ABOUT RABBI ALLEN - PERSONAL HISTORY: THE RABBI AS OPERA SINGER, CANTOR, TEACHER, LINGUIST

HE LITERALLY IS A VERY SINGULAR RABBI TO CONDUCT YOUR WEDDING – BE IT INTERFAITH, TRADITIONAL JEWISH, NONDENOMINATIONAL OR CIVIL. 

Welcome

Welcome to my Web Site. My name is Richard Allen I have been active in synagogue life since I was seven years old and the boy soprano in an Orthodox synagogue, where I studied Hebrew for nine years and became a Bar Mitzvah. The Cantor was my ideal. My ears were like a sponge as I soaked up the Eastern European set melodies as well as his improvisations. When my parents moved to a Conservative synagogue I joined the choir as bass soloist. I remained a Conservative Jew until the age of thirty, when I was chosen by Sinai Temple (Reform) in Mt. Vernon, New York. Rabbi Henry Kagan, who had a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, was my rabbi. Although he passed away many years ago, he is still my rabbi. He taught me what a rabbi should be. It took me only four months of listening to his sermons to decide to become a Reform Jew. I actually started my cantorial and operatic careers at the same time in 1963.

Rabbi Kagan was like a father to me. He never referred to me as Richard or Dick, but always �my son.� Though he passed away in 1968, he remains my model as a rabbi. Anything that I am today I owe to him. In 1961, when Pope John XXIII wanted an encyclical to change the language of the liturgy of the Church, absolving the Jews for the the crucifixion of Jesus. Rabbi Kagan was called upon to co-author, with Augustine Cardinal Bea, the encyclical, �In Nostra Aetate� (In Our Time). He was very active in the Civil Rights and Ecumenical movements.

In 1984, I went back to school at Gratz college in Philadelphia to further my study in Rabbinics in order to become an ordained rabbi. Although I was raised Orthodox and moved on to Conservative, I am liberal in my thoughts and though I don�t care to be �classified� as Reform rabbi only. I have created a specialty in addressing the needs of the Jewish and interfaith community. Learn more about me and my Curriculum Vitae in the "About Rabbi Allen" section.

You can use the links on the left side for details on many of my services including Jewish, Interfaith, Non-Denominational and civil ceremonies and can perform destination weddings as well as private Bar/Bat Mitzvah services, baby naming ceremonies, and Funeral services. I have also created a "Frequently Asked Questions" page to try to answer some of your questions but of course you are also invited to contact me directly with your questions. 215-657-3737 I am happy to meet with you at our mutual convenience for a consultation at no cost to you. After getting to know more about me through this site, please go to the "Contact Us" page and indicate the kind of ceremony you are interested in. I will send you an email of a complete, suggested ceremony for your specific occasion. Be sure to see the Ketubah Studio link on my Home Page and the guaranteed best prices from Micah Parker Artworks. Mindy and Micah Parker started their studio 14 years ago and very quickly became the largest and best Ketubah studio in the United States.

The Jewish community is very different than it was 56 years ago when my wife and I were married. At that time, interfaith weddings accounted for less than 5% among Jews getting married and synagogue affiliation was over 90%. We are blessed to be able to identify ourselves as Americans. I can remember the bad old days when racial epithets were hurled at me. Even though anti-Semitism still exists, it has become less corrosive in the United States, it is still prevalent in Europe. More and more American Jews feel comfortable marrying someone of a different faith or religious heritage. In fact, the rate of Interfaith marriages in the American Jewish community according to leading studies now hovers at about 63%. Affiliation with a synagogue and regular attendance at worship services has decreased. Our close friends are not necessarily Jewish and our choice for a spouce may not be either. Our children have so many after-class activities as well assigned homework that there isn�t always the time to devote 4 � 6 hours per week for 4 or 5 years of religious schooling prior to Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

I have chosen to devote myself to the community of the unaffiliated. I welcome Interfaith couples. In fact, I find that Catholics marrying Jews are in the 97th percentile of the Interfaith marriages at which I officiate. I will travel anywhere in the country to perform ceremonies. I am located in a Philadelphia suburb and readily drive to weddings in New York, throughout the state, as well as Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. In addition, because I am multilingual, I have been called upon to officiate at weddings in Spain (Barcelona), France (Paris, Bordeaux, Nancy), Italy (Positano, Rome) and Germany (Duesseldorf, Mainz).

 I have a wide range of interests, including Philosophy, Religion, Travel, Biography, History and Languages but singing was the basis of my initial career. I hold a B.A. in Pre-Law Business Administration,  Modern Foreign Languages and Voice. My M.A. is in the Humanities (French and Voice). My Ph.D. is in French Literature, from the Sorbonne (Paris).

 A desire to serve humanity compelled me to give up my 22-year operatic career as a leading baritone and return to the pulpit as a cantor. I was ordained a rabbi in 1997 and specialize in pre-marital counseling, pastoral counseling, drug-and-alcohol counseling, and chaplaincy. I officiate at Jewish, Interfaith, Civil and nondenominational weddings.

 Should you wish to contact me, I can be reached by email at: Allen@RabbiAllen.com or telephone at 215-657-3737 As a singer, my vocal studies have been with Richard Miller, William Vennard, Josephine Lott, Herbert Janssen, Berton Coffin, and Armen Boyajian. During my twenty-two year international operatic career, I sang some twenty-eight leading baritone operatic roles. I competed in and won the following competitions:

• 1965: National Association of Teachers of Singing - Singer of the Year
• 1965: Concert Artists Guild Competition - Young Recitalist of the Year (Town Hall Debut)
• 1962: Paris International Competition - Premier Prix d'Excellence
• 1962: Queen Elizabeth International Competition, Brussels - Prix de Bruxelles

I am a founding member, in good standing, International Federation of Rabbis, the Modern Language Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) U.S., the Voice Foundation and the American Conference of Cantors.

Education

• 1998 to Present: Continuing to serve as both Rabbi and Cantor, by invitation, in the United States, Canada, France and Germany.
• February 1997: Ordained Rabbi by the Rabbinic Seminary International
• 1984 - 1996: Rabbinic Study
• 1976: Invited to become Cantor of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel of Elkins Park, PA. Named Cantor Emeritus in 1998.
• 1973: Cantor of Temple B’rith Kodesh of Rochester, NY
• 1963: Appointed Cantor of Sinai Temple of Mt Vernon, NY
• 1961-62: Fulbright Fellow, University of Paris, (Sorbonne) and the �

Post-Graduate Study:

September 1961 - June 1962: Doctorate in French Literature, University of Paris (Sorbonne); Thesis: Le Diable chez Balzac; �cole Normale Sup�rieure de Musique Study with Pierre Bernac in the interpretation of Opera and Lieder

Graduate Study:

September 1960 - June 1961: Master of Arts - Humanities; Cross-disciplines: French Literature and Music - Voice

Undergraduate:

September 1957 - June 1960: Bachelor of Arts, University of Buffalo; Majors: Pre-Law-Business Administration, Modern Foreign Languages, Voice

Professional Experience

History in Professional Musical Settings: 1973 to Present: As a recitalist, I have sung in eight languages. A member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, I have been asked to adjudicate at the NATS national conventions in 1986 and 2000. I am active in giving Master Classes. I have taught private studio voice, specializing in both vocal technique and coaching. Languages sung and coached: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino. In addition, since 1985, after studying with Morton Cooper, Ph.D., Speech Pathologist, I have been receiving referrals from him to work with voice. rehabilitation patients.

1982 -1990: Professor of Language Diction, Philadelphia Community College;

1982 -1984: Adjunct Professor of Voice, Temple University;

1968 -1969: Affiliate Artist, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota

Awards of Special Interest:

• 1965: First Prize, Concert Artists' Guild National Competition; Town Hall Recital
• 1965: NATS Singer of the Year, National Association of Teachers of Singing
• 1962: Prix De Bruxelles, Brussels International Competition for Singers
• 1962: Premier Prix D'Excellence, Paris International Competition for Singers
• 1961-62: Fulbright Fellow, Paris

Grants - in - Aid Study:

• Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music (four grants, 1963 - 1969)
• William Matheus Sullivan Foundation, 1968
• International Institute of Education, 1968
• Levick Foundation, 1961

Opera and Concert
Professional Performance Repertoire:

Operatic Leading Roles

• La Boh�me: Marcello
• The Merry Wives of Windsor: Mr. Ford
• The Ballad of Baby Doe: Horace Tabor
• Tosca: Baron Scarpia
• La Forza del Destino: Don Carlo
• Madama Butterfly: Sharpless
• Aida: Amonasro
• H�rodiade: H�rode
• Faust: Valentin
• Faust: M�phistoph�l�s
• Pagliacci: Tonio
• Pagliacci: Silvio
• Le Nozze di Figaro: Count Almaviva
• Deidamia (Handel): Phoenix
• Twelfth Night (World Premiere): Malvolio
• Rigoletto: Rigoletto
• Don Pasquale: Dr. Malatesta
• Ariadne auf Naxos: Der Musiklehrer
• Parsifal: Klingsor
• The Rape of Lucretia: Junius
• Fidelio: Don Fernando
• The Makropulos Case: Baron Prus
• Jenufa (Ger. & Czech): Altgesell
• Turandot (Busoni): Barak
• Amahl: King Melchior
• Tiefland: Sebastiano
• Die Soldaten: Eisenhardt
• Don Pasquale: Don Pasquale

Musical Comedy

• A Fiddler on the Roof: Tevye
• The Most Happy Fella: Tony Esposito

Oratorio and Concert Repertoire

• Adler: The Binding, Stars in the Dust
• Bach: Cantata #82
• Bloch: Sacred Service
• Beethoven: Ninth Symphony
• Caldara: Stabat Mater
• Fromm: Ma-ariv
• Janowski: Sacred Service
• Mendelssohn: Elijah
• Rachmaninoff: The Bells
• Schalit: Sacred Service
• Steinberg: Shomeir Yisrael (CD)
• Stravinsky: Les Noces
• Vaughn-Williams: Serenade to Music
• Adler: The Vision of Isaiah
• Bach: Magnificat
• Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
• Britten: War Requiem
• Faure: Requiem
• Handel: Messiah
• Janowski: Collected Works
• Orff: Carmina Burana
• Salamone da Rossi: Sacred Service
• Schubert: Mass in G
• Steinberg: Sacred Service (Cass.)
• Stravinsky: Mass - 1948
• Walton: Belshazzar's Feast

American Premieres

• Jenufa (Czech) - Lincoln Center
• The Makropulos Case (Czech) - Lincoln Center
• Turandot (Busoni, German) - Lincoln Center
• Tiefland (German) - Carnegie Hall

Opera Companies

• Deutsche Oper, Berlin
• Nationaltheater (Staatsoper), Munich
• Deutsche Oper am Rhein, D�sseldorf
• K�linische Buehnen, Cologne
• Staatsoper, Hannover
• Holland National Opera
• Edinburgh Festival
• Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
• Warsaw Spring Festival
• Holland Festival, The Hague
• The Opera Orchestra of New York (Carnegie Hall)
• American Opera Society (Carnegie Hall)
• Little Orchestra Society (Lincoln Center - Avery Fisher Hall)
• Lake George Opera Festival (1963-1968)
• Goldovsky Grand Opera Theater (2 Seasons)
• New Haven Opera
• Opera Theater of Rochester (3 Seasons)
• Opera Under the Stars of Rochester (3 Seasons)
• Bridgeport Opera (2 Seasons)
• Stadtsoper, Hannover

Soloist in Concert with:

• Atlanta Symphony
• Long Beach Symphony (CA)
• New Haven Symphony
• Berlin Philharmoniker
• Boston College Orchestra
• Orchestre de la Monnaie, Brussels
• L'Orchestre Lamoureux, Paris
• Bridgeport Symphony
• Buffalo Philharmonic
• Philadelphia Oratorio Choir
• Phoenix Symphony
• Duisburger Philharmoniker
• D�sseldorfer Philharmoniker
• Rochester Philharmonic
• Rhode Island Symphony
• Indianapolis Symphony
• Amherst (NY) Symphony
• Corning Symphony
• New York Oratorio Society
• Rochester Oratorio Society
• Boston Fine Arts Orchestra
• Honolulu Symphony
• Pacific Symphony
• Symphonie du Grand Th��tre de Bordeaux

Live Recordings by Richard Allen, Baritone

Full Operas:

• Rigoletto: (Rigoletto)
• Tosca: (Baron Scarpia)
• La Boh�me: (Marcello)
• La Traviata: (Giorgio Germont)
• Ariadne auf Naxos: (The Music Master)
• The Merry Wives of Windsor: (Mr. Ford)
• The Ballad of Baby Doe: (Horace Tabor)
• La Forza del Destino: (Don Carlo) [in German]
• Madama Butterfly: (Sharpless) [in Italian]
• Madama Butterfly: (Sharpless) [in German]
• Aida: (Amonasro)
• Faust: (Valentin)
• Pagliacci: (Tonio)
• Deidamia (Handel): (Phoenix)
• Twelfth Night (World Premiere): ( Malvolio)

Musical Comedy:

• A Fiddler on the Roof: (Tevye)
• The Most Happy Fella (Tony Esposito

Concert and Liturgical Music:

• Ernest Bloch: Sacred Service
• Ben Steinberg: Shomeir Yisrael
• Heinrich Schalit: Sacred Service
• Samuel Adler: Sacred Service
• A Max Janowski Concert
• The Best of Max Janowski and Ben Steinberg
• Salamone da Rossi, Ebreo (17th Century Music)
• Davidson Sephardic Service
• J. S. Bach: Cantata #82 “Ich habe genug”
• Beethoven: Ninth Symphony
• Rigoletto: Concert Performance

Recitals:

• A Remembrance of Kristallnacht and Anne Frank (Loerrach, Germany)
• Keneseth Israel: A Varied Concert for the Congregation
• Concert at Westminster Choir College (Dichterliebe, Sephardic, English)
• John Duke Duet Recital with Karen Smith
• Lecture - Recital of French Music at Gustavus Adolphus University
• Broadway Tunes and Golden Oldies
• Culture In the Courtyard (1, 2, 3)
• Lieder Concert – French, Italian and German

Richard Allen in Concert and Opera – Excerpts:

• Volume 1: Arias and Duets
• Volume 2: Arias, Duets and Scenes
• Volume 3: Scenes from La Traviata and Rigoletto
• Volume 4: Scenes and Ensembles

Critical Reviews of Singing Performances

Last modified June 2000

"Few singers today can project the four languages heard last night with anything like Allen's excellent nuance and clarity, resonance and enunciation. He offers much satisfaction." - Paul Hume, Washington (D.C.) Post

"His ample and lustrous baritone is seamless and silky. Richard Allen has intelligent, suave and comprehensible diction, with a high class and necessary choice of repertoire." - Ned Rorem, leading American composer

"Richard Allen is the possessor of a beautiful voice which has a beautiful timbre and is even throughout the vocal line. He sings with authority, intelligence and an actor's temperament." - Le Soir, Brussels

".....he has a voice which is naturally and extremely expressive. In addition, he has a striking actor's personality." - La Presse, Brussels

"The highlight of the evening came with the stunning performance of Richard Allen. He possesses a powerful voice and an overpowering stage presence." - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Rigoletto: "By far the strongest component was Richard Allen's human Rigoletto. Without overdoing the pathos, Allen expresses both vocally and dramatically the contrasts between buffoon versus father, groveling parasite versus rebel. His Cortigiani! aria merited the evening's most enthusiastic applause." - Glasow, Opera News

The Marriage of Figaro: "As Almaviva, his formidable baritone easily conquered Mozart's vocal requirements. I regret not having seen his Scarpia, Tabor and Germont with the company." - Vincent, High Fidelity/Musical America

Tosca: "Allen's Scarpia was a study in restrained evil. A portrayal painted in human overtones and inhuman undertones. With his powerful voice and understanding of dramatic nuance, Scarpia's second act cantilena, 'Gi� mia struggea' was one of the finest moments I've heard from the operatic stage." - Price, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

The Ballad of Baby Doe: "As Horace Tabor, Richard Allen proved a real find. His bass-baritone is velvety and voluminous, his presence was forceful." - Lingg, Opera News

Fiddler on the Roof: "The cast was lead by the splendid singing and acting of Richard Allen. He made the evocation of life in the shtetl at once endearing and sad. Mr. Allen was Tevye in every sense." - Green, Musical Heritage Society

Opera Gallery
-Some of my 28 Leading Roles: