Question 1

How much do Cantors make?

Alison Stolpa · Accepted Answer

How much a Cantor earns annually depends on the size of his or her congregation, with salaries ranging anywhere from $18,000 to $122,000. Salary also depends on whether he or she is a part-time or full-time employee. On average, a full-time Cantor can expect to earn approximately $51,700 a year.

Question 2

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Erik Contzius · Accepted Answer

“Have your ego in check. The profession has gotten a bad rap because people think the Cantor or the Rabbi is a profession about ego. It’s not.
“My Voice Teacher, Richard Slade, says there are three kinds of singers: the storyteller (the person who sings through the fourth wall to the audience telling a story), the singer who sings behind the wall (the opera, Broadway or actor-singer who embodies a character and channels their message through that channel), and the religious singer, whose job is to become almost invisible. They’re a lens through which the congregation experiences the divine.
“In traditional congregations, the Cantor doesn’t face the congregation; they face Jerusalem. Even in synagogues where the pulpit faces the people, the job of a religious singer is to bring people closer to God. It requires the singer to become very skilled and this is why I’ve always worked on my voice — because I didn’t want my lack of voice to bring people out of the moment.
“The best compliment I can ever be given would not be ‘you sounded lovely,’ but ‘you inspired me’ or ‘you got me closer to God’ or ‘I was really feeling low and I felt uplifted’ — that’s where the singer has to become almost invisible.
“At the same time, in the modern synagogue where the Cantor has become more of a cheerleader to get people to sing along, they too have to become invisible. They have to lead enough so the congregation feels comfortable but at the same time blend enough so people don’t feel intimidated.”

Question 3

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Erik Contzius · Accepted Answer

“When people are in the cantorate, they stop taking voice lessons. That is a huge mistake. Most of my colleagues do study voice but I know a number who do not study with a Voice Teacher or who have stayed too long with a Teacher and have not made progress.”

Question 4

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Erik Contzius · Accepted Answer

“I did almost anything a Cantor could do in the pulpit and a big thing I discovered was my ability to compose. I’m a published Composer of Jewish music. I was really fortunate and blessed to be in positions where I could compose music for the synagogue, then perform it immediately.
“Many Composers do not get that opportunity and I feel this is a place where Cantors can find their own voice: through composing. Not everyone can do it, but I think every Cantor should try it and they may be surprised. It’s a great way to stretch the profession.”

Question 5

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Erik Contzius · Accepted Answer

“Hazzan. Vision. I want to come back to that because ultimately, if there’s going to continue to be a role for the Cantor in the 21st century synagogue, the Cantor — despite all the clergy duties and going to meetings and all that stuff — has to remember that his or her primary duty is to inspire. The Cantor must always try to find inspiration that he or she can then share.”

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