Oratorio To Join Brooklyn Philharmonic in Remembrance

On Saturday evening, November 9, the Westchester Oratorio Society will renew its affiliation with Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra in a special appearance at the 12th Annual Interfaith Committee Concert of Remembrance at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, performing the Finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This will be WOS's second appearance with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the singers' second performance of the Ninth's Finale which they performed two seasons ago at Carnegie Hall with the Manhattan Symphony. The Interfaith Committee of Remembrance is the brainchild of Jerry Jacobs, a Manhattan businessman who lost 30 members of his family in the Holocaust, including his father, a violist in the Lodz Symphony, in Poland, and his brother, a violinist. Mr. Jacobs, a camp survivor himself, says he was "not involved with anything to do with the Holocaust" until age 50. It was soon after attending a concert at C.W. Post College, where a performance by a children's chorus of Ronald Senator's "Kaddish for Terezin," a work dedicated to the victims of the death camp at Terezin, Czechoslovakia, so moved him, that he embarked on his current journey. Mr. Jacobs does most of the fund raising and oversees most details of the concert for the foundation, which also awards a humanitarian award each year. Gov. Pataki and Rudy Giuliani both serve as honorary chairmen of a board which includes Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Rep. Tom Lantos and Manhattan Borough president, C. Virginia Fields. The concert committee includes such noted musicians as David Amram, Lukas Foss and Eugenia Zukerman. The concert involves artists of all faiths coming together to commemorate in what is the largest cathedral in the world. The program of music and poetry includes several New York and world premiere pieces. In addition to the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the oratorio society will be sharing the stage with the Trinity Church Choir and many acclaimed soloists, led by the renowned Russian conductor, Arkady Leytush, and with the highly respected stage and screen actor, Fritz Weaver (who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dr. Josef Weiss in the 1978 NBC miniseries "Holocaust"), as Narrator. More information about the program can be found at www.holocaust-concerts.org. The evening begins at 8 P.M. Admission is free. WOS's first local area concert of the season will be on Saturday evening, January 11, when, under the direction of its Artistic Director, Harold Rosenbaum, the group will present an all-Schubert program at the Mary Lou Meese Theater in Bedford with its own acclaimed professional orchestra, as well as noted professional soloists. This year, the oratorio society will hold its annual benefit dinner at the Hammond Museum in North Salem on Saturday evening, April 5, 2003, featuring a performance by the world-renowned pianist, Misha Dichter. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings in South Salem. Auditions for new singers are on-going. For more information, or to audition, call 914-763-9389, or visit the group's web site at www.westchesteroratorio.org