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In This Issue
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Josh Jacobson's Musings
Virtual Choir Deadline Extended Spring Roundup
Gearing Up for Zamir's 50th
Zamir Board Holds Elections
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HOT OFF THE PRESS!
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**DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 30**
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year, we are creating a first-ever virtual choir using Louis Lewandowski's great "Halleluyoh." And we want YOU to join us! The Halleluyoh Virtual Choir w
ill include performances by hundreds of singers from all around the world and incorporate visual history about Lewandowski and his community.
What is a virtual choir?
It is a performance made up of singers from different locations, who come together virtually to share their passion for choral singing in a new and unique way. The goal of our virtual choir is to introduce the wonderful music of Lewandowski to singers, conductors and audiences worldwide. We want more people to recognize that great Jewish choral music exists! For more information and a handy-dandy instructional video,
click here
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GEARING UP FOR ZAMIR'S 50TH
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Get ready for Zamir's 50th-anniversary celebration, beginning in Fall 2018! We
will celebrate five decades of "music with a mission," bringing the joy of Jewish music to audiences that transcend ag
e, religion,
and ethnic background.
Highlights include:
- A special kick-off event on Thursday, October 11, at Newton's City Hall, featuring a debut of our virtual choir video and an opportunity to celebrate!
- Tuesday, June 4, 2019: Gala concert at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. honoring Founder and Artistic Director Josh Jacobson. The concert will look back and look ahead, with a vibrant program showcasing the best of Jewish choral music from our five decades of concertizing, as well as several works commissioned for the celebration.
- A reunion for our more than 400 alumni, many of whom have gone on to become significant leaders in their communities.
- An enhanced website with expanded resources available to any conductor, singer, scholar, or music lover looking for choral music connected to Jewish traditions.
Watch your email for updates!
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Schiffer Re-elected
Zamir Board Chair
Zamir member Peter Bronk joins the board
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Gilbert Schiffer |
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Sharon resident Gilbert Schiffer was re-elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the 2018-19 season at Zamir's annual board meeting held in May. A member of the tenor section, Gilbert has been singing with Zamir since 1993 and formerly served as board treasurer.
Peter Finn, a partner at the law firm of Rubin & Rudman, LLP, was reelected Clerk. Michael Victor,
who has been singing as a bass with
Zamir since 1990, was elected treasurer. Special thanks to Jeff Rosenberg, who stepped down as treasurer.
The board is delighted to welcome Peter Bronk, a 31-year member of Zamir.
Peter's professional career in electrical and software engineering focused on the design of dedicated intelligent devices. This spring, he transitioned into the roll of full-time manager of the rental property business he and his wife, Susan Axe-Bronk, developed over many years.
As a volunteer, Peter supervised the sanctuary renovation project at his former synagogue in Somerville; he has served as an elected Alumni Council representative at Tufts University since 2002; alumni admissions interviewer for 18 years; class reunion chairperson several times; and was an alumni board member and president at his co-ed fraternity for ten years.
According to Peter, "Zamir has been an integral part of my life, and that of my family, as a singer and a student of the craft under Josh's direction.... I am delighted to join in guiding the ongoing success of Zamir's mission and helping to ensure its continuity into the future."
The following board members were elected for the 2018-19 season:
Gilbert Schiffer, Chair
Peter Finn, Clerk
Michael Victor, Treasurer
Peter Bronk
Bruce Creditor
Bruce Donoff
Elyse Friedman
Barbara Gaffin, ex-officio,
Managing Director
Josh Jacobson, Artistic Director
Rachel Miller, ex-officio, Chorus President
Jeff Rosenberg
Lawrence E. Sandberg
Robert Snyder
The chorus also held elections. Rachel Miller and Charna Westervelt were re-elected as president and vice-president, respectively.
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The momentum is building for our spectacular 50th-anniversary season of concerts, celebrations, reunions, tributes, and reminiscences, culminating in a gala concert at Sanders Theatre on June 4, 2019, to honor Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson. See a sneak preview below and stay tuned for many more details in the coming months, including how you can be part of the festivities. In the meantime, read about how to contribute your voice to our
Virtual Choir and catch up on all of our doings from our busy spring season. Enjoy!
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JOSH JACOBSON'S MUSINGS
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In each issue of E-Notes, Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson offers his unique insights and experiences as a world-renowned scholar, composer, conductor, and influential teacher of Jewish music.
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Photo by Andy Weigl |
Just a few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of teaching and conducting in Sydney, Australia. The impetus was an invitation from Judy Campbell's Australian Jewish Choral Festival. Every
AJCF
brings together singers from Sydney and several other Australian cities for an intense two-day immersion in Jewish choral music. The theme of this year's festival was "Song Beyond Surviv
al
,"
a tribute to German Jewish composers who fled their native country in the 1930s. I was joined in this endeavor by my distinguished colleagues Elliot Levine, Kelly Shepard, and Michel Laloum. I rehearsed choral works by Kurt Weill, Shlomo Carlebach
,
and Herbert
Fromm in a workshop ensemble of twenty talented men and women who had never sung together before.
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Elliot Levine, Josh Jacobson, Nitza Lowenstein
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At the gala public concert that concluded the festival, each of these "instant choirs" performed the music they had been working on; then the huge Festival Choir, comprising singers from all the workshops, performed music by Louis Lewandowski, Kurt Weill
,
and George Dreyfus. I also gave lectures on the German-Jewish émigré composers both at the festival and at the Sydney Jewish Museum. And I had the privilege of serving as scholar-in-residence at the North Shore Temple Emanuel. When I recorded a radio interview for the SBS network, I was surprised and delighted when the interviewer, Nitza Lowenstein, told me that for years she has been a fan of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, and that she regularly plays our CDs on her program.
This was my second time in Sydney.
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Elliot Levine, Kelly Shepard, Judy Campbell, and
Josh Jacobson
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Once again, I found a thriving Jewish cultural scene, and a real appreciation for Jewish music, both in and out of the synagogue. And perhaps the friendliest people in the world! Bus drivers who go out of their way to help you find where you want to go. Passport control officials and police officers who smile and engage you in conversation. Store clerks who actually want to help you. All in all, a thoroughly delightful experience on the other side of the globe.
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"Instant choir" in Australia
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SPRING ROUNDUP
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Zamir Went Baroque
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Jessica Woolf, soloist
Photo by Mickey Goldin
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On May 23 and May 24, Slosberg Recital Hall at Brandeis University was filled to capacity for our season-ending extravaganza of Jewish Baroque music. Many audience members shared their joy at being treated to an immersive experience that transported them back to the spirit and mood of the 17th and early 18th centuries. The Chorale was joined by accompanist Ed Swanborn on organ and harpsichord and a fabulous instrumental ensemble led by renowned violinist Daniel Stepner. In addition, Ken Pierce and Camilla Finlay offered delightful period dances throughout the evening.
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Baroque dancers Camilla Finlay and Ken Pierce
Photo by Mickey Goldin
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Highlights included motets by Salamone Rossi;
Cantata Ebraica by Carlo Grossi of Venice; Louis Saladin's
Canticum Hebraicum; and excerpts from Giuseppe Lidarti's oratorio
Ester.
Guest soloists included Cantor Peter Halpern, Rav-Hazzan Scott Sokol, and countertenor Michael Collver.
Gann Tribute to Rabbi Lehmann
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Rabbi Daniel Lehmann singing with Zamir at Sanders Theatre Photo by Mickey Goldin |
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On May 3, members of the Zamir Chorale joined singers from Kol Arev in a tribute to Rabbi Daniel Lehmann at an event celebrating his leadership of Hebrew College, as he steps down from his position as college president.
Passover Festival at Temple Sinai
On April 29, Zamir performed a full-spectrum concert at Temple Sinai in Brookline, as part of the temple's Passover Music Festival. Highlights included works by Louis Lewandowski, Kurt Weill, znd Yehezkel Braun; as well as selections from the Baroque repertoire and a tribute to Israel's 70th birthday. The evening ended with John Rutter's poignant "The Lord Bless You" (also heard worldwide at the recent Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle!). Thank you, Temple Sinai, for hosting a very special evening.
Yom Ha-Zikaron Commemoration at Temple Israel
On April 17,
Zamir performed three pieces at this annual event offered by the Consulate General of Israel to honor Israel's fallen soldiers. Works included "Ha-Kotel," by Dov Seltzer, commemorating those who lost their lives in the battle for Jerusalem in 1967;
"Niga El Ha-Chalom" (Touch the Dream) by Shalom Chanoch; and
"
Bab El Wad," by Shmuel Fershko and Chaim Gouri, which memorializes those who died in the convoys that helped relieve the siege of Jerusalem in 1947-48, in a brand-new arrangement written just for this concert by Maestro Jacobson. Josh and Zamir led the audience in a stirring rendition of "Hatikvah," the Israeli national anthem.
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KEEP IN TOUCH!
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As always, let us know what you're up to--we love hearing from our friends near and far. Have a wonderful, relaxing summer. We'll be back with much more news in September!
Barbara Gaffin Deborah Sosin
Managing Director Editor, E-Notes
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