Composer Lawrence Siegel Hosts Lunch and Learn at Nazareth College, Jan. 15

ROCHESTER, NY (01/09/2015)(readMedia)-- "A window is closing. As the youngest Holocaust survivors now approach their nineties, it is more important than ever to hear their stories."

Those are the words of composer Lawrence Siegel who captured interviews with survivors of the Holocaust and created his composition Kaddish - I Am Here, an innovative, engaging and inspiring new work for chorus, soloists and chamber orchestra. By singing the actual words of Holocaust survivors, Kaddish creates empathy with the audience and hopes to raise awareness of the global crisis of genocide. He is showcasing his multi-media presentation in with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

Earlier that day, Siegel is speaking at Nazareth College for a free and open to the public "Lunch and Learn" from 12:10 - 1:05 p.m. The event will be in the Nazareth College Arts Center Auditorium 14, in the lower level of the Arts Center at 4245 East Avenue. Guests should park in the Arts Center lot (entrance with traffic light off East Avenue in Pittsford).

Kaddish, named for the Jewish prayer for the dead, is a one-hour cycle of 15 original songs for orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists. It was commissioned in 2005 by the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College (NH) to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Dividing the work into three sections - The World Before, The Holocaust, and Tikkun Olam ("Repair the World") - composer Lawrence Siegel also created the libretto, drawn primarily from his first-hand interviews with Holocaust survivors and sung in Hebrew, English and German. The score also incorporates elements of folk songs and Klezmer music (traditional Jewish music, originating in Eastern Europe).

Led by guest conductor Eugene Tzigane, Kaddish will feature a 165-voice community chorus made up of Rochester Oratorio Society (Eric Townell, director) singers as well as vocalists from area temples. Vocal soloists are Rebecca Shorstein (soprano), Carla Dirlikov (mezzo-soprano), Dominic Armstrong (tenor) and John Moore (baritone).

The concert coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Allied Forces liberation of the World War II Nazi concentration camps, and will open with Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Sinfonietta No. 1, Op. 41. Weinberg, a Polish Jew, who lost most of his family in the Trawniki concentration camp. Following the Weinberg piece, award-winning composer Siegel himself will participate in a brief discussion onstage prior to the Rochester debut of his work.

Please visit kaddishproject.org for more information.