News Items
Musical Echoes of Ukraine in the American Jewish Experience
May 05, 2022
Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony is arguably his most important concert work and most profound musical expression of his crisis of faith. But its linchpin is actually a variation on Hasidic legend from Ukraine in which a rebbe confronts God for failing to protect the Jewish people.
Welcoming the Stranger This Passover - With Generosity and Music (and Tovah!)
March 30, 2022
The theme of “welcoming the stranger” is central in the observance and celebration of Passover.
William Schuman’s “Judith”: How a Ballet Score Helped Save an Orchestra
February 16, 2022
Like many of his contemporaries, composer William Schuman harbored a love for American jazz and popular music. In fact, before pursuing composition studies in his twenties, it is estimated that he wrote nearly 150 popular songs.
The Malavsky Sisters: In Their Own Words
January 11, 2022
Cantor Samuel Malavsky was born in Russia in 1894. Like so many cantors of his generation, he learned the cantorial trade as a meshorer, or chorister. When he came to the U. S.
NOW PLAYING: The greats of Jewish music, in their own words
December 15, 2021
One of the founding goals of the Milken Archive was to document and preserve the music of the American Jewish Experience. As part of that, over 800 hours of oral history video interviews were recorded with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
Music, Menorahs & More Hanukkah Giveaway
November 11, 2021
It's hard to believe that Hannukah is only two weeks (and one Thanksgiving weekend) away! As the days get shorter here in North America, it's the perfect holiday to bring light back into our lives—literally and metaphorically—with family, candles and, of course, music.
A New Virtual Exhibit from Ofer Ben-Amots
October 28, 2021
Dear Milken Archive Visitor, When Milken Archive Curator Jeff Janeczko approached me with an offer to curate a virtual exhibit for the Milken Archive, I felt both pleased and terrified.
Historic High Holy Days Giveaway
August 17, 2021
With the year winding down and Rosh Hashanah rapidly approaching, it's a time of reflection and inspiration. At the Milken Archive, it's also time for our annual High Holy Days Giveaway.
Holding Fast to Faith and Hope
July 13, 2021
This Saturday, July 17th, is also the eighth day of the Hebrew month of Av. As Shabbat ends, a day of mourning—one of the most holy days of the year—begins.
REDISCOVER Ralph Shapey: Radical Traditionalist
June 10, 2021
If composer Ralph Shapey (1921–2002) was anything, he was a fighter—a disposition that may have been instilled in him at birth. Two weeks after he was born, he contracted double pneumonia and was not expected to live.
