Barry Serota z"l
From the Jewish-Music mailing list on Nov 17, 2009. Additional information on the Jewish Music Web Center:
I just received the sad news that fellow collector and lover of Chazzonus Barry (Berel) Serota has passed away. Although I never met him in person, I had the privilege of talking with Barry on the phone several times. The last time I talked to him on the phone, was at the basement of Chazzan Noah Schall during my stay in the U.S. in August.
Barry Serota did very much to preserve the beautiful art of Chazzonus and he leaves behind a great legacy. He published many rare recordings on the Musique Internationale label and his extreme knowledge of Chazzonus and Chazzonim will forever be missed. Fortunately some of his knowledge was passed on to others - I am among one of those privileged persons - and I hope the great gap he leaves behind will be filled by other collectors (I think no single person can replace him). Barry made Aliyah just a few months ago (maybe he saw things coming) and hopefully his short life in Eretz Yisroel was a happy one. I hope the enormous collection he leaves behind will fall into good hands, so it will be preserved for generations to come. The man did a great job for Chazzonus and I'm forever thankful for all he did. My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. I hope they'll find the strength to deal with his untimely death. May he rest in peace.
It is a sad day in the world of Chazzonus...
Jeffrey P. Lieuwen