James Whitbourn & More Set for Special ANNELIES Conversation at Lowenstein Auditorium, 4/24

Distinguished British composer James Whitbourn, nationally renowned choir conductor James Jordan and internationally celebrated soprano Arianna Zukerman will participate in a special moderated discussion and Q & A with the audience of Whitbourn's internationally acclaimed Annelies, the first major choral setting of The Diary of Anne Frank, on April 24, 2014. Taking place at the Lowenstein Auditorium of Manhattan's Temple Emanu-El on the Upper Eastside at 6:30 PM, this conversation will include the Grammy nominated artists' roles in bringing the work, commissioned by the Jewish Music Institute of London, and premiered at a royal commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005, to life.

Mr. Whitbourn, with his librettist, Melanie Challenger, was given unique access to the Anne Frank Foundation and support from the surviving family to use the Diary. Maestro Jordan, one of the foremost conductors on choral music in the country, was instrumental in bringing the work to the United States and gave the US premiere. New York native Ms. Zukerman sang the premiere of the completed chamber version in The Hague, Netherlands, on the occasion of what would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday and has since performed the oratorio around the country.

Annelies: A Conversation with the Artists

April 24, 2014 at 6:30 PM

Lowenstein Auditorium, Temple Emanu-El

10 East 66th Street, New York City

TICKETS (required for entrance to event):

General $15; $10 students and seniors

Call (480) 269-7652

or visit

http://www.anneliesnyc.com/discussion

Temple Emanu-El members call 212 744-1400 ext. 311

Included among the discussion topics of Annelies also will be the work's relevance for future generations increasingly removed from the atrocities of the Holocaust. Selections of the GRAMMY nominated (Best Choral Performance) critically acclaimed 2013 Naxos recording of Annelies, which features the performers in the April 26, 2014 Lincoln Center concert, will also be played.

Music Web International has praised, "This is timeless music, setting extracts from the diaries of Anne Frank. ...for me it joins Britten's War Requiem and Tippett's A Child of our Time as a major work bewailing the inhumanity of twentieth-century man to man, though it's very different in tone from either of them. The music is uplifting, yet never in such a way as to draw attention to itself from the words of Anne Frank - with one brief exception, describing the fate of the family, everything here comes from her. Performances are exemplary."
The New York City premiere of Annelies will be held at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, on April 26, 2014 at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.The performance, in addition to Ms. Zukerman and Maesto Jordan, also includes renowned musicians clarinetist Bharat Chandra, the Lincoln Trio, and The Westminster Williamson Voices. The concert is presented by Daniel Schwartz of Schwartz Arts & Entertainment. Additional information about the performance and tickets to the April 26 concert may be purchased by visiting www.anneliesnyc.com

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