Moshe Knoll's Cantata PSALM 133 to Receive NJ Premiere in 'PRAYER FOR PEACE' Concert at NJPAC

Contemporary classical composer Moshe Knoll's cantata "Psalm 133" will receive its New Jersey premiere on October 27, 2017 in "Prayer for Peace: The Power of One Voice" at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) under the baton of Jason Tramm.

The cantata for Soprano, Violin, and String Orchestra will be performed by noted soprano soloist Allison Charney and celebrated violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins together with the MidAtlantic Opera Orchestra. Moshe Knoll's composition will be performed alongside Peteris Vasks' (Dona Nobis Pacem) Arnold Schönberg's (A Survivor from Warsaw) and Beethoven's immortal Ninth Symphony.

Of the concert and its theme conductor Jason Tramm described "Prayer for Peace" as a celebration of the power of music to unite and inspire. "Each of the varied works selected for the program reflect upon the power of one voice to inspire change. I'm delighted to present Israeli born composer, Moshe Knoll's Psalm 133 for the first time in New Jersey. Knoll's work is both a serene and powerful evocation of King David's call for unity, issued over three millennia ago - yet equally relevant today.

"Through this musical experience, and the generosity of many supporters and concert-goers, we hope to shine a light on the important role of music in diplomacy," explains Andrea Bartoli, Dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. The School of Diplomacy, along with the College of Communication and the Arts, are co-sponsors of Prayer for Peace. "Our goal," Bartoli adds, "is to reflect on the contribution that the arts have made to peace in conflict situations, and to raise funding for scholarships that will enable young men and women affected by conflict to attend Seton Hall." Proceeds from the concert will fund a scholarship to aid refugee students to pursue a degree from Seton Hall.

"Prayer for Peace: The Power of One Voice" will feature the MidAtlantic Opera Orchestra, renown international guest soloists soprano Allison Charney, mezzo soprano Karolina Pilou, tenor Adam Klein, baritone Mark Delavan, violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins, actor Jordan Charney the Seton Hall University Chorus, together with artists, musicians and choristers from throughout New Jersey under the baton of noted American conductor and Seton Hall University Assistant Professor Jason Tramm.

In alternating years Tramm had made it his mission to create a cycle of peace inspired classical concerts among several of the New Jersey music entities he conducts throughout the work of his season. "My inspiration" said Tramm, "is Leonard Bernstein's artistic mandate 'This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.' In 2015, the first of Tramm's peace trilogies, united two concerts which took place at The Great Auditorium at Ocean Grove, with the debut performance of "Prayer for Peace" at Carnegie Hall. In 2017, with "Prayer for Peace" scheduled for October - a month nationally dedicated to American Arts and Humanities and celebrated in New Jersey as 'Discover Jersey Arts Month' - the organizers decided to select NJPAC, the state's signature concert venue, as the concert location. Musicians from throughout New Jersey including the Bergen County based Adelphi Orchestra, choristers from Monmouth County's Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and the Morris County based Morris Choral Society will join in the performance. Earlier this year Maestro Tramm conducted the Morris Choral Society's presentation of the New Jersey premiere of Karl Jenkins "The Peacemakers" the initial concert of Tramm's extraordinary performance trilogy dedicated to peace and the collective community of peacemakers.

Of Tramm's August 27, 2017 Sacred Masterworks Concert at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, which featured the Adelphi Orchestra (AO), Sylvia Rubin, Executive Director of the AO, said "the gathering together of hundreds of musicians and audience to experience musical masterworks celebrating one of the world's most renown peacemakers in the historic hall was nothing short of inspirational." "We're so proud of Jason Tramm's ability to bring people from throughout NJ together, underscoring unity, reminding us that each voice for peace is precious, and the collective voice is powerful," said Ms. Rubin.

Describing his work, composer Moshe Knoll said it "is a setting of the original, Biblical Hebrew text of Psalm 133. The piece is conceived like a movement from a Bach Cantata, with a vocal line that interacts with a solo instrument. The time signature of 5/4 creates an aura of timelessness, a desire to transcend the limitations of space and time. The modal harmonic progressions, and the deep, granitic bass line also contribute to create a sense of openness and mysticism. The composition is a spiritual affirmation of faith in times of trouble and uncertainty."

---

IF YOU GO:

PRAYER FOR PEACE: THE POWER OF ONE VOICE

Friday October 27 at 8PM

NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (NJPAC)

PRUDENTIAL HALL
1 Center Street
Newark, NJ 07102

Tickets $10 -$80
Box office 1-888-466-5722

---

Photo by Laura Jean Goldberg

To post a comment, you must register and login.