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In This Issue
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Josh Jacobson's Musings
Zamir to Sing Anthem at Fenway
Zamir's Gala Golden Anniversary Concert Honors Josh Jacobson!
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
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Zamir to Sing National Anthem at Red Sox Game, June 13
Join the Red Sox for their annual
Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway Park
and hear the Zamir Chorale of Boston sing the national anthem!
Thursday, June 13, 7:10 pm,
Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers
Zamir Heads to Beacon Hill for Arts Advocacy Day
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L-R: Barbara Gaffin, Susan Tornheim of Sign of the Dove, Rep. Ruth Balser
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Zamir joined hundreds of other arts advocates from all over Massachusetts at the State House on March 26, for MassCreative's Arts Advocacy Day. Zamir's managing director, Barbara Gaffin, met with State Rep. Ruth Balser and Catherine Anderson, budget director for Sen. Cindy Creem, to thank them for their support for the arts.
Opening Doors to the Arts
Following our Hanukkah Happens concert at Temple Emanuel in December, Zamir was delighted to hear from members of Opening Doors to the Arts, an organization that provides free tickets to people with mental disabilities.
One participant, Howard, wrote, "I really appreciate the Jewish themes. Without the generosity of Zamir Chorale, I would not be able to attend and enrich my life."
Another, Eileen, said, "I first saw the Zamir Chorale in the early '80s when my friend sang with the Chorale when we were both students at Brandeis. Music, especially culturally meaningful music, is therapeutic and healing. I definitely felt better after the concert and very much appreciated this opportunity."
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50th-Anniversary
Alumni Events
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Francene Sokol (L) and
Johanna Ehrmann (R)
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On March 17, alumni, current singers, and family members gathered to remember our departed singers at Temple Beth Sholom in Framingham. Emotions overflowed as the group sang, watched a slideshow and video, and shared memories.
Conceived and organized by Zamirnik Johanna Ehrmann, a member of the Zamir@50 Alumni Committee and now celebrating her 40th season as an alto(!), the event included laughter along with
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Emma Nesson (L) and Sue Goldman (R)
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tears. "The bonds that singers form remain over the decades; words like family, community, and love echoed in our final circle, when each participant shared one word to describe the afternoon," said Johanna. "It was a joy to see my plan for the afternoon unfold as I'd hoped."
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Foreground: Caren Spiro (L) and
Alan Teperow, Zamir@50 Alumni Chair (R)
Background: Zamir Chorus President Rachel and Mike Miller
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Additional alumni events are posted on the alumni page on our website.
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Conducting Intern and Assistant Conductor Positions Available
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Applications are now being accepted for two positions for the 2019-20 season: Conducting Intern and Assistant Conductor.
The Conducting Intern studies with Maestro Jacobson, and sings as a member of the chorus, attends all rehearsals, concerts, and staff meetings. He or she will be given one or more opportunities to conduct in rehearsal and in concert. This is an unpaid position. For additional information, click
here.
The Assistant Conductor sings as a member of the chorus, attends all rehearsals, concerts and staff meetings. She or he will b
e prepared to take over temporarily the Artistic Director's duties in the event that the Artistic Director is indisposed or unavailable. She or he also
will be given opportunities to conduct at rehearsals and concerts.
Requirements: excellent skills and experience in choral conducting and vocal training, excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, a pleasant voice, appropriate for choral work, advanced musical literacy and an interest in Jewish choral music. This is a paid position.
Applicants for either position should send letter of application, together with a resume, and a letter of recommendation to Joshua Jacobson, Artistic Director,
conductor@zamir.org, along with links to videos of the candidate conducting and singing.
Deadline is May 15.
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Watch Zamir's "Halleluyoh" Virtual Choir!
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n celebration of our 50th season, we created a
first-ever international Jewish virtual choir of Louis Lewandowski's "Halleluyoh."
With 150 participants from all over the world, we hope that this production will inspire and expose countless music lovers to 19th-century German synagogue music, in general, and in particular, the famous German Jewish composer.
Watch
here!
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Springtime greetings! We are in the final weeks of the countdown to our June 4 Gala Concert in celebration of Zamir's 50th anniversary, and the excitement is building. In this issue, Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson offers a sneak preview of the six newly commissioned works that will be performed. Read a roundup of our winter events and join us at the Red Sox vs. Rangers game, when Zamir sings the national anthem. We wish you a meaningful and uplifting Passover and look forward to seeing you in June at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge.
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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 |
For our golden anniversary, we have commissioned six composers to write new works, which we will premiere on June 4. Jeremiah Klarman, Ken Lampl, Charles Osborne, Nick Page, and Benjie Ellen Schiller are all composers with whose music we were already familiar. But we also reached out to
Jonathan Leshnoff
, a composer with a national symphonic reputation, including commissions from the Philadelphia and Atlanta Orchestras, who is also a deeply observant Jew. We hope you will enjoy this program as much as we are enjoying preparing it. Instead of attempting to describe these rich and varied works, I've decided to share the composers' own comments about their contributions, to give you but a small taste of what's to come (edited for this column):
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| Jeremiah Klarman (Photo by Jesse Weiner) |
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Jeremiah Klarman:
"Hodu" ("Praise") is an expression of pure joy. The piece has four phrases taken from Psalm 118, and each one has a unique quality: a fanfare-like call and response, a meditative contemplation, a lighthearted dance, and a gentle lullaby. The piece culminates in a dance-like celebration.
Kenneth Lampl:
"This Descent into Your Solitude" is a spiritual meditation based on Psalm 33, a small thank you for how immeasurably [Zamir has]
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Ken Lampl (Photo by Adrienne Irizarry Photography) |
changed my life. After many years and performances around the world, it is a great honor to have the opportunity to compose again for
the Zamir Chorale of Boston,
my friend Josh Jacobson's first-rate choral ensemble.
Jonathan Leshnoff:
To honor the 50th anniversary of the Zamir Chorale of
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| Jonathan Leshnoff(Photo by Erica Abbey Photography) |
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Boston, I wrote a two-part work, "Hegyon Libi"
("The Meditations of My He
art"). The first movement expresses a
natural yearning to connect with Hashem. The second movement is an upbeat niggun to celebrate the happiness of your anniversary.
Cantor Charles Osborne:
Psalm 42 has always fascinated me. The opening phrase, "As the hart pants after the water
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Charles Osborne |
brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God," inspired me to evoke the sense of flowing water. However, water symbolizes not only life-giving sustenance to the hart, but also the spiritual turmoil of the psalmist.
Nick Page:
The constant throughout my piece, "Anu Sharim" ("We Sing"), and throughout our lives as singers, is the simple fact that we sing. It is our reaction
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| Nick Page |
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to sorrow as well as laughter and joy. I wanted "Anu Sharim" to explode with those emotions. Singing brightens the world. Zamir's invitation to write this piece has given me an opportunity to shout out the enormous gratitude I feel for your gift as well as for the eternity of life.
Cantor
Benjie Ellen Schiller: The Zamir Chorale has called us to song since its inception. My piece, "Eyt Ha-zamir Higiya," ("The Time of Singing Has Come")
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Benjie Ellen Schiller
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is conceived as a celebration of that calling. It is set to biblical and liturgical verses that reflect the idea of waking up, hearing a call, and responding with the song of creation.
Zamir Chorale of Boston:
A Gala Golden Anniversary Concert
Honoring Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson
Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 7:30 pm
Sanders Theatre, Cambridge
Free parking
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UPCOMING CONCERTS AND EVENTS
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Wednesday, May 15, 7:30-9:30 pm,
 Hebrew College, 160 Herrick Rd., Newton: Ethnic Identity and Choral Singing: A Conversation
T
he Zamir Chorale of Boston and Hebrew College's School of Jewish Music will present a roundtable panel discussion exploring issues related to ethnic identity and choral singing. The participants--representing Jewish, African-American, Hispanic, Greek, and Arab traditions--will discuss a number of challenges as well as benefits for a chorus that specializes in music from a single ethnic tradition. Free admission. For details and to register, click here.
Tuesday, June 4, 7:30 pm, Sanders Theatre, Cambridge: A Gala Golden
Anniversary Concert Honoring Josh Jacobson
Capping off this jubilee season, Zamir presents a gala concert to honor our founder and artistic director, and to celebrate the very best in Jewish choral music over the centuries. The chorus will be premiering six new works, by composers
Klarman, Lampl, Leshnoff, Osborne, Page, and Schiller,
commissioned for the occasion
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lumni will join the group for a performance of favorite selections from Zamir's five decades of repertoire. We hope to see you all there! Visit our website for tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and to make a tribute to Josh.
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WINTER ROUNDUP
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Vilna Shul's "Voices of Freedom"
On March 24, Zamir was delighted to  participate in t
he third annual "Voices of Freedom" concert celebrating the theme of freedom and justice, and aimed at transcending cultures and forging common bonds among three choirs representing the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultures.
Zamir performed along with VOICES 21C, a diverse choir dedicated to positive interactions, social justice, and global understanding; and the Boston Community Gospel Choir. The event was held at the Museum of African American History while the historic Vilna Shul undergoes renovations. Zamir's set included works by Braun, Bernstein, Gottlieb, Nini, Sambursky, and Helfman. All three groups offered Josh Jacobson's arrangement of "Alle Brider." The concert was sponsored by the Vilna Shul and presented in partnership with the Museum of African American History and the Consulate General of Israel to New England.
Charter Oak Day Trip
On February 24, members of the Chorale hopped a bus to our neighbors in Hartford, Connecticut, for a rousing afternoon concert at the historic Charter Oak Cultural Center
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Highlights included Lewandowski's "Mah Tovu," excerpts from Yehezkel Braun's Shir Ha-Shirim, and Bernstein's
MASS; works by Rossi, Starer, and Shemer; as well as contemporary settings of "Adon Olam" by Lampl and Davidson.
Zamir delights in broadening audiences' understanding of "Jewish music." The Charter Oak Cultural Center, housed in Connecticut's oldest synagogue building, is a nonprofit, multicultural arts center committed to giving access to the arts to all people and doing the work of social justice.
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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. Chag Kasher v'Sameach! Happy Passover and we hope to see you at our Gala Golden Anniversary Concert in Cambridge on June 4!
Barbara Gaffin Deborah Sosin
Managing Director Editor, E-Notes
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