Jews liken the oral and written tradition to an ever-living, ever-flourishing source of inspiration. The text of “Eitz Chayim” is always sung when returning the Torah scrolls to the ark, along with a prayer to “renew our days as of old.” The late composer, teacher and scholar Dr. Jack Gottlieb wrote his setting of it for the 1970 New Year’s Service for Young People and dedicated the piece to Cantor Barbara Ostfeld, the first woman to be ordained a cantor.
Read MoreA vast canon of what Israelis consider to be “folk” songs were actually composed in the last 80 years by real people. Eliyahu Gamliel’s famous setting caught the attention of none other than Nina Simone, who recorded it in 1962 from the piano with her band and, fortunately for us, the cameras were running!
Read MoreRabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was one of the 20th century’s most renowned teachers, philosophers – and, as it turns out, poets! Heschel’s early Yiddish poetry inspired the contemporary cantor and performer Basya Schechter to compose Songs of Wonder, an entire album set to it.
Read MoreOn the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we recount how Abraham bound Isaac to an altar and nearly sacrificed him. Sephardic Jews precede the Biblical chanting of the story with this 12th century piyyut (liturgical poem) expressing the same story through dramatic imagery and cantorial/choral call and response. Each stanza ends with the refrain oked v’ne’ekad v’hamizbei’ach, “the binder, the bound, and the sacrifice.”
Read MoreShanah tovah umetukah! I’m honored to be curating this week’s NYFOS Songs of the Day as Jews all over the world welcome the new year 5777 today and tomorrow. The great Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen drew inspiration from the traditional Rosh Hashanah liturgy to write “Who by Fire,” here performed in 1989 by the composer together with the incomparable jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins.
Read MoreI am beyond thrilled to be part of this project from the ground up, four years in the making. However, I wanted to bring forth this project with the NYFOS family as it illustrates the shared belief that song is the most powerful tool to effectively connect with each other. A powerful film that documents the Colorado River with 9 commissioned new songs…
Read MoreBuy this record. Again, through my incredible work as Director of Artistic Planning at National Sawdust, I have been fortunate to meet new artists. Alicia was our Artist in Residence last year and she launched this powerful record as a starting point for her residency. This entire album inspires me to get up in the morning, go to work, and find ways to support artists, every day. Thank you Alicia!
Read MoreWinterreise is an epic song cycle that has been recorded, discussed and performed millions of times. There is a reason why. However, this particular singer and his work with William Kentridge served a catalyst for me as a programmer to dare to hear standard repertoire with a visual lens.
Read MoreAs a “recovering” opera singer myself, I am immediately drawn to Paola Prestini’s incredible capacity to write gorgeous music for singers. Through getting to know her through our work together at VisionIntoArt and National Sawdust* where we commissioned over 10 world premieres and umpteen artists together since 2012, I now know her incredible capacity to write beautiful music is a simple extension of her beautiful spirit.
Read MoreI first heard Helga at Philip Glass/Robert Wilson’s “Einstein on The Beach” during BAM’s Next Wave Festival in 2012. I didn’t know her personally and was incredibly fortunate to meet her a few months later. Helga is a beacon and this song captures her incredible artistry and vocal intensity.
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