JTS Presents: The Israeli Chamber Project with Samuel Rhodes, an Evening of Chamber Music from The Juilliard School featuring Tibi Cziger (clarinet), Michal Korman (cello), Assaff Weisman (piano), Carmit Zori (violin), with special guest artist Samuel Rhodes (viola) will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), located at 3080 Broadway (corner 122nd Street) in New York City. The Israeli Chamber Project (ICP) will perform a wide-ranging program of favorite classics and recent works influenced by Jewish culture, including music of Mozart, Schulhoff, Brahms, and the New York premiere of music by Israeli composer Jonathan Keren.
Admission to the concert is by ticket only. Tickets are $10 each; students with a valid school ID—as well as JTS alumni, faculty, students, and staff—may request up to two free tickets each. Space is limited. Order tickets now at www.jtsa.edu/JuilliardFall2014. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for check-in, and have photo ID available.
This concert is the culmination of The Juilliard School’s fifth daylong residency of educational and inspirational performances and master classes at JTS, and the first of the 2014–2015 academic year. “These residencies and concerts by the Juilliard School,” says Dr. Alan Cooper, Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies and provost of JTS, “are a significant step forward in our effort to make the creative arts a vital presence in the life and culture of The Jewish Theological Seminary. The JTS Arts Initiative, launched by Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen with the energetic and able support of our distinguished Arts Advisory Board, is already causing a stir with exciting new ventures such as this one with Juilliard-and there is much more to come.”
The artists of the award-winning ICP are joined by a common passion for music-making and the musical traditions of their native Israel. Acclaimed in performances around the world, they juxtapose music from the standard classical repertoire with music born in and influenced by Israeli and Jewish culture. Works of Mozart and Brahms bookend this program, which also features the New York premiere of celebrated Israeli composer Jonathan Keren’s Infracta, commissioned by the ICP, as well as Erwin Schulhoff’s energetic, folk-inspired Duo for Violin and Cello. The ensemble is joined by legendary violist Samuel Rhodes, who served as the Juilliard String Quartet’s violist for 44 seasons until his retirement in 2013.
Founded in 2008, ICP brings together some of today’s most distinguished musicians for chamber music concerts and educational and outreach programs. A dynamic ensemble that features classic and rarely heard chamber masterworks, as well as newly commissioned music from Israeli composers, ICP performs at major concert venues and lesser-known locations where chamber music concerts are rare. It provides educational programs—including master classes and lessons to underprivileged communities—and increases the audience’s understanding of and involvement with music by providing commentary from the stage. Based both in Israel and New York City, ICP was named the winner of the 2011 Israeli Ministry of Culture Outstanding Ensemble Award. Among the ensemble’s members are prizewinners at Tchaikovsky International Competition, Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, Avery Fisher Career Grant, and Gaspar Cassado Cello Competition.
Called an “exciting soloist” by the New York Times, clarinetist Tibi Cziger is the artistic director and founder of ICP, and has performed in numerous concerts, television and radio broadcasts, and music festivals in Israel, Korea, Europe, and the United States. He appeared as a soloist with the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, iPalpiti Orchestra, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Metropolis Ensemble, and Israel Chamber Orchestra. A Gaspar Cassado and George Enescu International Cello competitions prize winner, cellist Michal Korman has performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, Tokyo Philharmonic, and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Peru, and at Israel’s major venues. Ms. Korman is a cofounding member of ICP. Pianist Assaff Weisman’s performances have taken him to some of the major venues of Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. These include Prague’s Rudolfinum, Beethovenhalle Bonn, The Hague’s Dr. Anton Philips Hall, and New York City’s Lincoln Center. He is a cofounding member and executive director of ICP. Violinist Carmit Zori is the recipient of the Levintritt Foundation and Pro Musicis International awards, and the top prize in the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Special guest artist Samuel Rhodes has been a member of The Juilliard School’s viola faculty for 46 years; he is currently department chair. Distinguished US composers Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, and Donald Martino have written works especially for Mr. Rhodes.
The Juilliard School established this country’s standard for performing arts education in music (1905), adding dance (1951) and, as a founding member of Lincoln Center in 1968, drama. Currently more than 800 young artists from 44 states (plus Washington DC) and 46 foreign countries attend Juilliard.
The Jewish Theological Seminary serves North American Jewry by educating intellectual and spiritual leaders for Conservative Judaism and the vital religious center, training rabbis, cantors, scholars, educators, communal professionals, and lay activists who are inspired by our vision of Torah and dedicated to assisting in its realization.