From Jewish Broadway to Yiddish theatre, from Sephardi beats to liturgical folk music and from Jewish gospel to the Golden Age of Cantors, Toronto will soon be musically enriched.
Debbie Friedman
Jewish Music Week in Toronto: From Bible to Broadway is an inaugural weeklong music festival that will take place from May 22 to 29.
Hosted by Jewish and cultural organizations, synagogues and educational institutions, the festival will celebrate diverse genres of Jewish music, catering to audiences of all ages and musical tastes.
The festival will offer a series of exciting professional concerts, recitals, lectures and musical programs, during the day and evening, at locations in the Toronto area.
Performances will be held at synagogues, hotels, restaurants, seniors residences, universities and local hot spots. Ticket prices vary, with a number of events offering free admission.
Aliza Spiro, award-winning songwriter and wife of Cantor Simon Spiro of Beth Tzedec Congregation, conceived the event. “This is the first time an event of this kind has taken place in Toronto, offering the community such an incredible profusion of professional musical talents and styles.”
The festival coincides with the international convention of the Cantors Assembly, taking place in Canada for the first time since its inception 64 years ago.
Aliza Spiro said the Jewish community, as well as the general public, will be exposed to different genres that fall into the category of Jewish music at the festival. They will also be able to see the Jewish influence within types of music that people ordinarily wouldn’t classify as Jewish.
“When people think of Jewish music, they usually think of klezmer, cantorial or Israeli. We’ll have that, but we’ll also have a session on Jewish Broadway, featuring the Jewish songwriters of Tin Pan Alley, from the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, to Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein.”
In addition, Spiro said, the festival will offer a session on the Jewish contribution to jazz and a performance of Jewish big band. “These are songs made famous by Jewish big band leaders of the ’30s and ’40s, including Benny Goodman, Harry James and Artie Shaw.”
For even more diversity, the festival will feature a string quartet playing Jewish classical music, a tribute to songwriter Debbie Friedman, who added a new dimension to synagogue prayer through music, and an evening on the Jewish influences of Bob Dylan.
Each night, there will be a major concert, said Spiro. “Sunday night [May 22] is Canadian Jewish Composers, with Toronto’s famous Mendelssohn Choir [singing alongside the cantors]. We’re introducing the Toronto audience to the cantors, but we’re introducing the cantors to Toronto’s music scene as well.”
On Monday, May 24, Marvin Hamlisch performs. “Marvin is receiving the Cantors Assembly’s highest award for his contribution to music and his work within the Jewish community. Marvin will be at the piano, telling anecdotes and premièring his new composition for Shehecheyanu, which was written specifically for the Cantors Assembly this year.”
OnTuesday, May 24, a choir from Japan, made up of Christian performers who sing in Hebrew to show their support for Israel, appear. Spiro said Wednesday night, May 25, is the highlight event of the week with Halleluyah! Greatest Hits of the Israel and Chassidic Song Festivals.
“It will be a huge concert with a 40-piece orchestra, singers and cantors from around the world, four student choirs from Toronto schools and a special appearance by Israel’s hottest new group, the Ein Prat Fountainheads.”
This concert will showcase the most beloved songs from 40 years of the hugely popular song festivals. “These songs have become part of the fabric of our musical culture. We hear them on the bimah, we hear them at summer camp, we hear them at school, we hear them at weddings. Plus, I love the fact that, in addition to the cantors and singers from around the world, we have representation from four different Toronto school choirs,” Spiro said.
“The consul general of Israel, Amir Gissin, will be appearing, too, and it’s a real chance to show solidarity with Israel. We’re expecting upwards of 1,500 people in the audience.”
On Shabbat, different synagogues in the city will be featuring special musical Friday night services. “Maybe people who don’t ordinarily go to shul on Friday night can now go for a new experience.”
Spiro said she started promoting Jewish Music Week this past winter with a student art contest in Jewish schools. “The kids of Toronto knew about Jewish Music Week before their parents did. We felt it was important to get children involved in the arts.”
With support from Baycrest, Koffler Centre for the Arts, Harold Green Jewish Theatre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Teatron Jewish Theatre, Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, Prosserman Jewish Community Centre, rabbis and synagogues, Spiro can spread her love of Jewish music.
“I think Jewish music needs exposure everywhere. For Jews, it’s a way to connect to your Jewish roots, to your personal identity as a Jew and to the Jewish community. For non-Jews, it’s important for them to connect to us. Music brings people together, and I think there will be many surprises when people see just how much music can be called Jewish music.”
Visit www.jewishmusicweek.com to view the schedule of events and for ticket information.
