Eileen Wingard

Eileen Wingard

Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.

‘Self and Sound’ Theme for La Jolla Music Society’s Summer Programs

Exploring the theme, Self and Sound, this year’s Summerfest once again bears the stamp of the creative vision of Inon Barnatan, the music director of the La Jolla Music Society.   The concert pianist/head organizer has put together a 16-concert festival, with many ancillary free events, that promises to be pleasurable and challenging for its listeners. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Is JFest’s Programming Really ‘Jewish’?

This year’s JFest had many unusual highlights. Some events seemed more fitting than others to be part of a Jewish Arts Festival. Although I savored the Hershey Felder offering, Nicholas, Anna, and Sergei –I love Rachmaninoff’s music–( reviewed in the May 19th San Diego Jewish World), I did not understand its place in a Jewish Festival, given that the subjects were all authentic or pretending Russian aristocrats, the class that often helped perpetrate pogroms. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Holocaust music showcased during ‘We Are the Tree of Life’ Programs

A pair of ‘We Are the Tree of Life’ programs, May 27, with Ali Viterbi interviewing Francesco Lotoro, and June 1, with Nuvi Mehta and Kate Hatmaker introducing nine Holocaust composers, were both impressive and informative. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Rachmaninoff’s musical biography portrayed by Felder

The life of Sergei Rachmaninoff is the subject of actor/writer/ pianist Hershey Felder’s play with music, Nicholas, Anna and Sergei. Seen under the auspices of JFest, the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lipinsky Jewish Arts Festival, the virtual production, streaming from Florence, Italy, and available through May 23, features other participants, in addition to Felder. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard

Lipinsky Family S.D. Jewish Arts Festival Schedule Announced

The 28th Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, Jfest 2021, promises to be sparkling with more stars from all corners of the globe than ever before, thanks to the virtual platform for all but one of the 15 offerings. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

CD Compiles Music from Jewish and Other Ghettos

Frank London, jazz trumpeter, band leader, co-founder of the Klezmatics, founder of the Klezmer Brass Allstars and co-founder of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, is one of the most important figures in the Klezmer Renaissance. A graduate of the New England Conservatory, majoring in Afro-American Music, he is also well schooled in World Music. Currently, he serves on the music faculty of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘We Are the Tree of Life’ debuts in San Diego

To commemorate Yom Hashoah, Ohr Shalom Synagogue screened the premiere of the documentary, We Are the Tree of Life: Carry On. The Zoom screening was introduced by former Ohr Shalom president, Susie Meltzer. Many participants in the film were in the Zoom audience, including Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Gardens, cacti and a ring grab poets’ attention

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — The “Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices” program featured a stellar line-up of poets for its Tuesday, March 16 program, attracting over 100 virtual audience members. The attendees were well-rewarded with the high caliber of poetry, beautifully delivered by local poets Annette Friend, Jen Laffler and Susan L. Lipson. A sample

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego County

West Coast Jewish Youth Recite the Poetry Within Them

Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices featured the poetry of young writers from San Diego, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon, last month.  The Internet audience for the Lawrence Family JCC sponsored event consisted of poetry lovers young and old from the entire West Coast. [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Felder’s ‘Before Fiddler’ Highlights Music of Sholem Aleichem Era

Hershey Felder continues to stream one-man shows from his current residence in Florence, Italy. Among his many portrayals of famous composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikowsky and Debussy, he also featured three great Jewish composers, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. For his current offering, Before Fiddler,  he once again dips into his Jewish heritage for inspiration, this time, portraying the great Yiddish novelist, playwright and story teller, Sholem Aleichem, on whose stories the libretto of Fiddler On The Roof was based. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Talmi, Oslo Philharmonic Perform Bruckner to Perfection

The Israeli conductor and composer, Yoav Talmi, recently had one of his greatest recording successes, Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9, with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, made available on YouTube, per above. This recording, on the Chandos label,  won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque in 1987. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

San Diego’s Poet Laureate to Conduct LFJCC Workshop

Thanks to the friendship between Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices Committee member, Michael Mark and San Diego’s Poet Laureate, Ron Salisbury — Salisbury has agreed to lead a workshop for ten poets on January 31, under the auspices of the committee, a program of the Astor Judaica Library of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.
The first ten poets to sign up will fill the ten slots. There will be a nominal charge of $15  per participant. [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego County