Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Yiddish Songs to Kick Off New Musical Series at Lawrence Family JCC

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — A new series of Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library will be launched on Thursday, January 5, 2 p.m. in the library of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. Register here. The three-part series will feature songs of our people, opening with Yiddish Songs. […]

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

Program Fuses New and Old Music, Creativity, Meaningful Connection to Chanukah

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — The Litvak Dancers’ LIGHT and Yale Strom’s Broken Consort program served as a memorable opening for the eight nights of Chanukah. Performed on the first night of the holiday for an appreciative audience in the Lawrence Family JCC’s Garfield Auditorium, the two-part program was presented by the Center

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

A Brazilian-born San Diegan’s Chanukah Song

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Brazilian-born singer Carla Berg’s original Chanukah song, “Nes” (Miracle), with lyrics in Ladino, is available as a video clip on YouTube and on other digital platforms. It was produced by Allan Phillips at APMStudio in San Diego and was released last year. It is a welcome addition to

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

Everyone Knows ‘Ma’oz Tzur,’ Except They Don’t

By Sarah Ogince (JNS) The lights are kindled, the shamash is returned to its place and the family breaks into song: It is a rousing, march-like melody that is the aural equivalent of the menorah’s light—energy, joy and hope in the depth of winter, a promise of rebirth. It’s a familiar, comforting scene, repeated in

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Postwar Encounters with the Holocaust

My friend Susan Ferraro, who lives in a rural part of Northern California. tells me that since about the age of 7, she had fantasized about becoming a Jew. It started, she said, when she read Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl. As children often do, she imagined herself invulnerable; death being something that unfortunately happened to other people. If she had been born Jewish, and living at that time, she could have prevented those Nazis from hurting Anne and her family and those hidden with them in the secret annex. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘Light’ and ‘Hot Pstromi’ Served on 1st Night of Hanukkah at Lawrence Family JCC

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — The first night of Hanukkah, December 18, at 7 p.m., the Festival of Lights will be celebrated at the Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family JCC by a performance of “Light,” by the LITVAKdancers, to original music composed by Yale Strom. He and his band, Hot Pstromi, will be accompanying

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

A Musical Experience Like No Other in Jerusalem

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Secular poetry written in a mixture of Latin, medieval German and French by groups of monks and scholars in the 13th century were set to music in the 20th century by the German composer, Carl Orff. The orchestration calls for an especially large orchestra (with extensive timpani and

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra Successfully Tackles Tchaikowsky

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — It was pretty remarkable that Tchaikowsky’s monumental Symphony #4, with its opening horn fanfare of Fate and its finale, often taken at break-neck speed, was successfully tackled by TICO, the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra. Sure, there were a few places that barely held together, but the beautiful solo

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

Local Performances Spotlight Holocaust-Era Composers

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Canadian-born pianist, Daniel Wnukowski, performed at two venues during his recent visit to San Diego County. On Sunday afternoon, November 13, he gave a recital of works by Mozart, Chopin and Schumann in the Solana Salons series at the home of pianist and series host, Monique Kunewalder. His

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

‘King Pleasure’ Lives Up to Its Name

By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure, on view at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, features more than 200 artworks and artifacts from the artist’s estate – 177 of which have never been exhibited before. This highly unusual and intimate exhibition was assembled not by a curator or art historian, but by Basquiat’s

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA