

Alexander Straus-Fausto, Organist
September 29, 2023
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERT

Organ Sounds Concerts 2022-2023 Season:

Click HERE for our concert on March 17, 2023 featuring Beth Israel’s organist Natasha Ulyanovsky.
Click HERE for our December 16 concert featuring clarinetist Alexander Kollias and organist Natasha Ulyanovsky.
Click HERE for our April 22, 2022 concert featuring Virginius Barkauskas.
Click HERE for our March 11, 2022 Organ Sounds Concert featuring The Birk & Hoke Duo.
Click HERE for our February 11, 2022 Organ Sounds Concert featuring Michelle Horsley.
Click HERE to enjoy our January 14, 2022 Organ Sounds Concert featuring the Shir LaShalom Duo.
Elena Udras performs on our organ.  Click HERE to listen.
Scott Lamlein performs. Click HERE to listen. 
Christa Rakich on our organ; click HERE to listen.
Songs for Valentine’s Day. Click HERE to listen.
Ms. Ulyanovsky’s exquisite performance from January 2020 on our organ. Click HERE and enjoy.

Music helps elevate and energize spiritual engagement at Congregation Beth Israel.

Members participate in Adult Choir, our Shiranote youth choir, our multi-generational Klezmer Band, our annual Purim Shpiel, and much more. Our Music Committee organizes performances of exciting guest artists. Recent concerts include the American Baroque Orchestra in a performance of Sephardic music from 18th-century Amsterdam, and musicians from Nava Tehilah, a contemporary Israeli spiritual community noted for creating groundbreaking worship music. 

Our sanctuary includes a historic Austin Organ with 3,000 pipes, 93 stops, and two expression engines, enabling a wide spectrum of sound colors. You can hear the organ at traditional High Holy Day services, festival services, and in our Organ Sounds concert series.

Natasha Ulyanovsky

Our former music director, and creator of the Organ Sounds Concert Series, Natasha Ulyanovsky, is a concert pianist, organist, conductor and vocal coach. A graduate of Odessa Conservatory, Ukraine, she continued her musical studies at Moscow Conservatory, Vilnius Conservatory, Lithuania, Queen’s College, Oxford. In the former USSR she worked as an orchestra artist and vocal coach at Odessa Opera House, and concertized under auspices of “Soyuzconcert”, a booking agency for professional musicians, both nationally and worldwide. She has performed in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Poland, Israel, Italy, and the Virgin Islands. In 1988 she earned the title of Honored artist of Abkhazian Republic of USSR. After immigrating to the United States, she taught music at the Hotchkiss and Kent Schools, Hartt School, CCSU, and performed at the Bushnell Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Interchurch Center in NYC, CCSU, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, and Wesleyan University, CT. She is a co-founder of Allabreve Opera Company and Institute of Slavic Music – workshops for singers. As an active AGO member she gives lessons and lectures to young organists during Pipe Organ Encounter conferences. Her recent performances include “Chopin In the City” festival in Chicago, International Organ festival in Ravenna, Italy, Summer Music Festival at NBMAA, CT,  Beth Israel Organ Sounds, CBI. She served as the Music Director at CBI for the past 23 years. Since 2006 she has organized the “Beth Israel Organ Sounds” concert series, providing the Greater Hartford Community the chance to hear our splendid 1934 Austin organ. In 2011 she was honored as Immigrant of the Year by the CT Immigrant and Refugee Coalition for her outstanding contribution to community in the State of CT.

Congregation Beth Israel is delighted to present this series of concerts of inspiring and uplifting music to listen to in your home.

December 7
Haneirot Halalu: A Happy Chanukah Musical Compilation
featuring the a cappella sounds of Six13, our own Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky with flutist Gonzalo Cortes and the singing group the Maccabeats, performing the music of George Frideric Handel, Félix-Alexandre Guilmant, Bonia Shur, and more.
Click HERE to listen.

November 2
Of Thee I Sing
with the music of Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and Harold Arlen as performed by performers and CBI Music Director Natasha Ulyanovsky and Monika Krajewska (pictured), and nationally-known singers Sarah Vaughn and Cynthia Erivo.
Click HERE to listen.

October 19
Broadway Baby
featuring Lauren Persky and CBI Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky.
Click HERE to listen.

September 14
Prepare for the Shofar Sound with the Music of Louis Lewandowski (1821-1894)
showcasing the talents of CBI Music Director Natasha Ulyanovsky on the synagogue’s historic 1934 Austin organ.
Click HERE to listen.

September 1
Jewish Jazz
Enjoy our newest concert showcasing clarinet player extraordinaire Carolyn Bernstein (with piano by CBI Music Director Natasha Ulyanovsky). The concert includes popular tunes by Benny Goodman, Kurt Weill, and Abraham Ellstein.
Click HERE to listen.

August 17, 2020
My Favorite Things
Our concert series continues with our own dedicated Shiranote and adult choir member Molly Singer, with piano by CBI Music Director Natasha Ulyanovsky. The concert includes popular tunes by Harold Arlen, Nat King Cole, Antonio Carlos Jobim and others.
Molly has starred in CBI’s Purim Shpiels and has performed at the West Hartford Summer Arts Festival.
Click HERE to listen.

August 3, 2020
Music for Organ & Strings
featuring Peter Dzialo on cello and our own Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky on organ.
Enjoy the concert.

July 20, 2020
The Music of Salamone Rossi
outstanding Jewish violinist, singer and composer of the late Renaissance/Early Baroque Era.
Click HERE to listen.

July 3, 2020
Being Alive
featuring singer Patrick Buckley and Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky. The two are performing the works of Stephen Sondheim, Harold Arlen, Stephen Schwarz and more.
Click HERE to listen.

June 7, 2020
Violin Moods
featuring Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky accompanying Dan Monyak on the piano, playing works by A. Piazzolla, J. Massenet, and V. Monti
Click HERE to listen.

May 25, 2020
Yiddish Art Songs
featuring Monika Krajewska and Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky
Click HERE to listen.

May 11, 2020
Yiddish Theater and Broadway Tunes
featuring Cantor Stephanie Kupfer and Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky
Click HERE to listen.

April 27, 2020
Somewhere
featuring Musical Director Natasha Ulyanovsky on piano and Max Schwimmer on saxophone
Click HERE to listen.