Many of us have wondered what ever happened to Hazzan Erik L.F. Contzius. He was very young when he served as cantor at Temple Israel from 1995 to 1998. We recall his beautiful baritone voice and his enthusiasm for Judaism and music. We found him in New Rochelle, New York, where he currently serves as a cantor at another Temple Israel!
 Contzius was born and raised in Parsippany, New Jersey, and he has loved music from the time that he was very small. He says his grandfather, Joseph Contzius (now deceased) and Rabbi Daniel Franzel inspired him.
 In 1991, he received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers College in New Jersey where he sang in the Rutgers University Glee Club. Even as a college student, he performed extensively in oratorios and musical productions in York, England. He went on to get a Masters in Sacred Music from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music in Jerusalem and New York City in 1995.
 Before coming to Omaha, he served as a student cantor in Long Island and Westfield,

Hazzan Contzius and his son, Jacob, at his wedding to Monica Flaherty.

New Jersey. When he heard of the opening at Temple in Omaha he said, “I had heard about Omaha on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Even then, they didn’t mention Omaha except in the title of the show. I literally knew nothing about the state of Nebraska or the fair city of Omaha.
 He recalled, “Having come from the East Coast, it was a bit of an adjustment coming to Omaha. However, it was made easier for me by the warmth of the Omaha community. The pace was slower and I found the people to be very sincere and engaging. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and Jane Rips, the Temple president at that time, were very welcoming.”
 He went on to say, “There was a great musical tradition at Temple, but there was also a great respect for the cantor as clergy. My choices at that time were to work in New York or Omaha and I made a deliberate decision to come to the Midwest.”
 Contzius remembers that Temple had been without a cantor for a year before he arrived. He felt that Temple was “in tune” with who he was. There was no adult choir when he came and he developed Kol Rina, a volunteer group. “I believe that the group is still going strong. And I had many opportunities to express myself musically, whether in concert, through services, or other musical programming.”
  Although he was sad to leave Omaha, especially after such a short period of time, ties to his family pulled him back to the East Coast. From Omaha, he took a position at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. He served there for four years and then made another change.
    He is currently in his sixth year at Temple Israel of New Rochelle. He has been very busy writing music for the synagogue and has had three pieces published by Transcontinental Music Publi-cations. One is “Shalom Rav,” a piece he wrote while he was in Omaha. It is in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel who was assassinated while Contzius was serving as cantor.
 “I write music primarily for the synagogue. I find joy in creating music that is prayerful, expressive of the text and has a Jewish sound. Most of all, I love to write music with which I would pray myself. Although I enjoy sometimes writing esoteric music, I like creating works which I would like to sing or pray with over and over,” he said.
 “I have also had the pleasure of serving on the executive board of the American Conference of Cantors as a regional representative for six years -- aiding in its direction and planning. I’m still active in the Conference, but have now directed my energies elsewhere by teaching at Hebrew Union College.”
 He added, “Last year, I co-taught a class with my esteemed colleague and friend, Hazzan Jack Mendelson. This fall, I taught a class to clergy about how to use technology on their pulpits.”
 Cantor Contzius was divorced, but has recently married Monica Flaherty. They share a lovely home and two cats in New Rochelle. Jacob, nearly seven-years-old, is his son from his first marriage and, “He looked great in his tuxedo at our wedding last June.”
 Monica and Erik met through singer and conductor, Bobby McFerrin. They were both at a vocal music workshop in Rheinback, New York.
 According to the cantor, “Monica is studying vocal jazz at City College in New York. When she isn’t working as a consultant, we find many times to make beautiful music together!”
 Hazzan Contzius says, “I do miss the pace of things in Omaha. Being outside of Manhattan, things are pretty quick around these parts. I miss many of the people in Omaha. I have had the good fortune of being back for a concert with three other cantors and it was great to see everyone.”
 He added, “The biggest shock was seeing some of my former Bat/Bar Mitzvah students and how tall and mature they’ve become. Through the Internet and Facebook, I reconnected to some of those former students who are now in college or beyond.” He says he tries to keep in touch with a few people but hopes to do a better job in the future of staying connected.
 “I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Omaha and my first congregation!”