Composer and conductor Michael J. Shapiro, 71, will premiere his new Requiem ‘Voices’ on 10 November. Timed to coincide with the anniversary of Kristallnacht, it will take place at New York City’s Central Synagogue. The performance features Daniel Mutlu, the Senior Cantor of Central Synagogue, Ember Choral Arts and the American Modern Ensemble, conducted by Deborah Simpkin King.
The video broadcast from Central Synagogue will be livestreamed on its YouTube and Facebook channels, and a recording will be issued through Paumanok Records.
The concept for Voices was born more than 20 years ago when Shapiro served as Music Consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. According to Shapiro, “The composition delivers an ending that bespeaks longing for a Jewish homeland, through which the voices of those stilled by evil and tyranny will be heard.”