Devorah Rocker-cantor comes home to perform with Youngstown Symphony Orchestra

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

Like her late father, Devorah Gottesman has been a cantor in synagogues most of her life, and sacred Hebrew music has a powerful hold on her.

“I would watch my father [Ernest M. Gottesman] sing this music, and he would be near tears,” she said. “I can’t tell you how I feel when I sing it, but it comes over me. I didn’t always understand it, but it is a part of me.”

Devorah — who goes by her first name professionally — grew up in Liberty to musical parents. Her mother, Frances Gottesman, played in the orchestra for the Kenley Players and with other ensembles.

After high school, the Liberty native pursued rock ’n’ roll. She attended Utah State University and now lives in the state of Washington, where she is self-managing her rock career. But she also returns to Youngstown every year to cantor at Congregation Ohev Tzedek for the high holidays.

Last summer, the free-spirited Devorah found herself at a career crossroads. To sort things out, she embarked on a solo bicycle trip from her home in Friday Harbor, Wash., to Hollywood, Calif.

She was following her heart. But she also — quite literally — had nothing to lose.

“I looked at myself, and I had 87 cents in one bank account, 61 cents in the other, and no food in the refrigerator,” she said.

During that five-week ride in which she slept in state campgrounds, Devorah got a clear vision of the direction she should take. Not surprisingly, it involved a reconnection with her own roots.

“While riding down the coast, I realized that my hometown and my town in Washington were where I really need to meet people again, and put myself out in their service,” she said. “The people who would purchase my music and be my friends — I view them as my record label. That’s who I am.”

Although she felt like she was being “fueled by Youngstown energy,” Devorah admitted the 1,000-mile bicycle trip could have been dangerous because she was alone. Fortunately, it turned out even better than she had hoped. She met kindred spirits along the way — including music publicist Roger Neal, with whom she is now working.

Neal is helping her promote and market her 2008 solo album, the appropriately-named “Irrepressible.” He also landed her a guest spot on The Weather Channel’s “Wake Up With Al Roker” in December.

A month after that appearance, she came to Youngstown at the invitation of her friend Bruce Zoldan of Phantom Fireworks, who was having a political fundraiser for Gov. Ted Strickland. At the party, she met Michael Gelfand, director of the Greenville (Pa.) Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.

After listening to her music, Gelfand asked Devorah to perform as a guest vocalist with the GSO (that happened Saturday) and also connected her with Randall Craig Fleischer, music director of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.

As a result, Devorah will accompany the Youngstown orchestra Thursday in a program spotlighting Israeli composers and Jewish music. The concert will be the centerpiece of the Youngstown Jewish Federation’s 75th anniversary celebration. The orchestra also will perform arrangements of some of Devorah’s rock songs.

“Nothing of this magnitude has ever happened to me before,” she said. “Symphony orchestras are playing my tunes!”

Devorah said she has been compared musically to Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette and Linda Ronstadt.

But she also blends cantorial music into her work to create a unique sound. “I do the Hebrew chants when I play with my band,” she said. “We’ll jam with it and turn it into a rock song. It’s my new niche.”

To learn more about Devorah, go to www.devorahmusic.com.