Cantor Toby Banks

For our 2024 High Holidays, our new Rabbi, Rachel I. Salston, will be joined by guest Cantor Toby Banks.

Toby Banks is a second-year cantorial student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. After completing a BA in Psychology from Cornell University, she went on to have a 20+ year career as both a professional classical singer and a development professional. As a fundraiser, she has raised millions of dollars for the Drama League, Central Park Summerstage, the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Study, the Asia Society, Digital Democracy, and many more.
      Toby has performed as a featured soloist with opera companies and symphony orchestras in major concert halls across the United States, from New York City to Los Angeles, Anchorage to Honolulu and beyond. In addition to the classical opera and concert repertoire, she made a name for herself in the world of avant-garde and contemporary classical music and has been a featured soloist in countless premieres and recordings with such world-renowned composers as Meredith Monk, Thomas Pasatieri, Huang Ruo, and Gerald Cohen. Toby also sang in Park Avenue Synagogue’s professional choir for over 15 years, where she is now a member. This summer, she will serve as cantorial intern at Congregation B'nai Israel in Fleischmanns, NY. After joining Temple Beth El for the high holidays, she will be the cantorial intern at Brotherhood Synagogue in New York City for the 2024-2025 academic year. 
     Toby views music, Judaism, and leadership/pastoral care as the three points of a cantorial triangle. While music and Judaism have always been major pillars in her life, the calling to Jewish leadership and pastoral care came more gradually as a result of various life events and her experiences as an ImmerseNYC mikveh guide. As a cantorial student, she is excited to bring together her passion for all three in  order to serve the Jewish community through leadership, healing, prayer, and song.