Gabie & Holly's First CD

In 1996, Gabie Sykora, a native New Yorker, occupational therapist, and mother of six, met Holly Dinur, a special education teacher and mother of four, from Los Angeles, in a women’s choir in their adopted home town of Ra’anana, Israel. They have been performing together for women's audiences for the past seven years. Gabie and Holly’s musical style is an eclectic mix of contemporary, Chassidic, Israeli, folk, rock, among others.

Lechu V’Nelchah B’Or Hashem includes songs from a diverse pool of sources ranging from Biblical and Talmudic verses, and a Bat-Mitzvah prayer from the Italian Jewish liturgy to the poetry of Natan Alterman and the prayer for the State of Israel.

This CD reflects their collaboration with Ralph Levitan who composed and arranged original music for eight of the twelve tracks and arranged the music for the remaining four numbers. The result is an unparalleled melding of a complex and often surprising musical style with the familiarity of traditional Hebrew verses.

Lechu V’Nelchah B’Or Hashem has been described as “exuberant, spiritual, joyful, and soulful. It engages the heart and the mind and evokes both joy and tears.” The CD insert is colorfully illustrated with original artwork and provides the listener with lyrics, English translations, and background information about each song.

For the last five years Gabie and Holly have been the singers for Bat Kol BaSharon. The ensemble, which also includes dancers and a dramatic storyteller, expresses the creative voice of religious women in music, dance, and drama. Bat Kol BaSharon emerged from the Beit Midrash of MaTaN (Machon Torani L'Nashim) HaSharon.

הלי וגבי הן שתיהן עולות מארה"ב המתגוררות ברעננה. הן נפגשו למרות ששרו בקצוות שונים של מקהלת נשים. הן מופיעות ביחד לנשים בשבע השנים האחרונות, מתוכם חמש שנים כלהקת בת קול בשרון. הלהקה מייצגת את קולה של האישה הדתית היוצרת בתחומי המוסיקה, הריקוד, והדרמה. שירתן היא שירת נשמה יהודית ישראלית. הלהקה צמחה מבית המדרש של מת"ן השרון.