Sonya Garfinkle

SONYA GARFINKLE, 97 passed away on July 22, 2024 at the Fountain View at Logan Square, Phila, PA. She was well known to Phila. audiences in her role as Associate Director of Singing City for more than 40 years. She brought boundless energy to both musical and administrative planning for Singing City. She conducted concerts and rehearsals and was well known for her development of the “Sing-In”. Her professional life was devoted to Singing City’s raison d’etre of bringing people together through music. Ms. Garfinkle has served on the faculties of the Univ. of Illinois, Temple Univ., and Trenton State College, now the College of New Jersey. In her earlier years she taught music, K-12, in the Wildwood Public Schools and at Moorestown, NJ High School. She has been Chairperson of the Committee on Community Choirs for the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Assoc. and served as guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator of high school and college choirs. Following her retirement from Singing City, she was Director of Education and Coordinator of Operations for the Phila. Chamber Music Society. Her role included planning master classes for high school students and arranging free concerts for elementary students in the Phila. public, private and diocesan schools. Garfinkle is a graduate of Temple Univ. with a BS and MS in Education where she studied with Elaine Brown, founder of Singing City. She completed further study with Nadia Boulanger, Julius Herford, Roger Wagner, Charles Hirt, and Harold Decker. She was a member of the Temple Univ. Boyer College of Music Alumni Board twice serving as its president in the 1980s. Her awards include the Certificate of Honor from the General Alumni Association of Temple Univ., the PI Kappa Lambda Award from Temple’s Boyer College and the American Choral Directors Assoc. of PA Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence. Sonya Garfinkle is survived by nephew Todd Abrams (Mary) of Lewes, DE and longtime friend, Janet Yamron of Phila., PA. Relatives and friends are invited to Memorial Services, Friday, August 2, 2024 at 1 PM precisely at Cong. Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad St., Phila., PA 19123. (Enter parking lot on Green St. between Broad and 13th Sts or from Mt. Vernon St.between 13th St. and Broad). Interment will take place on Friday, August 16, at 1 PM precisely at Beth Kehillah Cemetery, 6687 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, 08234. Contributions in her memory may be sent to Temple Univ. Rock Hall, 1715 N. Broad St., Phila, PA. 19122, Singing City, 1501 Cherry St, Phila, PA 19102, Phila Chamber Music Society, 1628 Walnut St, Ste 301, Phila, PA. 19102.