Mercer Island musician and resident Daniel Alpern has released his first commercial CD, “A Moment in Time.” The CD consists of 18 original songs in the adult/contemporary/rock genre. Alpern sings, plays all of the instruments and produced the CD.
Alpern grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and studied theater at Emerson College in Boston. He has worked in Jewish community centers for 18 years and figures he has written and directed some 375 theatrical shows. He studied trombone from fourth through 10th grade.
He worked at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island beginning in 1992 and was their youth and theater director by the time he left in 2000. From 2001 until 2008, he taught at Temple B’nai Torah as a drama and education teacher, where he used drama to teach Torah Studies and Judaic subjects.
Alpern was also a resident director of the Bellevue Youth Theater from 2002 to 2009, applying their model to the SJCC Center Stage. He created a program called Academy, which allowed young children to create their own shows. Alpern said that while working in theater, he would take personal songs he’d written and convert them with new lyrics to fit a show.
“I also did plays with people with disabilities at Highland Community Center,” he said.
“Moments is Time” is dedicated to Alpern’s father, Edward Alpern, who died two years ago.
“For 31 years I was helping kids, families and people with disabilities, and now I wanted to focus on my own music and see where it takes me,” he said. “The songs are all moments in time that have happened to me.”
As far as musical influences, he said he idolizes Elton John.
“I’ve seen him four times, and I never get tired of him,” Alpern said. “I probably know as much about his music as he does.”
The CD can be downloaded at www.cdbaby.com/cd/danielalpern or it is also available at iTunes and will be available soon on Amazon.com.
For a CD, e-mail Alpern at danielalpernrocks@yahoo.com.