LA JOLLA, California — “Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library,” a three-part Zoom series, will be launched this Wednesday evening, March 30 at 7 p.m. It is a free series under the auspices of the Astor Judaica Library and the Arts and Ideas series of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture. I will be the host.
The first program, “A Taste of the Treasures from the Music Collection,” will feature musical samples from some of the many genres of Jewish music housed in the Lawrence Family JCC Library. I will be joined by two guests, Ted Parker and David Amos.
For the past 12 years, Ted Parker and I have been organizing, labeling, and cataloging the collection. David Amos, music director of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra and conductor of over 30 highly praised recordings, was given the core of this music library by Cantor Henri Goldberg’s widow, Mollie Goldberg. He turned it over to Molly Harris, librarian of the JCC on 54th Street. When that facility closed and the library was transferred to the Lawrence Family JCC, the music came with it. Other major contributions to the collection came from SDSU Professor Harry Ruja and Cantor Sheldon Merel. Five boxes of material have recently been donated by Cantor Kathy Robbins.
The Zoom program on Wednesday will begin by showing where the sheet music, books and recordings are located within the Astor Judaica Library. This will be followed by nine samples from recordings in the collection, illustrating different genres of Jewish music.
The great Ukrainian-born cantor, Yoselle Rosenblatt, will perform a selection from the large number of cantorial recordings; Mordecai Hershman, will be featured in a traditional secular Yiddish song, representing the many Yiddish recordings from Eastern Europe and from the Yiddish Theater in America; Ladino singer, Flory Jagoda, will sing Adijo Kerida from her disc, Kantikas Di Mi Nona; Israeli songstress, Shoshana Damari, will sing an Israeli song from Chants of Israel; a Klezmer excerpt from the recording, Dave Tarras Plays, will illustrate that genre; a song from Fiddler on the Roof in Hebrew will illustrate music from the theater; Tfila by Israeli composer, Lev Kogan, for horn solo and orchestra will exemplify classical music based on Jewish themes; as will Al Sfat Yam Kineret, an arrangement for flute and piano by Yoav Talmi. The final musical “taste” will be from our collection of recordings for children, The Days of the Week from the recording, Special Days, featuring Myrna Cohen with a group of young children.
The Lev Kogan piece, Tfila, is from a recording, DANCES, MOODS, AND ROMANCES featuring horn soloist Meir Rimon accompanied by members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by one of my guests, David Amos. The other illustration of folk music put into a classical setting, is by Yoav Talmi, one of Israel’s most celebrated composers and conductors, who served as music director of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra for eight years. His wife, Er’ella Talmi, the flutist on the recording, had an illustrious career as principal flute of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and as a soloist and chamber music musician. Another personal friend, Myrna Cohen, is the former cantorial soloist at Temple EmanuEl and talented song leader at the temple and the Lawrence Family JCC preschool. She is the wife of former Lawrence Family JCC Director, Michael Cohen.
The next two programs, Liturgical Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library, April 20, 7 p.m. and Klezmer Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library, May 25, 7 p.m., will also have distinguished guests. For April 20, they are still to be determined. For May 25, I will have Ron Robby, founder of the Big Jewish Band; Bob Zelickman, co-director of the Second Avenue Klezmer Ensemble and Yale Strom, director of Hot Pstromi and artist-in-residence in the Judaic Studies Department at SDSU.
Register here for the March 30 program.
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Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com