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UMD's Premier 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.
Tekoa Sultan-Reisler
Senior • Alto • President • Tour 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
Senior • Mezzo/Beatbox • Musical Director • Album Coordinator
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 :)
Zoey Chazin
Sophomore • Mezzo • Vice President/Business Manager
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.
Michael Chernak
Super Senior • Tenor/Beatbox • Album Coordinator • Tour Coordinator
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
Senior • Alto • Social Media Coordinator
Jess is a journalism major and history minor 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 dog Charlie.
Zachary Dankowicz
Sophomore • Bass • Musical Director
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.
Samantha Rigg
Sophomore • Soprano • Fun Coordinator • Fundraising
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!