Alan Joel Cohn's Obituary
Cantor Alan Joel Cohn (Avraham Yosef ben Yaacov haKohen v’Chaya
Blume) lifelong singer (tenor), died on November 23, 2023 at the age of
89. He was born on June 20, 1934 in Philadelphia to Jacob and Helen
Cohn.
Despite numerous other interests, Alan’s life was all about singing. He
studied at the Philadelphia Musical Academy and the Curtis Institute of
Music. He was drafted into the army and while stationed in Germany, he
won the 1958 All-Army Entertainment Finals, and sang the aria Nessun
Dorma on the Ed Sullivan Show. As winner he also travelled the world
entertaining troops.
In 1966-67, he sang with the Klagenfurt Opera in Austria, using the
stage name Alan Keene due to the extreme anti-Semitism at the time.
His time with the Klagenfurt Opera was cut short by the death of his
father, whereupon he returned to Philadelphia to care for his mother.
Based in Philadelphia for much of his life, Alan performed in the New
York City Opera, singing with such luminaries as Beverly Sills, Shirley
Verett, and Joan Sutherland. He also gave concerts at various other
venues including the Goldovsky Opera Theatre, Little Lyric Opera,
Franklin Concerts, Delaware Valley Symphony, the Wilmington
Symphony, Wildwood, NJ,Tanglewood, MA and the National Art Gallery
in Washington, D.C. In 2002 Alan held a recital with his brother Norman
Cohn and his niece Alison Cohn Jameson in Philadelphia to honor his
mother Helen. The entire extended family was kvelling over three
beautiful Cohn voices raised in honor of the family matriarch.
Alan served as cantor for the Society Hill Synagogue in Philadelphia for
26 years. He prepared countless young people for their bar and bat
mitzvahs, led the synagogue's children's education program, and
organized joyous Purim celebrations. One of the things Alan enjoyed
most was inventing a variety of costumes for the children’s
entertainment.
For many years, Alan led the annual Passover seder for four
generations of his extended Cohn family. Those seders were very
special to the family members thanks to his gentle nature and great
sense of humor. The seders were loud chaotic events but Alan would
rein everyone in when they started to get out of hand and would try to
keep anyone from tipping off their child to the location of the afikomen.
Alan met his lifelong partner, Bill Scott, in 1971. They both had green
thumbs and their large home in the Philadelphia suburb of Bala Cynwyd
was filled with lush plant life, just as the outside was surrounded by
trees, bushes and colorful flowers that they enjoyed tending to carefully.
Laughter and boisterous voices of friends and family filled their home
during the numerous elaborate dinners and parties. Alan and Bill shared
their home with a series of beloved pets including dogs Max, Sophie,
Victoria and Rex as well as prize-winning Himalayan cats that they took
to competitions. They loved to travel to new places and travelled the
world on countless cruises evidenced by many photos of the two of
them grinning while sitting on camels or peering out of a cable car. Their
home was filled with art, figurines and masks from their many trips.
Family members often wondered how the many fragile tchotchkes
survived amongst the frantically wagging tails of several large and
rambunctious dogs, but somehow they did.
After caring for his aging mother with great patience and respect until
her death in 2001, Alan and Bill moved to Florida and built a home at
Panther Ridge in Manatee County before eventually moving to Waters
Edge retirement community. They had a large group of friends there,
including members of the drama group in which he participated for a
number of years.
Alan served as cantor at Temple Beth El in Bradenton for many years.
He also served as spiritual leader between rabbis, helped train lay
leaders and continued to prepare b'nai mitzvah students. He retired in
2014, but remained an active and central participant in the Temple Beth
El community until shortly before his death. He was honored in 2014
and again in 2022 for his contributions to the temple.
Alan’s friends from Temple Beth El and Waters Edge were very
important to him. He jokingly referred to his dear friends Kate Richmond
and Marlena Johnsky and himself as the Triumvirate and in the last few
years of his life they, along with a core group of wonderfully supportive
friends, wrapped their arms around him and kept him happy and healthy
despite life’s many bumps and bruises. We should all be blessed to
have such loving friends.
Alan was predeceased by his parents Jack and Helen Cohn, his brother
Norman Cohn (Margaret Cohn), and his partner, Bill Scott. He is
survived by his two nephews Nick Cohn (Pim Van Rooden) and Jason
Cohn (Pam Panchak), niece Alison Jameson (Ralph Jameson), great nephew Christopher Jameson, great-nieces Susannah Jameson and
Niko Jameson, and many dear cousins.
May his memory be a blessing. In lieu of flowers the family asks that a donation be made to Temple Beth El, 5150 Peridia, Blvd. East, Bradenton, FL 34203
If sending a check please make it out tot Temple Beth El and put “In Memory of Cantor Alan Cohn” in the memo. You can also donate online at https://form.jotform.com/211605456727154
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