This local choral group is one of the few groups in Chicago to focus exclusively on traditional Jewish Choral music. The chorus was founded in 1926 by Harry Coopersmith and Hyman Reznick (who directed the chorus for the next 38 years). Halevi has 26 members (all professional singers) and has been led since 1984 by Judith H. Karzen, a well-known international authority on Jewish music performance. The chorus performs in numerous traditional Jewish styles including Ashkenazic (Eastern European), Sephardic (Mediterranean), Ladino (Spanish), Yemenite (Middle Eastern), and Yiddish (Eastern and Western European). In 1988 the chorus represented the United States at the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the foundation of the modern State of Israel. In the same year the chorus debuted Kristallnacht a cantata commissioned for the chorus by Charles Davidson and Ruth Brinn. The work was performed in memorial of the 50th anniversary of the Kristallnacht. The chorus also performs numerous holiday concerts and special engagements.
For more information, visit their website: http://www.vjc.org/halevi/
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