Enid Bootzin Berkovits, artistic director and founding member of the Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale, began voice lessons at age 14 at the Wisconsin College of Music. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from Alverno College, where she also studied choral conducting. In post-graduate study at Northwestern University and De Paul University, she studied choral conducting and arranging, opera theater, and voice performance.
Enid’s coloratura voice has been heard in performances with Milwaukee’s Skylight Opera Theatre and the Milwaukee Opera Company. She has performed in recital and performance venues throughout the greater Milwaukee area.
Since 1974, Enid has been directing church, synagogue, interfaith and community choirs. She served as choir director and soloist for Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue since 1989 and is currently serving Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid in the same capacity. She also directed combined synagogue choirs for Milwaukee Zimriah. Enid has directed the Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale in Israel, New York, Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee. She is honored to have worked with Jewish music legends Max Janowski and Matthew Lazar, among others.
Kai-I Tien is a native of Taiwan where she served as Adjunct assistant professor in several universities in Tainan city from 2006 to 2012. Kai-I has been active as a collaborative pianist throughout the area since her move to Milwaukee in 2014. When she is not busy with piano, she works as a Mandarin-English medical interpreter. She is delighted to be part of Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale.