Give Ear to Thy People: Choral Music from the Jewish Tradition

Musica Sacra Presents World Premiere by Israeli Composer
This Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Musica Sacra will explore Jewish choral repertoire that juxtaposes the sacred and secular, the ancient and contemporary, the traditional and innovative. The concert, entitled Give Ear to Thy People: Choral Music from the Jewish Tradition, will feature Paths of Stone and Water, a world premiere written for Musica Sacra by Osnat Netzer, Israeli composer and pianist. The concert also includes Aaron Copland's In the Beginning, which sets the Genesis creation story, music by Noam Elkies, Yiddish choral music from the early 20th century, and other selections from the Jewish diaspora.

Give Ear to Thy People: Choral Music from the Jewish Tradition
Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 8:00 PM

LOCATION:
First Church Congregational
11 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA
(Near Harvard Square)
TICKETS:
Reserved: $40
General: $25
Student/Senior: $15
Osnat Netzer is a composer, pianist, arranger and currently a theory teacher at the New England Conservatory in Boston. She is the impresario and coordinator of an annual holocaust memorial concert at New England Conservatory. Her works have been performed in Israel, Germany and the United States at venues such as the Jerusalem Music Center, Boston’s Jordan Hall, events such as Israel’s “Sounds in the Desert” festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and broadcast on Israeli National Radio. Netzer attended the Israel Arts and Science Academy in Jerusalem, obtained a BM in piano and composition from the Jerusalem Music Academy and a MM in composition and theory from Mannes College of Music in New York. She is currently studying composition with John Heiss and Lee Hyla in the New England Conservatory DMA program.

From a choral repertoire spanning five centuries, Musica Sacra performs works both familiar and rare, with a crisp passion that awakes the listener to yearnings and joys, sorrows and delights—all that defines and inspires the best in human lives. Since 1959, Musica Sacra has been performing choral music with the highest standards of musical excellence. Director Mary Beekman, now in her 29th season, continues to thrill singers and audiences with a varied and engaging repertoire. Musica Sacra is a non-profit organization funded by the generous donations of its supporters and in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and by the Inavale Foundation. Musica Sacra will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and Mary Beekman’s 30th anniversary as conductor, in its landmark 2009-2010 season.

Zemel Choir in Celebration with Song

The 'Celebration with Song' event will be held on the 31 May and concluding in a concert on the evening of 14 June 2009 at St John's Smith Square London SW1. This is the third year Zemel is participating, and the chorus is planning something a little bit different. Their concert will be celebrating the output of Jewish music from a single country, the United States of America. On the first date Zemel will be running a guest workshop focusing on voice technique and other aspects of choral singing. This year Zemel's guest workshop leader will be the BBC's Suzi Digby an experienced voice coach and conductor and well known to television audiences from her appearances on 'Last Choir Standing' and the BBC's 'Choir of the Year'. For further details contact: celebratewithsong@hotmail.com

Women in Music Festival at Eastman

The Women in Music Festival being held at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester has several concerts of interest to our readers. On Monday, March 23 will be a concert that includes the new composition of Eva Wasserman-Margolis, "The Generation of Hope". On Wednesday, March 25 will be an all Judith L. Zaimont concert, featuring her "Four Seasons". Ms. Zaimont will be present at the concert. For further information, visit: http://www.esm.rochester.edu/wmf/schedule.php.