Zamir Returns from International Choral Fest

In Tel Aviv

By Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

TEL AVIV - Representing the U.S. at an International Choral Festival in Tel Aviv, 25 members of the Zamir Chorale traveled to Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium for the Oct. 31 gala 50th anniversary jubilee of Israel’s International Choral Festival. The “Zimriyah,” a triennial gathering of international adult choirs, has been sponsored by the Israeli government since 1952. Zamir, which recently released “The Songs of Israel,” a compilation of selected best-loved 20^th century Israeli songs, participated in the1973, 1975, 1979, 1986 and 1988 festivals.

“Our return in 2002 sent an important message of solidarity,” said Zamir Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson. “The American people are not abandoning Israel in this difficult period. The fact that the Israeli government proceeded with this celebration also sent a message about the important role the arts play in the life of a nation, and how music is a language that transcends political borders.”

“We welcomed the Zamir Chorale, who greatly contributed to the international atmosphere, with open arms,” said Zimriyah Director Esther Herlitz. Herlitz, formerly Israel Consul for New York and Boston, also directs Israel’s International Harp Contest.

700 singers from 18 Israeli choirs participated; Zamir’s selections included Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Alexander's Vekibatsti Etchem (written for 1952’s initial Zimriyah). A group of pieces including Gerald Cohen’s Adonai Ro’i and Jack Gottlieb’s Hatsi-Kaddish were performed by Zamir with The Zamir Chorale of New York, the only other U.S. group in attendance. The two Zamirs were the only choirs at the festival to perform a separate set.

Boston Zamir also performed in a Nov. 1 joint concert in Hadera with the Na’ama women’s choir, and on Nov. 2 for a luncheon with Haifa Mayor Amram Mizna and a Shabbat dinner in Haifa, Boston’s sister city, with speaker New York Zamir Chorale founder Stanley Sperber. The group performed on Nov. 2 in the trip’s final concert, sharing the stage with the Gitit choir at Eshkol Payis Re’ut Hall.

"One of the most touching moments for me,” said Susan Rubin, soprano and choir president, “was when Na'ama sang an incredibly rich and moving choral arrangment of ‘All My Trials,’ an American spiritual about peace and freedom. They had such a pure and earthy sound, and they sang their hearts out."

"After the Haifa concert,” recalled Johanna Erhrmann, Alto Section Leader, “I went up to one of the Gitit women and said something about enjoying singing with them. She was completely alight with happiness from the concert. She said we'd made the audience much happier. Then she thought for a moment, corrected herself, and said she thought all of Haifa was happier."

"This was not simply a performance tour by a great musical group,” said Martin Abramowitz, Vice President of Planning and Agency Relations at the CJP. “Zamir's concert in Haifa provided a chance for group members to renew or begin to form meaningful personal connections with our friends in Haifa, through our Boston-Haifa Connection program.”

"I went to Israel at this time out of a need to do something for the Jewish homeland in this time of crisis,” said bass vocalist Mark Stepner. “Although the country is in a state of political turmoil and opinions abound about how to deal with the complex issues involved, I felt that being a musical ambassador would be the most effective way for me to make a difference. Music has the capacity to transcend politics and human barriers, in general, partly because it embodies the highest aspirations of humanity and can go straight to the heart and mind.”

Sponsorship from Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and the Israeli government helped to make the three Israeli concerts possible. “The Israeli gov't enabled the Zimriyah to pay for all the ground transportation in Israel,” said manager Jan Woiler, “and the costs of arranging all the concerts and hotel accommodations. CJP sponsored $500 toward the flights for the 25 Zamir singers. The remainder of the costs were the responsibility of each traveler.”

“I would say that for me,” said Stepner, “the Israel mission was one of the most emotionally and physically intense experiences in my life, even counting my time I spent as a student in the Soviet Union and a teacher in Iran. It was uplifting for us to lift up the spirits of our Israeli audiences through music."

Last night, a Zamir performance at Boston College's Devlin Hall followed a talk by visiting Vatican Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, on "The Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews: A Crucial Endeavor of the Catholic Church."

On April 3, 2003, the Chorale will perform at the Rogers Center in North Andover in a concert sponsored by the Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations at Merrimack College. A concert and lecture will be given at Hebrew College on May 8, and on June 8, a Concert to Kick-Off the Musical Mission to Italy will occur at Regis College's Casey Theatre.

The Chorale receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and is Hebrew College’s Choir-in-Residence.

For more information or to order the CD, visit Zamir’s website, www.zamir.org, or call toll-free 866-926-4720.