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UMD's Premiere Jewish A Cappella Group
Our Members
Kol Sasson is more than just an a cappella group – we're a family. Our members come from all over and have a variety of backgrounds, but we all share a love for Jewish music and culture. Whether we're performing for a packed house or just practicing in our rehearsal space, we always bring our best to the stage. Get to know our members and see how we each contribute to the unique sound and energy of Kol Sasson.
Olivia La Fiandra
Senior • Soprano • President • Alumni Liason
Olivia is from Baltimore, Maryland, and is studying Linguistics and Computer Science. When Olivia isn’t singing with Kol Sasson, she enjoys reading, cooking, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. Olivia’s favorite movie is the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Tekoa Sultan-Reisler
Junior • Alto • Social Media • Fundraising • Fun Coordinator
Tekoa is from Silver Spring, Maryland, and is majoring in Environmental Science and Policy. Besides practicing hard for Kol Sasson, Tekoa loves crocheting, embroidering, and general crafting. She is always down for ice skating or a museum. Her best subject is obscure One Direction trivia.
Sarah Blackman
Junior • Mezzo • Musical Director • Fundraising • Costumes
Sarah is an animal science and psychology double major from Ellicott City, MD. She enjoys singing, drawing, and spending time with her family and friends. Sarah especially enjoys chilling with her dog, Dioji :)
Aviel Taube
Senior • Bass/Beatbox • Musical Director • Album Coordinator • Tour Coordinator
Aviel is a Public Policy Major who grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts, and now lives in Baltimore, Maryland. When he’s not singing and beatboxing with the rest of Kol Sasson, he’s either running, biking, swimming, or doing some other sport that doesn’t involve other people. Most hours of the day you'll find him somewhere in Hillel pretending to do work or reminiscing about the "good old days" living in Sharon.
Michael Chernak
Senior • Tenor/Beatbox
Michael was born in Baltimore, MD (unfortunately), but has since moved to Highland Park, NJ (also unfortunately) when he was 12. He loves stuffed animals, video games, and Brandon Sanderson, and is always ready to reference an obscure/SpongeBob meme. Right now, Michael is studying Physics, but is considering a second major in Astronomy!
Jess Daninhirsch
Junior • Alto
Jess is a journalism major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is a huge 80s pop culture fan. When she’s not singing Kol Sasson songs, you can find her dancing, taking photos of literally everything, watching movies, and taking extensive notes on the cinematography (because she’d also love to work in the film industry if she’s not a traveling photographer for NatGeo), or taking walks with her family, friends, and/or two dogs, Daisy and Charlie.
Joel Rajakumar
Graduate Student • Baritone • Business Manager
Joel is a computer science PhD student working on quantum computing. He's from San Diego, California and he grew up in Chennai, India. When he's not singing A Cappella, Joel likes to play basketball, watch movies, or play the piano.
Sadie Forman
Sophomore • Alto • Costumes • Social Media
Sadie is a sophomore double majoring in Hearing and Speech Sciences and Theatre with a minor in Spanish. They are originally from Georgia but now call Manhattan home. Sadie has a lot of hobbies including (but not limited to), crafting, learning guitar, propagating plants, and spending time in the kitchen. They also enjoy hanging with family and friends and their two dogs Milo and Forrest.
Michael Schwartz
Senior • Baritone
Michael is a Business Analytics and Psychology double major from North Potomac, MD. Outside of Kol Sasson, Michael’s favorite hobby is music production, where he produces pop/EDM songs. In his free time, Michael also enjoys playing basketball, cooking, video games, and hanging out with friends.
Samantha Rigg
Freshman • Soprano
Sam is an aerospace engineering major from Ellicott City, MD. When she’s not singing with Kol Sasson, she’s singing with her own rock band called State of Youth!
Zoey Chazin
Freshman • Mezzo
Zoey is a Global Public Health major and Spanish minor, from Brooklyn, NY. In her spare time she can be found hanging with friends, enjoying Dan Brown Novels (her favorite), or watching murder mysteries. A fun fact: she is also on the Women’s Club Rugby Team.
Zachary Dankowicz
Freshman • Bass
Zachary is from Rockville, MD. He is majoring in Environmental Science & Technology with a minor in Entomology. When not singing, he enjoys Israeli folk dancing, photography, and working on his research in the fly collection of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.