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The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) kicks off the New Year with Kaddish - "I am Here," on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
"A window is closing. As the youngest Holocaust survivors now approach their nineties, it is more important than ever to hear their stories," says Siegel. "I hope that Kaddish, by singing the actual words of Holocaust survivors, will provide a living link from those who actually remember this uniquely tragic chapter of human history, to those who will only know of it as history. May the work create empathy, and may that empathy motivate those who hear it to take a stand against genocide." The concert coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Allied Forces liberation of the World War II Nazi concentration camps.
More information on Kaddish, Lawrence Siegel and the concert.
Kaddish, along with all of Lawrence Siegel's work, is now being promoted by Jeffrey Vanderveen of Opus 3 Artists.
Please contact Jeffrey to book performances of Kaddish and discuss commissions and other works at Jvanderveen@opus3artists.com. Visit lawrencesiegel.com for information about all of Lawrence Siegel's compositional work.
A Free Concert, "Kaddish", performed by Symphoria and the Syracuse University Oratorio Society, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Sunday, April 7 at the Civic Center
"Kaddish: I Am Here" - Music of Remembrance and Hope, is written and composed by composer, theater artist, scholar and performer Dr. Lawrence Siegel. This free concert is on Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 2:30 pm in the Crouse Hinds Theater, Onondaga County Civic Center, Syracuse. The Oratorio is performed by Symphoria, conducted by John F. Warren, and the Syracuse University Oratorio Society, with soloists Janet Brown, Lorraine Yaris Sullivan, Gerald Grey and Timothy LeFebvre. The program opens with selections from Ernest Bloch's Sacred Service.
More information on Kaddish Holocaust Remembrance Day Free Concert is available on this PDF document.
Kaddish Holocaust Remembrance Day Free Concert Poster.
A Special Concert Kaddish performed by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, at Yad Vashem, September 8, 2011
"Kaddish", music and libretto by Dr. Lawrence Siegel, was performed in the presence of the Speaker of the Knesset, the Honorable Reuvin Riflin. This by invitation concert took place on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7:30 pm in Warsaw Ghetto Squre, Yad Vashem Har Hazilkaron, Jerusalem. The concert featured Gil Shohat conducting the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra with soloists, Maria Jette, soprano, Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano, Thomas Cooley, tenor, James Bohn, baritone, and The New Israeli Vocal Ensemble, Chorusmaster Yuval Ben-Ozer.
Watch the performance of Kaddish at Yad Vashem
Kaddish at Yad Vashem Photo Gallery
More information on Kaddish at Yad Vashem is available on the Yad Vashem webiste.
Kaddish - A Large, Moving, Stupendous Production!
"Kaddish ...enough cannot be said ...It was sweet, shocking, melancholy, uplifting, horrific, and finally, powerfully triumpant. With several Holocaust survivors introduced from the audience, the grand and dramatic production with the full Houston Symphony, the full Houston Symphony Chorus, the four singing narrative soloists, under the steady hand of Maestro Hans Graf, it was a large, moving, stupendous production. ...the star of the show must be Lawrence Siegel and his amazing, classically oratorial, symphonic, compositional achievement." Saturday, November 27th, Houston, Examiner.com.
Listen to Kaddish!
World Premiere of the Large Orchestra Version
On November 23rd there were two performances of Kaddish in its new full orchestra version by the Houston Symphony. You now have the opportunity to hear this wonderful performance broadcast this week on SymphonyCast. The concert features Hans Graf conducting the Houston Symphony and Houston Symphony Chorus, with soloists Jessica Rivera, soprano, Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano, Chad Shelton, tenor, and James Maddalena, baritone. Check the list of stations that will air SymphonyCast and mark your calendar, or listen online anytime.
And check back often with us in coming weeks and months as we roll out plans for the September 8th, 2011 performance of Kaddish by the Jerusalem Symphony, and more!
Kaddish CD Now Available
The World Premiere Performance recorded live with the 130-voice VocalEssence Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Philip Brunelle,
is now available on CD. To hear extracts visit Recording page.
Litany/Kaddish Prayer CD-ROM
Litany is the the turning point in the Kaddish narrative. It begins the final section of the work, Tikkun Olam, (Repair of the
World) meant to find some way to move forward from the ashes. It consists only of spoken words, and only these words: the names,
dates and places of birth, dates and places of death of 2,037 from among the millions who perished in the five extermination
camps of the Nazis during the height of the Holocaust: 1942-44.
In performance of the whole work, Siegel's setting of the Mourner's Kaddish follows Litany. It is strongly encouraged that those
wishing to perform Litany follow it with Kaddish Prayer; thus the two movements are offered together.
A CD-ROM containing the score for these two movements and information for performers is avalable. Learn more.
Houston Symphony and Houston Symphony Chorus to Perform Kaddish
On November 23rd, 2010, a full symphonic version of Kaddish will be premiered by the Houston Symphony and Houston Symphony Chorus. In the period leading up to that performance, a series of significant workshops and presentations will feature the composer and Holocaust survivors. These activities will be produced by Holocaust Museum Houston in partnership with the Houston Symphony.
Kaddish to conclude UNH Echoes of the Holocaust Series, November 14th
The University of New Hamphire's Echoes of the Holocaust series will conclude with a complete performance
of Lawrence Siegel's Kaddish by the UNH Chamber Singers, soloists including Jenni Cook and David Ripley,
and orchestra under the direction of William Kempster.
November 14th, 2010, 3 p.m., Johnson Theatre, Paul Creative Arts Center, Durham, NH.
To learn more vist Echoes of the Holocaust at UNH.
FAU Performance
On Saturday evening, November 6th, 2010 there will be a performance of Kaddish at Florida Atlantic University,
as part of the Lessons and Legacies Conference on the Holocaust.
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With words taken directly from interviews with survivors of the Holocaust, Kaddish is an innovative, engaging, and inspiring new
work for chorus, soloists and chamber orchestra by Lawrence Siegel. Kaddish is intended to raise awareness and address the issue of
genocide as an ongoing global crisis. By singing the actual words of Holocaust survivors, Kaddish creates empathy in its audience.
With its passionate story of the redemptive power of the simple virtues of daily living, Kaddish motivates its audience to take a
stand against genocide.
The Kaddish Project was created to bring attention to the intentional and systematic destruction of individuals and entire cultures
throughout the world. Kaddish consists of fifteen movements for chorus, soloists and chamber orchestra based on firsthand
testimonies of Holocaust survivors. It illustrates a specific moment in history while illuminating the Holocaust as a profound human
tragedy - one whose implications extend beyond the Jewish experience to concern all people everywhere.
Kaddish was commissioned by the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Keene State College, Keene, NH, in honor of its 25th
anniversary. In 2009 the Center became the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, offering a baccalaureate degree, with
a curriculum combining historical study with an interdisciplinary exploration of both the Holocaust and other genocidal events.
November 23, 2010
Houston Symphony and Houston Symphony Chorus, conducted by Hans Graf,
Lawrence Siegel, Composer
It was sweet, shocking, melancholy, uplifting, horrific, and finally, powerfully triumpant. With several Holocaust survivors present being introduced from the audience, then the grand and dramatic production with the full Houston Symphony, the full Houston Symphony Chorus, plus the four singing narrative soloists, all under the steady hand of Maestro Hans Graf, it was a large, moving, stupendous production.
...Yes, the chorus sounded beautiful. And yes, the symphony sounded wonderful. And yes, the soloists sang powerfully and movingly. But it is all in the service of telling this horrific, and yet ultimately courageous and heroic story. In this respect the star of the show must be Lawrence Siegel and his amazing, classically oratorial, symphonic, compositional achievement. And yet even Mr. Siegel does not do this for himself. He does it for the Holocaust survivors, and for all the people who did not survive the Holocaust. — Examiner.com Houston
media coverage
November 15, 2008
VocalEssence, conducted by Philip Brunelle,
Lawrence Siegel, Composer
"Kaddish" connects with lyrical simplicity," — headlined the Star Tribune.
The premiere was made poignant by the presence of Naomi Warren, an 88-year-old survivor of Auschwitz, whose words both open and close KADDISH. Siegel speaks of his "verbatim" approach to the score, which he defines as "shaping song out of the actual speech of ordinary people." It brings "you-are-there" immediacy to the story. At the dress rehearsal Warren told the musicians of her 2003 return to Auschwitz, which enabled her to say, "Hineni! I am here!" — American Record Guide
"Kaddish" had a gravitas and an emotional immediacy that made even the familiar story of the Holocaust fresh and compelling. — Pioneer Press
... joy of a kind born in resiliency emerges like a glow of white light in the final section of Lawrence Siegel's oratorio – starting with a hymnlike choral setting of the words, "Nothing is as whole as a heart which has been broken," and rising to exaltation: "I am here! I survived, and look who is with me." After what has gone before, the impact of the conclusion is thrilling. — Star Tribune
media coverage
NH Public Television Program
On Sunday, June 8, 2008, New Hampshire Public Television aired a feature about Kaddish on New Hampshire Outlook. The piece
included footage of and interviews with Kaddish composer, Lawrence Siegel, and several of the survivors whose words became
part of the libretto for the piece. There are also clips of the May 3, 2008 debut of Kaddish. The piece can be viewed
online at NHPTV, click "Watch
Online".
Your tax-deductible financial donations will make it possible to continue teaching the facts and lessons of the
Holocaust, motivating successive generations to recognize an ethical responsibility to respond to prejudice and hatred.
Contribute to Kaddish Project through Tricinium.
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