Welcoming Shabbat With Adon Olam - A Moscow Nights Version With Kolot Halev

Whenever we encounter a new version of Adon Olam, we try to share it with you. Because Adon Olam is usually sung at the end of the Shabbat morning service in most synagogues, it lends itself to a wide variety of melodies -- some traditional, some innovative, some set to popular tunes, and some reflecting the culture of each country.

Over the six years that we've been publishing Jewish Humor Central, we've shared at least 14 versions of this popular song. One of the reasons for is popularity may be that it's a signal that kiddush and/or lunch immediately follow.

Today we discovered a version that we hadn't heard before, performed by Kolot HaLev, a Washington DC-based Jewish Community Chorus. It is a place in the Jewish community of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area where singers can develop musically and enhance their knowledge and love for Judaism.

Kolot HaLev — Voices of the Heart — is the only independent community choir in the Greater Washington DC area focusing on Jewish choral music. They are the choir-in-residence at Shirat HaNefesh (Song of the Soul) Congregation, and draw their members from throughout the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area, regardless of congregational or religious affiliation.

There are no requirements other than a desire to sing together and a commitment to a regular rehearsal schedule and performances. A high level of musical performance is achieved through this practice.

Kolot HaLev has performed in various venues, including the North American Jewish Choral Festival, the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York City, Arlington National Cemetery, and elsewhere in the DC area.

Here is their rendition of Adon Olam, set to the melody of  Moscow Nights, an internationally-known Russian melody by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy, which was written in 1956. 

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Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!