What will the next act be? My children's peace opera had its world premiere last month, the Middle East is rapidly changing, and I ask myself, what will the next act be, for both my music and for the Middle East? My children's opera “The Classroom” (...)
New years seem to bring with them a renewed sense of hope. This sense of hope and a desire for peace will find an important new voice on Wednesday night, January 26th at a public elementary school in upstate, New York. But the kids of New Scotland (...)
There's an old Woody Allen joke that goes something like this: “Some people strive for immortality through the art they create. I prefer to strive for immortality by living forever.”
I'm not sure what got me thinking about posterity lately. (...)
There is a cultural debate going on. It's not new. In fact, it is centuries old. It is a contest between popular culture and the preservation of a classical heritage. As a music professor I feel this tension keenly. I primarily teach classical (...)
Students who sign up for my Music Analysis class might think it is just another music theory class. That is, were it not for the stories. They all have heard the stories from students who had taken my class about how hard it is. The papers, the (...)
I usually address issues regarding culture and music, but recent events compel me to speak out regarding a particular matter. I am deeply outraged by the news that an extremist clergyman in my country plans to commemorate the September 11 attacks by (...)
Not far from where I live church bells sound twice a day, every day. They sound at 6 am and 12 pm. I often wonder what happens after the bells sound. I know this is a calling to prayer of some kind, but I do not know what goes on behind the walls of (...)
Thanks to Bikya Masr, I was introduced to the writing of journalist and commentator Ghassan Rubeiz, whose work has appeared here. In response to one of his articles, I contacted Ghassan and through email exchanges I was delighted to learn that he (...)
The recent Fourth of July holiday in the U.S., was an opportunity for me to once again appreciate the gift of liberty that I enjoy in my country. It is a gift that came with much sacrifice two hundred and thirty four years ago. And it seems the (...)
Dear Readers,
I am pleased to announce the creation of my latest musical work, a new opera called “The Classroom.” I offer this description:
During the course of the 40 minute, one-act opera “The Classroom,” students sing about the joys of (...)
In the past weeks we have witnessed some tragic and heartbreaking stories. What I would like to share with you, however, is an inspiring story of two choirs, thousands of miles apart that are both doing wonderful things and represent the best of (...)
Here in the U.S., it's my favorite time of the year–baseball season. Ah, the wonderful sounds of baseball, the crack of the bat, the cheering of the crowd. But there is one sound that isn't always “music to my ears”–the playing of our national (...)
To my readers: I was away last week attending two performances of my composition The Days of Struggle and Discovery (In Praise of Explorers). My music was performed by the Carson City Symphony. Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada, in (...)
This week saw competing conferences on atomic weapons and disarmament, one in Washington and one in Tehran. One can only hope some day for a “disarmament” race.
For many, the threat of a nuclear catastrophe is ever-present in the back of our (...)
I took notice of the news that Israeli director Keren ben Rafael's film “Almost Normal” was removed from a film series in Cairo organized by French Cultural Center. This in turn precipitated cancellation of the entire series. From what I understand, (...)
You would think that as I composer I am in favor of music, and generally you would be right. But aren't there times when silence is wonderful! I certainly can't compose in a noisy space. I have two piano keyboards in my studio and I'll be composing (...)
Last week I mentioned the story of the Soviet composer Dmitry Shostakovich and how he was influenced by his government to compose in a certain way. This brings up some important questions. For one, what role should a government play in influencing a (...)
Well over two thousand years ago, the ancient Greeks believed music had many powers, among them the powers to heal, to incite people to action, to educate and to ennoble the mind and the spirit. We hold many of these same beliefs today. We use songs (...)
I watched an interesting television show about genetics and DNA the other evening on American Public Broadcasting. The show, Faces of America, traced the journey of several prominent Americans of different ethnic and racial backgrounds as they had (...)
Dear Readers: this is my first installment in what I hope will be a long and interesting dialogue with you about music, culture in general, and peace (and how they can all be interrelated). Because this is my first writing, it seems appropriate to (...)