ABOUT MARINA:

Marina Belenky is one of the most outstanding cantors in the American Jewish world. An accomplished performer, choral conductor and teacher, her musical repertoire includes Jewish liturgical music, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and Russian music; Broadway show tunes; and opera. With her rich, sonorous mezzo-soprano voice and profound musicality, Marina stirs the spirit of congregants and audiences of all ages.

Marina Belenky was born into a musical family in St. Petersburg, Russia. At age seven, she began to play violin and at age 11, the piano. But she always dreamed of becoming a singer like her mother. After graduating from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory of Music, Marina left Russia in search of religious and artistic freedom.

In 1982, she continued her studies at the School of Sacred Music of the Hebrew Union College and was invested as a cantor in 1986. Marina holds the distinction of being one of the first Russian émigré artists to study for the cantorate and to serve as a female cantor in a congregation.

Marina served as cantor and music director of Temple Sinai in Stamford, Connecticut, from 1988 to 1999, and of Temple De Hirsch Sinai, the largest synagogue in the Northwest, in Seattle, Washington, from 1999 to 2005. Since 2005, she has been a guest cantor for Shabbat and High Holy Days services, and has performed all over the country.

Marina can be seen performing around the Greater Seattle area.