Steve Brodsky
Cantorial Soloist / Music Director
Steve Brodsky is Temple Emanuel’s Cantorial Soloist and Music Director.
Steve grew up immersed in the Reform Jewish community at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, where to this day you can see his Consecration and Confirmation photos on the wall. From the age of eight Steve spent every summer at Jewish camps, and while at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) in Zionsville, Indiana he was inspired to pick up a guitar — and a lifelong love of Jewish music, songleading and music education was born. Throughout high school Steve was a dedicated camp and youth group kid, active in NFTY-Ohio Valley, working at GUCI, and developing his songleading skills. After graduation Steve moved to Colorado to study Environmental Design at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and soon received a phone call from Temple Emanuel’s legendary “Uncle Max” Frankel asking if he would like to songlead for Temple’s Religious School – and the rest is history.
Over the years Steve has worked at Temple part-time as a Religious School and Confirmation teacher, (while also working as an architect), full-time as Youth Director and Director of Shwayder Camp, and again part-time as Artist-in-Residence (while pursuing careers in graphic design and publishing). Steve worked for the Union for Reform Judaism for nine years as an educational consultant and in the publishing division, URJ Books & Music. In 2013 Steve returned to the Temple staff full-time as Director of Adult Engagement, and in 2015 he joined the Clergy Team as Cantorial Soloist and Music Director.
Steve has been a fixture on the Denver Jewish music scene for over 30 years as a songleader, music educator, Cantorial Soloist, songwriter and performer. From Chanukah concerts at Park Meadows and Cherry Creek Shopping Centers to High Holy Day services at Congregation Beth Evergreen, from the Boulder Jewish Festival to the “Jews do Jews” series, Steve has performed and led worship in too many places to count around the Colorado Jewish community.
He is a founding member of two acclaimed Jewish bands, Mah Tovu and Sababa, and has released six albums of contemporary Jewish music and produced and performed on countless other Jewish music projects. Steve created Shabbat Unplugged, Temple’s monthly musical Shabbat service featuring the Shabbat Unplugged band and Visual T’filah, now in its nineteenth year, which later led to the creation of Rosh Hashanah Unplugged and Sh’ma Koleinu, Temple’s contemporary High Holy Day musical services. Steve also created and has led Temple’s Rosh Hashanah retreat at Shwayder Camp since 1987.
Steve is married to Jill Katchen, a Denver native and third-generation Temple member, and together they have two sons, Ben and Ari.