Cantor Malcolm Arnold, Cantor Emeritus
E-mail: Cantor.arnold@koltikvah.net
Malcolm Arnold has been the Cantor at Congregation Kol Tikvah since May of 2000. In addition to sharing the duties of shaliach tzibbur with Rabbi Boxman, he also serves the congregation as choir director, ba’al kriah, b’nai mitzvah tutor, musical/stage director of the annual Purim Spiel, and as a teacher of adult education. Before moving to Florida from New York, he led High Holiday services at Temple Concord in Binghamton, New York and was a substitute soloist at Temple Beth Ohr in Brooklyn, NY. He sang High Holidays services as a member of a professional quartet at Temple Israel of West Palm Beach from 1992-99.
Cantor Arnold holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts and Humanities and a Certificate in Jewish and Holocaust Studies from Florida Atlantic University.
Before deciding to devote his efforts to a career on the bima, Cantor Arnold enjoyed an international career as an opera singer, producer and stage director. As a singer with a repertoire of more than seventy-five operatic roles, the baritone appeared frequently with the opera companies of Dallas, Boston, and Palm Beach, and the orchestras of Philadelphia, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Ottawa (National Arts Centre) and Mexico City. His European debut with the National Theatre of Iceland distinguished him as the only American to perform in Reykjavik during the US-Soviet Summit. From 1998-2004, he was Associate Director of Gold Coast Opera. In 1994, Cantor Arnold topped the PALM BEACH POST’S Annual Readers’ Poll for the highest cultural moments of the season.
Cantor Arnold’s professional studies began at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY, and continued at the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, and with Franco Iglesias (Placido Domingo’s voice teacher.) Cantor Arnold was a vocal instructor and Director of Choral Music at Palm Beach State College for four years. He maintains a professional vocal studio in the area and is the author of a book on the integration of vocal, dramatic, and musical disciplines.
Cantor Arnold’s wife, Bonnie, is the Public Information Officer for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority. She has held similar positions with the Florida Philharmonic, Ballet Florida, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Rockefeller Group, Carnegie Hall, and Radio City Music Hall. Their son Andrew, who graduated with a B.A. in Jewish Studies from the University of Florida. Andrew currently leads Shabbat Services weekly at Harbour’s Edge Community and is the B’nai Mitzvah tutor at Temple Sinai, both in Delray Beach, FL.