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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!
GEARING UP FOR ZAMIR'S 50TH
Schiffer Re-elected 
Zamir Board Chair
Zamir member Peter Bronk joins the board
 
SUMMER 2018 
Dear Friends of Zamir, 
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!
JOSH JACOBSON'S MUSINGS
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.
   
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
two years, the
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.
Elliot Levine, Josh Jacobson, Nitza Lowenstein
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.
Elliot Levine, Kelly Shepard, Judy Campbell, and 
Josh Jacobson
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.
"Instant choir" in Australia

SPRING ROUNDUP
Zamir Went Baroque
Jessica Woolf, soloist
Photo by Mickey Goldin
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.
Baroque dancers Camilla Finlay and Ken Pierce
Photo by Mickey Goldin
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. 

For more photos, visit Zamir's photo gallery.

Gann Tribute to Rabbi Lehmann
Hebrew College President and Zamir Alum Daniel Lehmann
Rabbi Daniel Lehmann singing with Zamir at Sanders Theatre
Photo by Mickey Goldin
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
Yom Hazikaron 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. 
KEEP IN TOUCH!
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! 

   Sosin2
Barbara Gaffin           Deborah Sosin        
Managing Director       Editor, E-Notes