“Three Altos evenings are a welcome dose of friendship, laughter, music and meaning that fuse all of the great loves of my life... I believe that the clearest reflection of the One is the rich and textured diversity that makes each human being and every speck of space dust unique. The energy at the center of it all pulses through the many traditions on this recording and is the force driving the celebration and affirmation of life found in so many of its lyrics and melodies.” Rabbi Amy Bernstein is currently serving at Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation in Pacific Palisades, California. She previously served as the rabbi of Temple Israel in Duluth, Minnesota for thirteen years. She served two terms as the President of the Arrowhead Interfaith Council and six years on the Board of Trustees of the College of St. Scholastica where she was also on the founding board of the Oreck/Alpern Interreligious Forum. |
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Dr. Paula Pedersen is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She also works as an interculturalist and consultant to educational and leadership groups seeking self awareness and strategies toward intercultural effectiveness. As an educator, singer and global citizen, Paula strives to facilitate understanding of the complexity of multiple perspectives. |
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hile our voices are as different as our personalities, it seems there is something magical that happens when the three of us make music together.
We felt it from the first time we tried the trio concept on — and our friendship has grown deeper with each chord. 
“Singing between these two amazing women is the most spiritual I have felt using my voice since the Luther College Nordic Choir. I fantasized about becoming the next Barbara Streisand as an adolescent, using my hairbrush as a microphone. And although I have been singing since high school swing choir, I haven’t used my voice this seriously since college — unless you count the couple of years as lead singer in the Rock band By Default. I am thrilled to be sharing my passion of song with my voice.” 
“We like to argue about how the three of us came together, each claiming to be the responsible one. I remember asking Amy if she wanted to sing “Eli, Eli” at a community event. Years before that Paula had asked me to accompany her on guitar for a song she wanted to sing at the local women’s coffee house. Before I had a friendship with either of them, Paula and Amy were walking their dogs together and going to yoga class. Laughter, the joy of friendship and the power and delight of song keeps bringing us together.” 