San Luis Obispo Master Chorale to present ‘Monuments of Jewish Tradition’
—The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale is gearing up to present Monuments of Jewish Tradition, a weekend festival of music and art by Ernest Bloch, a contemporary composer and photographer originally from Switzerland but who lived and worked for much of his career in California, and composer Leonard Bernstein.
Bloch’s masterwork, Avodath Hakodesh, or “Sacred Service”, commissioned by Temple Emanu-El of San Francisco in 1929, will be performed by over 100 singers accompanied by a full orchestra at the main event of the weekend, on Sunday April 28 at 3 p.m. at Cal Poly.
Baritone Gregg Haueter sings the role of Cantor and Rabbi Janice Mehring is the Minister. The second half of the concert features Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, composed in 1965 for an annual music festival involving the combined forces of the English Cathedrals of Winchester, Salisbury, and Chichester. Bernstein’s energetic, dance-like music originates from choruses cut from West Side Story and The Skin of Our Teeth. Corey Hable, countertenor, will be the soloist, as part of the Master Chorale’s “Monuments of Jewish Tradition” concert weekend.
In addition to the main concert, two free workshops will be held by Eric Johnson, Cal Poly Professor Emeritus, and expert on the photography of composer Ernest Bloch. Bloch was a talented photographer, and had a passion for the outdoors, trees in particular. On Friday April 26 at 3 p.m., Johnson will present “A Composer’s Vision,” on Ernest Bloch’s life, music, and photography, and his relationship with Alfred Stieglitz, father of modern photography. The workshop concludes with a performance of Bloch’s From Jewish Life, featuring Andrew Davies, cello and Susan Azaret Davies, piano. From Jewish Life is a set of three short pieces written by Bloch in 1924 for the cellist Hans Kindler. This event is free and open to the public, held on the Cal Poly campus in the Davidson Music Center, room 218. Attendees will need to purchase a parking pass to park on campus.
On Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m., Johnson will host the family of Ernest Bloch, with his granddaughter and great granddaughter sharing stories of Bloch, his art and his creative process, coupled with a gallery showing of his photography. Wine and appetizers will be served and Andrew Davies will reprise his cello performance of From Jewish Life. This event, held at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, is also free and open to the public, though donations are appreciated.
The main concert is a Sunday matinee and will be held in the Harold Miossi Hall, Performing Arts Center on the Cal Poly campus. Starting at 2 p.m., an exhibit of Bloch’s photography will be on display in the lobby, for ticket holders.
Tickets to the April 28th concert can be purchased at www.pacslo.org or by calling the PAC box office at (805) 756-4849. Parking is included in the ticket for this event.
Formed in 1984, San Luis Obispo Master Chorale (originally known as Cuesta Master Chorale) is an auditioned all-volunteer community choir that specializes in performing masterworks of choral- orchestral literature from every musical period and style, including contemporary works written especially for the chorale, and is led by Founder and Artistic Director Dr. Tom Davies.
Comments
