Cantor Joshua Finkel is deeply passionate about Jewish music and wisdom and the power of prayer. He is an accomplished vocalist, instrumentalist, composer, and teacher and loves using those gifts to help build and sustain a community of warmth and joy. From a young age, Cantor Finkel distinguished himself as a musical talent, playing piano competitively and performing at Carnegie Hall, and singing in musicals in St. Louis’ great outdoor theater, The Muny. He met his amazing wife, Dr. Emily Barth, at Bard College while pursuing studies in music, theater and film. He had a religious awakening in his twenties and realized a calling to worship through song.

Cantor Finkel attended Hebrew Union College where he received the Josef Freudenthal Prize in composition, and was featured by the Forward’s “Soundtrack of our Spirit” series for some of his original compositions. He sings and performs in a variety of musical styles, including folk, rock, jazz, opera, and traditional Cantorial music, and proudly celebrates our Yiddish and Ladino musical heritages in addition to Hebrew and English.

Cantor Finkel comes to us from New York City, where he served Riverdale Temple, the only Reform synagogue in the Bronx, and is originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, where he cut his teeth as a Jewish educator at Central Reform Congregation and later served as the Spiritual Leader of Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community. He is delighted to make Phoenix his home and loves to hike, bike, garden, and read Science Fiction. He and Emily are the proud parents to two amazing children, Jakob (11) and Noga (14), as well as Molly the cat and Kirby the bearded dragon.