About the Musicians

Lev DePaolo, Vocalist

Lev DePaolo (they/them) is musician, composer, prayer leader, Jewish educator, and rabbinical student. A specialist in historical performance, they also have a versatile career as a vocal soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble singer. They have appeared with Tafelmusik, American Bach Soloists, Amherst Early Music, Society for Historically Informed Performance, Bloomington Early Music Festival, Gotham Early Music Scene, Washington Bach Consort, and the choir of the National Cathedral. Also active in oratorio and early opera, they have played the roles of “The Israelite Man” in Handel’s Judas Maccabeus, “Fatime” in Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes, “Castitas” in Hildegard von Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum, “La Nymphe des Tuileries” in Lully’s Alceste, and the title role in Lidarti’s Esther. As the Director of MIRYAM, Lev is dedicated to bringing Jewish Baroque music to new audiences. They have been featured in Washington Jewish Week for their work, and in 2019 they produced the East Coast premiere of Lidarti’s Esther, a recently-rediscovered Hebrew-language oratorio. Most recently, they premiered their new settings of Yehuda Halevi’s poetry at the Bloomington Early Music Festival in May 2023 and at the Society for Historically Informed Performance in Boston in June 2024. Lev holds degrees from Indiana University, Hebrew College, and Smith College, and they currently study at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

Jessi Roemer, Vocalist

Prior to joining our congregation as Cantor, Hazzan Jessi (she/her) had led engaging and interactive children’s and family services at Society Hill Synagogue for many years. Her soulful voice and musical talents have enhanced the spirituality of our services. She has extensive experience in Jewish music education and has performed, taught workshops, and led prayer services throughout the United States and in Israel; her original compositions have been featured in many of these settings.

Hazzan Jessi grew up in the Washington, DC, area, surrounded by her mother’s Yiddish, Hebrew, and American folk music; cantorial melodies; and the bluegrass-klezmer music of the Fabrangen Fiddlers. Hazzan Jessi’s musical style reflects her roots, studies, and travels, which include having spent the 1990s living in Jerusalem. She served as a cantorial soloist at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir in Rittenhouse Square and as a prayer leader at Congregation Kol Tzedek in West Philadelphia. Hazzan Jessi received her ordination from the ALEPH Cantorial Program in January 2017.

Hazzan Jessi is also well known in the Philadelphia area as the director of Ezuz, an ensemble of multi-talented musicians who play Jewish world music featuring lyrics in Hebrew, English, Yiddish, Arabic, and Ladino.

Aly Halpert, Vocalist

Aly Halpert (she/her) is a queer Jewish musician, educator, and activist living on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia. A singer, pianist, drummer, and guitar player, Aly writes songs for building community, working for collective liberation, and visioning different worlds. Aly leads music and prayer for Jewish community, including at Kol Tzedek Synagogue, Eden Village Camp, Let My People Sing, and Linke Fligl. Her songs have been sung in national gatherings, song circles, and quiet moments of personal prayer, and have moved people all over the world. Aly loves performing and collaborating with musicians such as Batya Levine, Joey Weisenberg, Anat Halevy Hochberg, Molly Bajgot, and Deborah Sacks Mintz. Her first full-band album, Loosen, was released in April 2022 with Rising Song Records. Whether her songs are serious or seriously goofy, Aly believes deeply in the power of music to awaken us to the loss and hope we carry, expand our sense of possibility, and connect us to each other and our collective strength.

 Margaret Humphrey, Baroque Violin

Violinist Margaret Humphrey maintains a vibrant freelance schedule as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member, performing in ensembles in the US and Europe. She performs regularly with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra, Tempesta di Mare, and as concertmaster of the Bach Society of Minnesota. A founding member of Belladonna Baroque Quartet, she has toured throughout the US, Europe, and Brazil. Cerulean Fire, her most recent ensemble, collaborates with dancers and percussionists, crossing over genres to create dynamic performance experiences. Ms. Humphrey is also a member of the Kingsbury Ensemble in St. Louis as well as soloing yearly in the Ancient Music Series in St. Savin, France. She has recorded on the Chandos, Dorian, Ten Thousand Lakes, and Naxos labels.

Theodore Cheek, Theorbo

Theodore Cheek, theorbo specialist, is in demand for both solo and ensemble performances. He has performed solo recital tours in the United States and has been featured abroad as a guest artist in Europe and in the Caribbean. He also performs with ensembles such as the Philadelphia Choral Arts Society, the Penn Collegium Musicum, and the Haverford Chamber Singers. He has quickly become a staple of the Baroque opera scene, as he has appeared in a variety of productions with the Temple Monteverdi Project, the Amherst Early Music Festival, and the Peabody Chamber Opera. Among his appearances were performances of Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse, Cavalli’s La Calisto and Orontea, as well as Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphee aux Enfers. Cheek holds Masters degrees in both Musicology and Lute Performance, both from the Peabody Conservatory. In addition to maintaining a private studio of students, he also teaches master classes at Temple University. The focus of his thesis research was on examining the reasons for the lute’s disappearance, highlighting the style galant as well as the works of some of the last, prominent composers for the lute. At present, he looks to expand upon this research with the hopes of publishing on the subject.

Eve Miller, Baroque Cello

Eve Miller is a cellist, Baroque cellist, composer, and music historian. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and a Master’s Degree of Music History from Temple University. Eve is the principal cellist of Philadelphia’s Bach Collegium, and she performed as principal cellist of Philadelphia’s premier Baroque orchestra, Tempesta di Mare, for many years. She continues as a regular member of Tempesta di Mare and performs as a Baroque cellist in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Eve traveled to South America as a member of La Rocinante Baroque ensemble, helping to found Festival Internacional de Música Barroca de Barichara in Colombia, and she is also a founding member of the Baroque trio, Ensemble Sebastian. Eve has performed as a guest artist with the Handel Choir of Baltimore, Piffaro, The Dryden Ensemble, The Raritan Players, and Ensemble Leonarda, among others. Ms. Miller composes music for film and theater. She has collaborated with the SITI Company of New York, Classic Stage Company’s Shakespeare open rehearsals, and the “Plays 365” project. Eve has written several scores for short film, notably for the American Friends Service Committee’s 90th anniversary documentary, Spirited Engagement. Eve is a music historian and historical performance practice specialist with a focus on music of the 18th century. Recent scholarship includes exploration of “gigging life” in colonial and independent Philadelphia, and in particular the effects of French immigration from mainland France and the French colonies on Philadelphia’s 18th century musical culture.