When you hear the Kol Nidre, it links you to your roots. It bridges the gap of generations in a unifying force. Cantor Stephen Richards of the Conservative Congregation B'nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek alternates his preparation time between choir rehearsals and composing new music. After nearly 30 years in the field, Richards said he doesn't fret as much about the High Holy Days as he used to. But he does worry that his voice will give out during the lengthy services.
Every cantor worries about it.
You wonder whether the voice is ever going to come back again. The Walnut Creek cantor preserves his yodel by eating lightly before services and keeping himself healthy. Of course, no health supplements could have helped Kol Shofar's Silverstein, when he faced emergency surgery. The appendectomy survivor will make a comeback this year at both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in Tiburon. He was a little Orthodox man with a tall yarmulke, but he really swung and moved around.