Ernest Bloch’s ‘Avodath HaKodesh’ in Houston
 |
The United Nations Association International Choir will present its 13th annual spring concert on May 19 at 5 p.m. The performance will be in Stude Concert Hall at the Shepherd School of Music on the campus of Rice University. The concert is funded by grants from the city of Houston, through Houston Arts Alliance, and is sponsored by the Jewish Herald-Voice and the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston.
The centerpiece of the program, “Timeless Music-Universal Truths,” is the late Swiss-American composer Ernest Bloch’s monumental “Sacred Service” (Avodath HaKodesh). Written on a commission from Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, and completed in 1933, Bloch set the entire Hebrew text of the Reform Jewish Sabbath morning service for cantor, accompanied by a large chorus and orchestra. In the three years that it took Bloch to complete this work, he frequently wrote about this endeavor and what it meant to him: It has become a cosmic poem, a glorification of the Laws of the Universe ... the very text I was after since the age of 10, a dream of stars, of forces. Though intensely Jewish in its roots, the message of the “Sacred Service” seems to me, above all, a gift of Israel to the whole of mankind …
Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Mark Doss, veteran star of international opera stages, will sing the role of the cantor. He will be accompanied by the 100-voice United Nations Association International Choir and a large orchestra comprised of many of Houston’s finest professional musicians. The performance will be under the direction of Phillip Kloeckner, artistic director of the choir and a Rice faculty member at the Shepherd School. Adding additional cosmopolitan flavor to the concert will be songs for chorus from Argentina, Germany, Japan and Turkey, and orchestral works by Ernest Bloch.
The U. N. A. International Choir is comprised of singers from numerous cultural, racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds who live and work in the greater Houston area. At the present time, the choir has approximately 100 members, who represent 25 nations, speak 15 different languages, and range in age from 16 to 80 years “young.” Through rehearsing and performing a vast spectrum of music in its original language from all genres around the world, the choir strives for the highest goals of artistic achievement, while promoting mutual understanding, respect, friendship and multicultural experiences among all peoples of the world.
The UNAIC is sponsored by The United Nations Association-Houston, the local chapter of the national nonprofit UNA-USA, a membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and vital work of the United Nations among the American people. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, which include teaching students about international affairs through Model U.N. programs, supporting minefield clearing in formerly war-torn nations, and providing school-based support for children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa, allow people to make a global impact at the local level.
Tickets for the concert are available through the choir’s website, unaic.org, or by calling 800-494-8497 before May 19.
The centerpiece of the program, “Timeless Music-Universal Truths,” is the late Swiss-American composer Ernest Bloch’s monumental “Sacred Service” (Avodath HaKodesh). Written on a commission from Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, and completed in 1933, Bloch set the entire Hebrew text of the Reform Jewish Sabbath morning service for cantor, accompanied by a large chorus and orchestra. In the three years that it took Bloch to complete this work, he frequently wrote about this endeavor and what it meant to him: It has become a cosmic poem, a glorification of the Laws of the Universe ... the very text I was after since the age of 10, a dream of stars, of forces. Though intensely Jewish in its roots, the message of the “Sacred Service” seems to me, above all, a gift of Israel to the whole of mankind …
Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Mark Doss, veteran star of international opera stages, will sing the role of the cantor. He will be accompanied by the 100-voice United Nations Association International Choir and a large orchestra comprised of many of Houston’s finest professional musicians. The performance will be under the direction of Phillip Kloeckner, artistic director of the choir and a Rice faculty member at the Shepherd School. Adding additional cosmopolitan flavor to the concert will be songs for chorus from Argentina, Germany, Japan and Turkey, and orchestral works by Ernest Bloch.
The U. N. A. International Choir is comprised of singers from numerous cultural, racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds who live and work in the greater Houston area. At the present time, the choir has approximately 100 members, who represent 25 nations, speak 15 different languages, and range in age from 16 to 80 years “young.” Through rehearsing and performing a vast spectrum of music in its original language from all genres around the world, the choir strives for the highest goals of artistic achievement, while promoting mutual understanding, respect, friendship and multicultural experiences among all peoples of the world.
The UNAIC is sponsored by The United Nations Association-Houston, the local chapter of the national nonprofit UNA-USA, a membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and vital work of the United Nations among the American people. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, which include teaching students about international affairs through Model U.N. programs, supporting minefield clearing in formerly war-torn nations, and providing school-based support for children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa, allow people to make a global impact at the local level.
Tickets for the concert are available through the choir’s website, unaic.org, or by calling 800-494-8497 before May 19.