The Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir has its spring concert on June 15, at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. (photo from VJFC)
The Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir’s spring concert this year celebrates the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture’s 80th anniversary.
Since it was established in 1979, the choir has been recovering, preserving and singing traditional and contemporary Jewish folk music. This year’s concert – on June 15, 7 p.m., at the Peretz Centre – features “Ikh bin a yid,” a cantata by Vladimir Heifetz (1894-1970), based on the poem by Itzik Feffer (1900-1952). Feffer was a Soviet Yiddish poet and member of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee who was executed on the Night of the Murdered Poets. The poem emphasizes how, through courage and creativity, the Jewish people have survived centuries of adversity.
The choir also will perform “Sankt besht,” a poem by Itsik Manger set to music by Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir director David Millard. In the poem, the Baal Shem Tov (the 18th-century Jewish mystic and founder of the Hasidic movement) is awakened from sleep and meditates on grief, joy and dreams.
On the program, as well, is a selection of songs arranged by choir founder Searle Friedman, including “Doyres Zingen” (“Generations Sing”), based on a poem by Ben Chud, first principal of the Peretz Shule.
For concert tickets, visit peretz-centre.org. General admission is $36, but, until May 31, people can get tickets for $12 each. However, no one turned away for lack of funds – there is a “pay as you can” option.
– Courtesy Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir