String Quartet No. 4. “Kaddish קדיש"

In Judaism, the Mourners Kaddish is a prayer said over the dead. I originally wrote this over the COVID lockdown in 2020, inspired by personal loss. My aim was not to concretize any specific event but to capture the pain I was going through at the time. I personally can’t think of a more appropriate time to share this work, and to do so with respect to ALL of the innocent lives that have been lost in these dark and horrible times.

For more information about the work, visit here:

https://www.derekdavid.com/string-quartet-no-4

Read original newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/e546a0120a14/yiddish-dreams-and-futures?fbclid=IwAR3HCMOrq9c7M1YgwseBcbA_8bbZX4xr0H3O1jDbDA8p1zytuYjQov5BCnM

Yiddish Dreams & Futures
March 18th, 7:00pm
Kresge Auditorium

Hi friends,

Please join me for a wonderful evening with some of the finest musicians in the country! Thank you to all my collaborators, supporters, and musicians. The concert is free and will be livestreamed, but I encourage you to support the Boston Festival for New Jewish Music by purchasing a ticket. 

Yiddish Dreams & Futures

The Boston Festival for New Jewish Music presents Yiddish Dreams & Futures, a portrait concert of composer Derek David, featuring new vocal and chamber works that reflect upon Jewish identity and Yiddish culture in a contemporary landscape.

The concert, hosted by MIT Music & Theater Arts in Kresge Auditorium, will feature the full premiere of Derek’s Clarinet Quintet “Oh World, Goodnight” by Del Sol and Andrew Friedman, and the premiere of String Quartet No. 4 “Kaddish” with Verona Quartet.

Vocal works will include a performance of "Four Yiddish Folksongs" featuring Nat Seelen and Abigale Reisman of Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band, pianist Renena Gutman, and soprano Megan Jones, as well as choral works with A Besere Velt, the world’s largest Yiddish chorus.

This project is supported by a grant from the Combined Jewish Philanthropies Arts & Culture Community Impact Grant Fund. The Clarinet Quintet was co-commissioned by the Rossini Club and the Del Sol Performing Arts Organization.

Tickets and More Info

Excited to have a score follower for my String Quartet No. 1!

Other News:

• I will be working on an expansive Viola Suite for violist Jesse Morrison in the summer. This work will be featured on Jesse's album to be released near the end of the year.

• Take a look at this wonderful interview with #BFNJM

• I will be directing A Besere Velt with guest artist Daniel Kahn in the Spring.

Please stay in touch and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the concert in-person or virtually,

Derek David
www.derekdavid.com

Looking forward to singing two folksongs in Yiddish for the season opener of The Boston Festival of New Jewish Music. Tomorrow, October 26th at the Boston Synagogue, 7:00PM.

Enjoyed speaking with Hannah Gelman and Jonah Massey for the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music!

I am excited and honored to be selected in the Spring 2022 #FollowMyScore call for works! Check out my piece from 2017, "Et in Bergamo Ego" A Comedia dell'Arte Ballet scored for 5 cellos, performed and commissioned by SAKURA Cello Quintet.

Please join me as I direct ‘A Besere Velt’, the chorus of the Boston Workmen’s Circle for their first concert in three years, featuring a program of old and new Yiddish songs with guest artists Polina Shepherd and Lorin Sklamberg.

A Besere Velt will perform my four arrangements (and adaptations of arrangements) of various Yiddish songs arranged for the chorus and soloists. These include worker's songs, folksongs, and a Yiddish Version of I am open by Holly Near. I have also adopted two beautiful Yiddish choral works from the 30's for our choir, one of which is a Mayday song. Additionally, I have created Yiddish texts to two exquisite canons for the chorus by Clemens non Papa and William Byrd.

For more information about my Four Yiddish Folksongs, visit the webpage here.