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Lee R. Kesselman, Music DirectorWilliam Buhr, Accompanist

30th Concert Season

2011-2012

9/11: Ten Years & BeyondSunday, Sep. 11, 3 pm at Harris Theater for Music & Dance, Chicago

Psalms & SpiritualsSaturday, Nov. 5, 8 pm at St. Petronille Church, Glen Ellyn

Sunday, Nov. 13, 3 pm at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, La Grange

World CarolSunday, Dec. 11, 4 pm at McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn

KADOSH: A(nother) Celebration of Jewish MusicSaturday, March 3, 8 pm at Christ the King Catholic Church, Lombard

The New Classics Radio HourSaturday, May 5, 8 pm

McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn

New Classic Singers425 Bonnie Brae Rd.Hinsdale, IL 60521

www.newclassicsingers.org630.654.9717

Ticket office for McAninch Arts Center concerts:(630) 942-4000

www.AtTheMac.org New Classic Singers celebrates its 30th season in residence at College of DuPage.

Members include conductors, educators, and soloists from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The Singers have been praised for their imaginative

programs and performing excellence. New Classic Singers has performed three times for conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and frequently commissions and performs new works. NCS has performed with the Kronos Quartet, Fulcrum Point New Music Ensemble & Nexus Percussion

Ensemble and has recorded new issues for Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers.

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MUSIC D IRECTOR B IOGR APHY

ACCOMPANIST B IOGR APHY

Founder and Music Director, Lee Kesselman, has been Director of Choral Activities at College of DuPage since 1981. Conductor, pianist, teacher and award-winning composer, in New Classic Singers he has created an ensemble from his love for the vocal art and interest in a wide variety of literature. A member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and recipient of 18 consecutive ASCAP awards. Mr. Kesselman’s compositions have been published by Boosey &

Hawkes, Roger Dean Music Co., Colla Voce and Kesselman Press. He co-founded the Choral Music Experience Institute for Choral Teacher Education with Doreen Rao and has served on its faculty since 1986. He is in frequent demand as a guest conductor, lecturer and clinician and as a composer-in-residence throughout the United States and abroad.

Kesselman is well-known as a composer of vocal works, including opera, music for chorus, and solo songs. Large works include the operas THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS and THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, LOVE PHASES for baritone voice and piano, NIGHTS IN ARMOR for mixed chorus, SHONA MASS for voices and African percussion, and INFINITY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND, a symphony for treble chorus and orchestra. His works for children’s choirs have brought him national attention and he has been commissioned to write for children’s choirs, middle school, junior school, high school, college, community, church, and professional ensembles.

Enjoying a national reputation as an accompanist, chamber musician, adjudicator and clinician, work as a collaborative pianist has taken William Buhr to performing engagements in over thirty countries on six continents. Buhr has served on the accompanying staff of the Chicago Symphony Chorus at the invitation of founder/director Margaret Hillis, and has accompa-nied James Levine, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yo-Yo Ma, June Anderson, Berndt Weikl and others at the Ravinia Festival. He

has also worked with Stephen Sondheim, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and Michael Cerveris in the Ravinia Festival productions of Sunday In The Park With George and Anyone Can Whistle.

Holding degrees from the University of Illinois and DePaul University, Mr. Buhr has appeared in many international festivals as well as numerous national and re-gional conventions of major musical and educational organizations. Mr. Buhr has served on the faculty of the Choral Music Experience Institute for Choral Teacher Education with Doreen Rao since its inception in 1986, and has played for the national touring companies of numerous Broadway musicals including Showboat, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and The Phantom of the Opera. He has served as the Associate Director and accompanist of the New Classic Singers since 1986, and has enjoyed an association with Anima - Young Singers of Greater Chicago (formerly the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus) since 1984.

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FROM THE MUSIC D IRECTOR

Welcome to our 30th season!

Kadosh: A(nother) Celebration of Jewish Music

This is NCS’ third concert of all- or mostly- Jewish choral music in our 30 year history. That doesn’t mean we haven’t sung music of Jewish content on other programs. In fact, I’d have to say that Sing Unto the Lord a New Song by Srul Irving Glick, Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning and Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms are three of my personal favorites, all of which NCS has performed more than once.

But this concert is more resonant than many for me as a composer and conductor and for us as an ensemble. I’m very happy that we’re performing it at a Catholic church that has a strong music program and that resides near a Jewish congregation. That both con-gregations have joined together to make this concert possible fills me with real joy. The proximity of the congregations and the shared roots of the religions assert, for me, the notion that whatever our differences, what we share is always greater.

This concert is ‘themed’ around the word Kadosh – the Hebrew word that means Holy or Sanctified. It is a key word in Jewish prayer, and, in fact, the consonants that make up the word Kadosh are the same ones that comprise Kiddush and Kaddish (two important sets of Jewish prayers). Jews proclaim the Holiness of God in blessing the Sabbath wine, remembering the departed or, in so many other ways, in worship. And the Kadosh prayer (as set in Kadosh/Benedictus) has become a key portion of the Ordinary of the Mass, the liturgy which stands as the cornerstone of Christian faith. Section II of our program is filled with Jewish, Christian and hybrid compositions using these texts.

I have taken this opportunity to program three of my own works: one over a decade old, one 5 years old, and one written especially for this program. You can read more about the individual pieces in the Program Notes section, but let me just say here – if an important Jewish question is, “Who will say Kaddish for me?”, the answer in this case is, “Your son.”

Now - - a disclaimer. I grew up at Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun in Milwaukee, what my mother calls a Classical Reform synagogue. My ear has already endured the confusion of hearing Ashkenaz pronunciation (North European -derived) and having to change to Sephardic (Southern, Middle Eastern, African). Add to that the increasing awareness of gender-specific prayer language and efforts to change historical English translations of common Hebrew prayers, not to mention pronunciations of Yiddish, Hebrew, and Ladino, and I admit to a certain level of non-standardization and tsouris (which the Urban Dictionary defines as a Yiddish phrase meaning “heartburn or the outcome of a stressful situation”). I humbly take ownership for all inconsistencies and mistakes in translation, pronunciation and theology con-tained in this concert and printed program and beg the indulgence of everyone who finds fault with me in these matters. In my experience, find any two Jewish people, confront them with a question of language, tradition, or how hard matzo balls should really be, and you will have at least 3 different answers to each question. And just don’t ask them about their brisket recipe, though you will have to admit that my mother’s is really the best…..

Finally, I’d like to dedicate this concert to my mother Florence Helen Rose Kesselman Slavick, my late father Morton Kesselman, and my late ‘second’ father Monroe Slavick. I have a feeling that I owe my best parts to my parents and their efforts to make me an educated, compassionate, independent and successful man. Each, in their own way, has been an Eternal Light for me as I have wandered my own path as an adult, a musician, an educator and a parent.

Thanks for being a part of our audience. As always, we sing for you.

Sincerely,

Lee R. KesselmanFounder and Music DirectorNew Classic Singers

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PROGR A M

NEW CLASSIC SINGERSLee R. Kesselman, Music Director

William Buhr, piano and organDon Jacobs, clarinet

Richard Armandi, bassSteve Hawk, drums

Kadosh: A(nother) Celebration of Jewish MusicSaturday, March 3, 8 p.m.Christ the King Catholic Church, Lombard, IL

(The audience is requested to kindly hold applause until each section break.)

I. Blessings

Hadlakat neyr shel Shabbat Max Janowski (1912-1991)

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with the commandments and commanded us to kindle the Shabbat candles.

Kiddush for Shabbat Louis Lewandowski (1821-1894) Ed. Max Janowski

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

Kiddush Kurt Weill (1900-1950)

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who sanctified us with Your commandments and desired us, and gave us Your holy Sabbath with love and pleasure, as an inheritance, a remembrance of the act of creation.For the Sabbath is the first of the holidays, a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us, and made us holy from all the nations, and You gave us Your holy Sabbath with love and pleasure; Blessed are You, O God, who sanctifies the Sabbath.

II Kadosh / Sanctus

Deutsche Kedushah Louis Lewandowski

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is full of your glory. Praised be the glory of God from God’s heavenly abode.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.The Lord shall reign forever; Thy God, O Zion, shall be Sovereign unto all gen-erations. Hallalujah.

Sanctus in D Major (BWV 241, 1747-48) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is full of your glory.

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Sanctus (from MASS) Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is full of your glory.Hosanna in the highest!Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord.

Kadosh/Benedictus (1999) Lee R. Kesselman

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is full of your glory.Hosanna in the highest!Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord;We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

Holy Bengt Hallberg (b. 1932)

III Kaddish

Kaddish Salamone Rossi (c. 1570 – 1630)

Kaddish for My Father (Premiere) Lee R. Kesselman for chorus, clarinet and piano

Yit’ga’dal v’yit’kadash sh’meih raba, b’olmo di’vra chir’uteih v’yamlich malchu’tay, b’chayeichon uv’yomei’chon uv’chayei d’chol beit Yisrael, ba’agala uvizman kariv; v’imm’ru Amen.

May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen.

Y’hei sh’mei raba m’varach l’alam ul’almei almayah.

[May His great name be blessed, forever and ever.] (not in Rossi setting)

Yitbarach v’yishtabach v’yitpaar v’yitromam v’yitnasei, v’yit’aleh v’yithadar v’yithalal, sh’mei d’kud’sha, b’rich hu, l’eila min kol birchata v’shirata, tush’bechata v’nechemata, daamiron b’olma; v’imm’ru Amen. Y’hei sh’lama raba min sh’mayo, v’chayim aleinu v’al kol Yisraeil; v’im’ru Amen. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored elevated and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he- above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen.

Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu, v’al kol yisraeil; v’im’ru Amen.

He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen.

PROGR A M (c o n t.)

6 New Classic Singers

INTERMISSIONIV Tribute

T’filat Haderech Debbie Friedman (1951-2011) Arr. Nancy Wertsch

Build This World Debbie Friedman Arr. Yaron Gershovsky

Mi Shebeirach Debbie Friedman Arr. Mary Feinsinger

V Kanuach (dessert)

Ale Brider Yiddish Folksong Arr. Joshua Jacobson

We’re all brothers, singing joyous songs. We stick together like no-one else. We’re all united, no matter what we have. We all love one another like newlyweds. We’re happy and lively, singing songs, tapping our feet. We’re all sisters, too, just like Rachel, Ruth and Esther.

Der Rebe Elimelekh Yiddish Folksong Arr. Robert DeCormier

Hamisha Asar (in Ladino) Flory Jagoda (b. 1925) Arr. Nick Page

Come to visit us, we will sing. The hostess awaits us with 15 platters of fruit, blessed by His name, Lord of the Universe, fruits of Israel. Come to visit us, we will dance. The hostess awaits us with baklava and coffee.

Simona MiDimona Shelomo Weissfish Arr. Joshua Jacobson

Every day on the heights of Dimona, there she stands. She’s sad, she’s dark, and her name is Simona, and she’s waiting for a boyfriend.

I’m burning with love for this black beauty! And my heart sings, yes sings for Simona from Dimona.

I’ll put my hat on and trudge through the heat. I’ll climb 800 meters up from Sodom to my Simona!

Dance the Horah! Arr. Joshua JacobsonHey Harmonica Alkony

Yo, accordion, play for me – so every note will vibrate – the horah that we danced together in the Galilee.We shall always remember the horah that we danced together in Galilee.

PROGR A M (c o n t.)

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Mayim, Mayim Emanuel AmiranTherefore with joy shall you draw water from the wells of salvation.

-- Isaiah 12:3Rad Halaila (2007) Lee R. Kesselman

Night descends, and great is our song which breaks through to the heavens. Again, again our Hora, renewed sevenfold. Again, again, and let us go around. For our path has no end; for the chain still continues. For our heart is one heart, now and always, for the chain continues.

Let’s rejoice and be happy. Let’s sing and be happy. Awake, awake brothers, with a happy heart.

-- Lyrics by Ya’Akov Orland &Abraham Zevi Idelsohn

PROGR A M (c o n t.)

GUEST ARTISTS

Donald Jacobs has been playing klezmer clarinet since 1983. He plays in the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, the Jazmer Ensemble, and The Guitars of Spain, a flamenco group. He also does arranging in these bands. Don has studied with klezmer musicians Sid Beckerman and Kurt Bjorling, and studied jazz improvisation with Rich Corpolongo. He has taught clarinet and saxophone students for many years in the Chicago area.

Ever since he can remember, drum-mer Steve Hawk has always known that he wanted to be a musician. In Jr. High Steve played drums in the school concert band, and started a band that played original compositions and cover music. Steve later earned advanced music degrees from the Berklee Col-lege of Music, Northwestern University, the VanderCook College of Music, and trained with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Steve performs with the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, the Brass Tracks Jazz Orchestra, the Outcasts Jazz Band,and the Highland Park String Orchestra. Steve also teaches band and general music in the Elmwood Park, IL public schools.

Richard Armandi is one of the most versatile and in-demand musicians and educators on the Chicago scene today. As a jazz bassist he has performed with such luminaries as Marion McPartland, Barry Harris, Bobby Shew, David Baker, Jamey Aebersold, Dick Hyman, Scott Hamilton, Carl Fontana and many oth-ers, and has performed with such stars as Rosemary Clooney, Bob Newhart, Martin Short, Phyllis Diller, Rich Little and many others. As a tubist he has performed with the Lyric Opera, Ameri-can Ballet Theater, Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Brass Quintet, and as featured soloist with the New Philharmonic, Ethos Chamber Orchestra, Concordia University Wind Ensemble, and at the 1992 International Tuba-Euphonium Conference. He has been recorded on many album projects including three with the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, and on many commercial jingles. He currently serves on the faculties of College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL), Triton College (River Grove, IL), and Trinity Christion College (Palos Park, IL) teaching bass, low brass, jazz combo and improvisation. He has also served on the faculty of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops since 1990.

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NCS 2010 -2011

NCS 2011-2012Lee R. Kesselman, Director

Bill Buhr, Accompanist

SopranoJennifer Berman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WestchesterElise B. Calhoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NapervilleMona Jethmalani . . . . . . . . .Glendale HeightsBeth Majerszky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .New LenoxMadeline Morris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DeerfieldKaren Owen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WarrenvilleJennifer Reusz . . . . . . . . . . . . . Downers GroveSusan Van Ordstrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ElginSadie Wynne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bolingbrook

AltoJennifer L. Barrett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RomeovilleMarcia Ecker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .South BarringtonPam Eiten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WheatonJean Follett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HinsdaleKelly Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WheatonArlayne Pekofske . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DarienPaula Rada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oak Brook TerraceDottie Williames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sugar Grove

TenorSean Doty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Burr RidgeAndrew Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . Downers GroveDennis Schafer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JolietLarry Stephens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PlainfieldJohn Whittington . . . . . . . . . . Downers GroveJim Yarbrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elmhurst

BassBen Adair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WoodridgeJack Dare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Downers GrovePaul Drennan . . . . . . . . . . . . .Glendale HeightsSteven Krage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AddisonDaniel Saathoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WarrenvilleDave Saunders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WoodridgeDavid Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NapervilleDoug Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hinsdale

PROGR A M NOTES

IMax Janowski was a composer of Jewish liturgical music, a conductor, choir director, and voice teacher. Born in Berlin, in the early 1930s he became head of the piano department at the Musashino Academy of Music, Tokyo, Japan. He emi-grated to the United States in 1937 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Janowski was the longtime music director at K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation in Hyde Park in Chicago.

One of the foremost German composers of synagogue music, Louis Lewandowski was born in Prussia and studied and worked in Berlin for his entire life. His arrange-ments of ancient Hebrew melodies for choir, cantor, and organ are considered masterly productions, characterized by great simplicity and a profound religious sentiment. Lewandowski and Janowski are considered two of the greatest classic composers of Jewish synagogue music.

Son of a renowned cantor in Dessau, Germany, Kurt Weill is best known for his works in the musical theatre, including The Threepenny Opera, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Street Scene, Lady in the Dark, and others. Weill successfully left his career in Germany when he fled the Nazis, and became an important Broadway composer. One hears a touch of the jazz harmonies of Gershwin and Broadway in his 1946 Kiddush.

It’s always the perfect time of year to buy NCS’ FAMILY CHRISTMAS ALBUM CD.

Our CD is available at the Arts Center Ticket Office, at all of our concerts,

and on our web-site.

9KADOSH

IIThese five settings of the Kadosh and Sanctus texts show a wide variety of treat-ments representing both Christian and Jewish traditions. Deutsche Kedushah was meant to be sung in the vernacular German and liturgical Hebrew , giving context to the prayers. Tonight we sing it in our vernacular English. The Bach Sanctus is actually an arrangement Bach made of the Sanctus from Johann Kasper Kerll’s Missa Superba near the end of his life. Kerll (1627-1693) shows influences from Heinrich Schütz in his accomplished Italian concerted style. Leonard Bernstein’s MASS was written for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971. An eclectic mix of rock, jazz, and classical influences, Bernstein deals with questions of individual faith, ecumenism, and protest in this major work. Kadosh/Benedictus was written while the composer was engaged in intense studies of the works of Benjamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein. One can hear influences of both in the piece, originally written for the all-state choir of the Kentucky chapter of ACDA with brass and organ. Bengt Hallberg is one of Sweden’s most influential jazz composers.

IIIActive at the court of the Gonzaga family in Mantua, Salamone Rossi was a violin-ist and composer who left volumes of madrigals, instrumental works, duets, and a path-breaking collection of Hebrew motets for the synagogue. That collection, Hashirim Asher Lish’lomo, 1622/23 was the only extant collection of polyphonic music for the synagogue published before the 19th century.

One of the most important and central prayers of the Jewish liturgy, Kaddish is actually a number of different prayers which are said at various times during prayer services. But the most common usage of the term is the Kaddish which comes near the end of all prayer services, often called Kaddish Yatom, or Mourner’s Kaddish (literally, Orphan’s Kaddish).

Following the death of a parent, child, spouse, or sibling it is customary to recite the Mourners’ Kaddish in the presence of a congregation daily for thirty days, or eleven months in the case of a parent, and then at every anniversary of the death (Yahrzeit) . The mourner who says the Kaddish will be any person present at a service who has the obligation to recite Kaddish in accordance with these rules.

Customs for reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish vary markedly among various commu-nities. In Sephardi synagogues, the custom is that all the mourners stand and chant the Kaddish together. In Ashkenazi synagogues, the earlier custom was that one mourner be chosen to lead the prayer on behalf of the rest, though most congrega-tions have now adopted the Sephardi custom. In many Reform synagogues, the entire congregation recites the Mourner’s Kaddish together. This is sometimes said to be for those victims of the Holocaust who have no one left to recite the Mourn-er’s Kaddish on their behalf. In some congregations (especially Reform and Conser-vative ones), the Rabbi will read a list of those who have a Yahrzeit on that day (or who have died within the past month), and then ask the congregants to name any people for whom they are mourning. It is important to note that the Mourners’ Kad-dish does not mention death at all, but instead praises God.

In Kaddish for My Father, I have not tried to faithfully set the text of the prayer, with each musical line painting the text. Instead, I have tried to evoke the feelings I heard as a child and continue to hear when this prayer is recited, with some attention to the feel of each text section. The disunified opening lines, the sudden bursts of con-gregational unity (“Y’hei sh’mei raba”), the modal melodies are all a part of my musi-cal choices. My father loved the feel of ethnic music -- Klezmer among them, and you might hear those echoes as well. An intense episode of counterpoint enters at L’eila min kol birchata, probably the section of most true mourning in the piece. It is followed by a unified Mahler-like procession (Y’hei sh’lama) over a stark bass

PROGR A M NOTES (c o n t.)

10 New Classic Singers

ostinato. But the Kaddish ends with a Song of Ascent, as it should. Rising lines and rising keys send prayers wafting upward at Oseh shalom. And after a brief interlude, the voices re-unite for the final amen as the piano rises to the final cut-off. Finally, over 40 years after his death, I have said Kaddish for My Father.

Morton Kesselman (the composer’s father) was born to David Kesselman and Mary Meyers Kesselman in Highland, Wisconsin, on August 20, 1921, and died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 28, 1972. He was married to Florence Helen Rose Kesselman (Slavick) on June 3, 1944, father to Howard, Lee, and John Kesselman, brother to Rita Kesselman Gecht, Muriel Kesselman Levin, and Ruth Kesselman Silver. He lived his entire life in the state of Wisconsin and only left the U.S. for brief holidays in Canada, Mexico, and the State of Israel. His parents were both Jewish immigrants from the Belarus/Ukraine region. He spent most of his life as a self-em-ployed businessman and only lived to see one son married, never meeting his three grandchildren. He was born into an observant family and remained an observant Reform Jew throughout his life. He mourned both of his parents with daily recita-tions of Kaddish for a full year. Love of family was certainly central to his life, but some of his other joys included ethnic music, good food, interesting business deals, good gossip, and friendships.

IV Deborah Lynn “Debbie” Friedman (1951 – 2011) was an American singer-song-writer of Jewish music. She is best known for her setting of Mi Shebeirach the prayer for healing, which is used by hundreds of congregations across America. Her songs were used by some Orthodox Jewish congregations, as well as non-Orthodox Jew-ish congregations. Ms. Friedman was a feminist, and Orthodox Jewish feminist Blu Greenberg noted that while Ms. Friedman’s music impacted most on Reform and Conservative liturgy, “she had a large impact [in] Modern Orthodox shuls, women’s tefillah [prayer], the Orthodox feminist circles. … She was a religious bard and angel for the entire commu-nity.” There is hardly a congregation, Jewish youth group or community that has not been touched by Debbie Fried-man’s music.

VThe music of this last section brings together a number of the secular tradi-tions of Jewish music, spanning Yiddish, Israeli, Ladino cultures.

Rad Halaila speaks of the song of the Jewish people, which continues as an unending chain from generation to generation, with communal history binding the people together. It also references the Hora, the well-known Israeli circle-dance, which symbolizes that chain, that oneness. The music for the outer sections of the piece (Rad Halaila) is original, but the melody for Hava Nagila is traditional.

---LRK

PROGR A M NOTES (c o n t.)

Preliminaries$40.00 per person

Dinner, Tax & Service Charge included, $10.00 Tax Deductible

Mar. 4 & Mar. 11 – 5:30

Semi-Finals$50.00 per person

Dinner, Wine, Tax & Service Charge included, $10.00 Tax Deductible

Mar. 18 – 5:30 & Apr. 14 – 6:30

Grand Prize Evening$75.00 per person

Hors d'oeuvres, Dinner, Wine, Tax & Service Charge included, $20.00 Tax Deductible

Sat. Apr. 21 – 6:30

Bravo Awards$60.00 per person

Dinner, Wine, Tax & Service Charge Included, $10.00 Tax Deductible

Sun. May 20 – 5:30

For Reservations call 773-588-2515

Monastero’s Ristorante & Banquets

3935 W. Devon AvenueChicago, IL 60659

39th Opera Contest Season

11KADOSH

OUR THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTERS

McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPageWFMT-FM 98.7

It’s always the perfect time of year to buy NCS’ FAMILY CHRISTMAS ALBUM CD. Our CD is available at the Arts Center Ticket Office, at all of

our concerts, and on our web-site.

Coming in March:

The New Classics Radio HourSaturday, May 5, 8 pm

Small town radio program in a large, comprehensive community college. A stroll through the corridors

& classrooms with Chris Miller, live sound-effects & some great music.

McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn

DONORS

AnonymousMcAninch Arts CenterBen AdairMichael AikinsRobert & Sharon Scanlon

BartonJennifer BermanBMO/Harris Private BankMr. & Mrs. Dean BrandtJohn D. BreenMary BurkhardtAllan & Gina CarterNiall CasserlyGeorgia ContiRobert F. DaileyJack & Laura DareRobert & Jaclyn DotyPaul DrennenMarcia EckerBarbara & John EkholmPamela & Keith EitenRobert & Nancy FollettFollett CorporationFranciscan Friars of JolietBarbara GeisJoanna & Jack GoralGeorgia K. Hamilton

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JohnsonLeah & Andrew KammSusan KempferLee KesselmanJames & Lynn KessenDurema & Robert KohlMaureen LyonsBeth MajerszkyMark MaternaMarilyn McCormickLinda MotzDrs. Donald & Mary Ellen

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LaGrange Alumni Chapter

David & Janice SaundersSusan SchroederDavid H. ShaftmanFlorence SlavickJames & Linda

SmedinghoffMary K. SmithAlice & Jim SnelgrovePaul SrivatkaLarry StephensLorraine H. TaylorDoug Thompson & Jean

FollettRichard TrautJames TuckerSusan Van Ordstrand &

James KempferPearl WeiDonald G. & Helen

WestlakeJohn & Laura

WhittingtonDottie WilliamesAnn Field WilliamsJames & Jean Yarbrough

12 New Classic Singers

PRES IDENT ’S LET TER

Choral music presents a fascinating paradox: it has one foot on the street and the other in houses of worship. Tonight’s program puts you in both those places. You will hear many settings of old and familiar prayers that place us squarely in a long tradition of choral music written to praise and to celebrate religious holidays and occasions. In addition, what our Music Director Lee Kesselman likes to call “the Klezmer dessert” will bring you music of the people; music that draws on folk traditions from the many places that Jews settled over the centuries. This music is irresistible in its harmonies and rhythms and will have you tapping your toes.

New Classic Singers has a similar paradox: we perform anywhere we can to pres-ent our diverse repertoire, both sacred and “profane.” It is this variety of repertoire that has been the hallmark of NCS for the past thirty years. We love to present music that both moves you and sets you to humming. Paradoxes like this keep life interesting.

For many of you tonight this will be your first experience of NCS. We hope you will join us on May 5th for the New Classic Singers Radio Hour. That will be our last performance at the McAninch Arts Center for some time since it will be closed next year for renovations. New Classic Singers opened The MAC in October of 1986 and we look forward to seeing its transformation in 2013. In the meantime, I can promise you a Radio Hour that will be a fun-filled evening of music and laughter.

As always—thank you for coming!We sing for you,

Jean FollettPresident

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