Register Now for "Only in America: Jewish Music in a Land of Freedom"

[junger <junger...>]

You are invited to spend an exciting five days in New York City to experience 
an exciting musical chapter of American Jewish culture.

Registration is now being accepted for "Only in America: Jewish Music in a Land 
of Freedom," an international conference and festival heralding the 350th 
Anniversary of American Jewry to be held in New York City on November 7 - 11, 
2003.

Jointly hosted by The Jewish Theological Seminary and the Milken Archive of 
American Jewish Music-in cooperation with The Juilliard School, the Manhattan 
School of Music, the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Commission on 
Synagogue Music of Reform Judaism, and the Zamir Choral Foundation-"Only in 
America" will offer numerous daily opportunities to learn about, listen to, and 
participate directly in a wide variety of the music of American Jewish 
experience.

While important Jewish music conferences have been held in recent decades in 
Israel, Europe, England and America on various aspects of world Jewish music, 
"Only in America" will be the first conference and festival on this level and 
scope devoted exclusively to Jewish music in the United States.

For five intensive days, through symposia, scholarly papers, lectures, panel 
discussions and workshops, renowned international and American scholars and 
artists will examine a wide panorama of topics.

"Only in America" will also encompass a choral festival and an extensive series 
of choral workshops and "sing-ins," conducted by such devoted directors as 
Matthew Lazar, Joshua Jacobson, JoAnn Rice, Avner Itai, Zalman Mlotek, Samuel 
Adler and others.

An extraordinary Friday evening service, Choir of a Thousand Voices, in 
cooperation with the uniquely American congregation, B'nai Jeshurun, will 
feature a full four-part chorus of nearly 1,000 congregational voices, directed 
by Samuel Adler, in music by both classic and contemporary American synagogue 
composers - as a Sabbath eve "sing-in" of worship.

On Sabbath morning at the Jewish Theological Seminary, we will present Shabbat 
in the New World, authentically re-enacting a service according to the way it 
would have been conducted and sung by the very first American Jews in the 17th 
and 18th centuries.

On each of the three days of academic sessions and workshops we will present 
"cameo concerts" devoted to significant chamber works, some of which will 
feature comments by the composers. 

Three gala evening concerts celebrating music of the American Jewish experience 
will be interspersed throughout the conference-festival - two at Lincoln 
Center, and one at the Manhattan School of Music. 

Voices Unveiled will feature the world premiere of highlights of the newly 
reconstructed original version of Kurt Weill's The Eternal Road, many of the 
excerpts not heard in their original English rendition since 1937, along with 
Paul Schoenfield's Klezmer Rondos. 

Voice of Jewish America, in memorial tribute to Cantor Richard Tucker, will 
feature prominent cantors and a combined chorus of more than 100 voices in 
exciting virtuoso masterpieces and a world premiere of a commissioned work by 
Ofer Ben-Amots for chorus, soprano cantor and klezmer clarinet solo, with world 
renowned klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer and the prestigious New London 
Children's Choir, which we are bringing to this event for its American debut. 

The final concert, Ancient Inspirations-American Voices, at Avery Fisher Hall 
in cooperation with The Juilliard School, will feature the world premiere of 
Samuel Adler's new work, The Challenge of the Muse, for two cantors and 
symphony orchestra, in honor of American Jewry's 350th anniversary; Leonard 
Bernsteins's Symphony no. 3 'Kaddish'; and Ernest Bloch's Schelomo-Hebrew 
Rhapsody for cello and orchestra. 

A complete schedule of the program for "Only in America," a list of presenters, 
registration fees and a downloadable registration form are available at the 
Milken Archive Web site at http://www.milkenarchive.org/events/events.taf.

We invite you to join us in celebrating this exciting exploration and 
rediscovery of Jewish music in America, and we look forward to sharing with you 
this important cultural heritage in November.

"Only in America" will also celebrate the public launching of the 
much-anticipated Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, the most 
comprehensive collection of musical works pertaining to Jewish life and culture 
in America ever assembled.

Naxos American Classics will release 50 CDs from the Milken Archive over the 
next five years, beginning with the release of the first five discs on 
September 23, 2003.  These five discs include the world premiere recording of 
highlights from Kurt Weill's The Eternal Road, the Service for Sabbath Eve and 
the cantata Naomi and Ruth by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, songs from the 
American Yiddish Theater, virtuoso concertos and encores inspired by the joyous 
Eastern European klezmer tradition, and an introductory sampler featuring 19 
selections in a wide variety of genres and styles by composers ranging from 
Dave Brubeck, Leonard Bernstein, and Darius Milhaud to Joseph Achron, Yehudi 
Wyner and Bruce Adolphe.

All proceeds from the sale of Milken Archive recordings will be directed back 
into the Milken Archive's nonprofit programs in furtherance of educational and 
cultural goals.  For more information, visit www.milkenarchive.org 
<http://www.milkenarchive.org>.



---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+