Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Jascha Heifetz

At age of 7, he made his concert debut, performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in Kovno. In 1910, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory and studied under Leopold Auer. At the age of 12, in Berlin, he met Fritz Kreisler, who was so impressed by the boy’s playing, he reportedly commented, “We may as well break our fiddles across our knees.” [SDJW Staff]

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California, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Mandy Patinkin Headlines San Diego’s ‘JFest’ June 4

Broadway’s master songman, Mandy Patinkin, accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano, will bring his newest theatre concert Mandy Patinkin in Concert: BEING ALIVE, to Balboa Theatre on Tuesday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. This powerful and passionate evening of song is part of the 31st Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, better known as JFest, and co-produced by San Diego Theatres, the nonprofit organization that operates both Balboa Theatre and San Diego Civic Theatre. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 2 at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster. [Press Release]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Press Release, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters dropped by music publisher BMG over Israel comments

Published by Euronews (English) Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has reportedly been dropped by music rights company Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) over his inflammatory remarks about Israel, Ukraine and the United States. The news was reported by Variety, which notes that Waters’ antisemitic statements “infuriated his former bandmates, as they have driven off several suitors

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Adam Lambert

Lambert’s big break came in 2009  when he finished as runner-up to singer Kris Allen in Season Eight of American Idol, covering such songs as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Black or White,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Mad World,” “If I Can’t Have You,” “One,” “Cryin’,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and “No Boundaries. [SDJW staff]

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California, International, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Arthur Rubinstein

In 1912, he became a regular at the musical salon of Paul and Muriel Draper, who also nourished the musical talents of Igor Stravinski, Pablo Casals and others. After World War I, his concertizing was widely acclaimed in Spain and South America. He toured the world in the interwar years, moving to the Brentwood section of Los Angeles during World War II. He was naturalized as an American citizen in 1946. [SDJW staff]

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International, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Mary Weiss, singer of hit-making The Shangri-Las, dies at 75

Published by New York Daily News Mary Weiss, the Queens-born lead singer of the hit-making 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las, has died at age 75, her representative confirmed. A cause of death was not released for Weiss, whose New York-bred band is known for songs such as “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” and the chart-topping

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Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Nordot, Obituaries & memorials, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Neil Diamond

In 1966, he recorded the first of many hits as a solo artist, “Solitary Man,” and followed that year with “Cherry, Cherry” and “Kentucky Woman.” Subsequent years brought songs as “Sweet Caroline,” “Holly Holy,” “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Song Sung Blue,” “I Am…I Said,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “Forever in Blue Jeans.” [SDJW staff]

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Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: A Jewish Calendar of Local Events

Here are some dates for upcoming Jewish events in San Diego County that you might want to enter into your calendar books or onto your calendar application on your computer.  San Diego Jewish World will update the calendar periodically in this column.  [SDJW staff]

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California, Holocaust, International, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego Calendar, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Theresienstadt Opera Remembered in ‘Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis’

Together with Peter Kien, who wrote the libretto, Ullmann composed the music for an opera entitled ‘The Emperor of Atlantis,’ an allegory of the Nazi regime, in which Death goes on strike in protest at the widespread killing of human beings by a power-mad ruler. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Groundbreaking Tuesday for Jacobs Performing Arts Center at Liberty Station

Mayor Todd Gloria will speak at groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday, Jan. 23, for the future Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center that will be built at Liberty Station in a renovated Naval Building 178. [SDJW Staff Report]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Homeless People Living in Their Cars to Have ‘Comfort Facility’ at Jewish Family Service Venue in Kearny Mesa

Once completed, the new Liebermensch Family Comfort Facility will be equipped with ADA-accessible showers, baby changing stations, and full-sized restrooms—providing guests a welcoming space to care for themselves and extra room to get ready for work and school. [SDJW staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

US authorities to return artworks stolen by Nazis

Published by AFP United Nations (United States) (AFP) – US authorities announced Friday that two drawings worth $2.5 million stolen by the Nazi regime and eventually displayed in American museums will be returned to relatives of Fritz Grunbaum, an Austrian Jewish cabaret performer killed in the Holocaust. It follows the return last year of seven

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Nordot, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Turning the Grading Tables on Local Universities

The shoe will be on the other foot for San Diego State, UC San Diego, Cal State San Marcos, the University of San Diego and other 4-year colleges and universities throughout the nation. The Anti-Defamation League has announced it is “developing a new tool to evaluate the climate of antisemitism on individual campuses.” [SDJW staff]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA