Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York presents San Francisco Bay Area Jewish composers

The Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies and the Department of Music in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design are proud to present a chamber music recital celebrating the music of San Francisco Bay Area Jewish composers Ernest Bloch, Darius Milhaud and Brian S. Wilson as part of the annual “Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York” series. The diverse program will be performed by acclaimed York department of music faculty Katherine Dowling (piano), Amy Hillis (violin) and distinguished guests Cheryl Duvall (piano) and Anthony Thompson (clarinet) with composer Brian S. Wilson in attendance.

The history of the Jews in San Francisco began with the California Gold Rush in the second half of the 19th-century, notably with Levi Strauss. Today, the San Francisco Bay Area has the fourth largest Jewish population in the United States after New York City, southeast Florida and metropolitan Los Angeles. As of 2021, Jews comprise 4% of the total Bay Area population.

Jews have played a significant role in the artistic life of the San Francisco Bay Area. In this concert we focus on three of them: Ernest Bloch, Darius Milhaud, and Brian S. Wilson. Each one draws significantly on their Jewish heritage and upbringing.

Ernest Bloch immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1916 and to San Francisco in 1925. Among his best-known works are Schelomo and Sacred Service. Darius Milhaud was a prolific, mid-century French composer whose students at Mills College included Take Five composer Dave Brubeck and the pop music icon Burt Bacharach. Bay Area transplant Brian S. Wilson has made his home across the Golden Gate Bridge since 2001. He is Professor of Music and Composition at Sonoma State University.

You will hear a concert of chamber music featuring the clarinet, violin, cello and piano. Works will include Bloch’s From Jewish Life, Pictures of Hasidic Life for violin and piano; Milhaud’s trio for clarinet, violin and piano and Wilson’s recent, Talmud-inspired Elements: Fire, Air, Water and Earth for clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

“Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York” is a performance and lecture series dedicated to showcasing the multicultural diversity of Jewish musical expression as well as the ongoing intersections between Jewish and non-Jewish musical practices and communities. The initiative is driven by an inclusive philosophy that believes in the power of music to serve as a bridge-builder and a vehicle for cultural exchange and dialogue.

The series has been made possible via the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation.

Sunday, November 17, 2024
Tribute Communities Recital Hall 
3:00 p.m.
FREE 
Register HERE