Jewish Music Commission of Los Angeles

BREAKING NEWS March, 2010 - The Jewish Music Commission of Los Angeles receives a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation for a new and exciting program: the Max Helfman Institute of Jewish Music.

photo of Cantor Phil Baron The Institute was envisioned by Cantor Phil Baron of Valley Beth Shalom, formerly a songwriter for Disney Studios. A group of experienced and gifted Jewish songwriters and composers who are now actively engaged in the creation of new music but who are not writing Jewish music, will be invited to a two-day retreat at the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of the American Jewish University. With an exciting faculty including Rabbi Ed Feinstein, Dr. Ronald Wolfson and Dr. Michael Isaacson, they will be introduced to the texts and literature with which they can enrich the palette of their writing and be able to contribute to the liturgy of today's synagogue experience.

The retreat will be held on April 12th and 13th, 2010. Over the ensuing months, they will meet periodically with selected faculty, individually and as a group, and during Shabbat Shira of 2011, a concert will be presented featuring the music emanating from this experience. It is our hope to make this an annual program.

About The Foundation - Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles is the largest manager of charitable assets and the leader in planned giving solutions for Greater Los Angeles Jewish philanthropists. The Foundation currently manages assets of $690 million (as of 12/31/08) and ranks among the ten largest Los Angeles foundations. In 2008, The Foundation and its nearly 1,200 donors distributed $65-plus million in grants to hundreds of organizations with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving. For more information, please visit www.jewishfoundationla.org.

This year JMCLA is celebrating our 28th season. In 2010 we will continue presenting opportunities that enrich our Jewish spirit and bring us closer together with other cultures and religions. We are proud to provide a platform for creative talent while fostering a deeper understanding of diverse peoples and their music.

Join us as we continue to support new opportunities for the composition and performance of Jewish music. Our next event, the Seventh Annual Interfaith Symposium and Concert happens March 14. Join us at 1pm for discussion and debate followed by a 3pm concert conducted by Nick Strimple. This year, the Interfaith Symposium topic is Facing the Storm – Sources of Faith in Art, Theology and Music. For more details, download the flier.

On November 11, 2009, we honored our United States Veterans with a Veteran's Day Concert. Sam Glaser and Friends performed a concert of Songs of Love, Songs of Devotion and Song for Peace - Veterans Day 2009 (World Premiere).

Our most recent event on December 18, A Musical Shabbat Chanukkah, featured Aminadav Aloni’s Cantata “Or Ha’am” - The Light of a Nation and other Hanukkah favorites. The Valley Beth Shalom Congregational Choir performed with Soloists Cantor Phil Baron, Elaine Rosen, Jennifer Rea Hardin and Ariella Vaccarino accompanied by Members of the LA Jewish Symphony with Concertmaster Mark Kashper under the direction of Dr. Noreen Green, Music Director.