November 19th, 2025, 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm
Deborah Katchko-Gray (Cantor Debbie) is a fourth-generation cantor and is the Founder (in 1982) and Past President of the Women Cantors’ Network. She uses her grandfather’s nusach (traditional Jewish ritual music) as the base for new synagogue music that is singable, with meaningful English and easy refrains.
Seven of her songs composed with arranger and producer Beth Styles that incorporate her nusach are in her Sacred Sounds Reborn album and are available on her website https://CantorDebbie.com/. In this class/workshop Cantor Debbi will describe how she developed the songs and will demonstrate how to sing them.
Deborah Katchko-Gray recently retired after 25 years as the cantor at Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield counties. She is the recipient of the Cantors Assembly Gregor Shelkan Mentoring and Education Award and was the first recipient of the Debbie Friedman Miriam Award given by Miriam’s Table Women’s Seder and Chasing Light Speakers.
Her songs are heard on many Jewish radio stations. She has published two books: Katchko-Three Generations of Cantorial Art and Prayerful Creations: Creating an heirloom tallit or challah cover using Swedish Weaving and Jewish design. Her papers and memorabilia from her years of study with Prof. Elie Wiesel are housed in the Elie Wiesel Archives at Boston University and she is writing her third book: Class Notes- A Lifetime of Learning with Elie Wiesel.
Her story is included in The Invisible Thread- A Portrait of American Jewish Women. Her archives are preserved with the American Jewish Archives and the National Museum of American Jewish History where two items are on permanent display. Her papers and memorabilia from her years of study with Prof. Elie Wiesel are housed in the Mugar Library at Boston University with the Elie Wiesel Archives. She is writing a book about her studies with him, Class Notes- A Lifetime of Learning with Elie Wiesel. She has presented at the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies at Boston University.
NPR ‘s program The Story for Yom Hashoah in 2009 recorded her reunion with her Holocaust cantorial cousin in Finding Family Through Song and Jewish Broadcasting Service recorded and archived her lecture Elie Wiesel Story and Song in 2019. Deborah is an active writer with The Times of Israel Blog and Jerusalem Post. Her workshop on Lessons, Stories and Songs from Elie Wiesel is listed with the State of CT Dept of Education, Resources for teaching about the Holocaust and she helped form The Women of the Wall Choir in 2023.
Sacred Sounds Reborn is a new project using her grandfather’s nusach as the base for new synagogue music that is singable, with meaningful English and easy refrains. She is composing the music with Beth Styles, arranger and producer. Workshops are being offered to help teach and encourage cantors to use the music.
Crafting with sea glass, old instruments, and thrift shop frames, she has shown her work at the Rehoboth Art League and West Side Arts Market in Rehobot, Delaware and is s a cellist with the ensemble Impromtu. She is the mother of a growing family, six sons, four daughter-in-laws, and five adorable grandchildren! She is married to Dr. F. Scott Gray. They live in Lewes, Delaware and Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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