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FALL 2019
Dear Friends of Zamir, 

L'Shanah Tovah and Happy 5780! We hope you had a relaxing, peaceful summer. We are already in full swing, gearing up for our 51st season. This fall, in addition to several exciting local concerts, we are busy preparing to return to Berlin to participate in the Louis Lewandowski Festival at the end of December. This issue of E-Notes offers a preview of concerts as well as Josh Jacobson's "Musing" on how he came to discover little-known treasures of Jewish choral music from southern Germany. We hope to see you soon!
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)
One of our major projects for the past year has been to introduce more and more conductors to the music that we know and love. Most choral conductors and singers have no idea that there is a rich and varied and beautiful repertoire of music based on Jewish traditions. So, to raise consciousness, we've launched a new website JewishChoralMusic.com which showcases our favorite repertoire.
 
I am now aware of a rich trove of music from
southern
Germany [which we will perform in Berlin].
In June, Chorus America featured our initiative in a wonderful article; you can read it
here . And my article on the majestic sacred music of the great 19th-century synagogues of Europe will appear in The Choral Journal in December.

But after laying claim to being such an expert, I find myself slightly embarrassed. Over the summer, I discovered two treasures of repertoire about which I had been ignorant. Judah Cohen's wonderful new book, Jewish Religious Music in Nineteenth-Century America, illuminates the contributions of the German-Jewish community to the choral tradition in this country. And while I have enjoyed performing the music of Louis Lewandowski and the other well-known synagogue composers of the 19th century, I am now aware of a rich trove of music from southern Germany.

After the Louis Lewandowski Festival announced that this year's concerts would focus on composers from southern Germany, I went online to learn about these cantors and choir directors. Now I have a new appreciation for the great musicians of Munich: Max Löwenstamm, Israel Meyer Japhet, Maier Kohn, and Emanuel Kirschner. We'll be performing their music (and more) at the Lewandowski Festival in Berlin this December, and we will be introducing it to our local fans on December 4 at Emmanuel Church's beautiful Lindsey Chapel on Newbury Street.

Achinoam Nini, whose music will be performed at Zamir's concert in June 2020.
But wait, there's more! In March 2020, at Temple Reyim, we will be experimenting with a new kind of intimate concert in the round, where Zamir will surround the audience in a large circle. In June, we will be presenting "Kolot," featuring music by Jewish women composers, songwriters, and lyricists. But before we turn the calendar on 2019, on December 24, we will return to Temple Emanuel for a program of the lighter side of Jewish music--songs of joy, humor, parody, and just plain fun. Plus, concerts at the Central Reform Temple, the Vilna Shul, Hebrew Senior Life, and more. Come join us in discovering some new musical treats!
KEEP IN TOUCH!
As always, let us know what you're up to--we love hearing from our friends near and far. Have a peaceful, healthy, and happy new year!   


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



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