in PDF File - The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation

02-05 Partners of Hope 1/30/07 10:43 AM Page 1 

Monday Evening, February 5, 2007, at 8:00 

Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Family Stage 

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation 

presents 

PARTNERS OF HOPE 

Honoring Bravery and Humanitarianism: 

Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust 

with 

ANNA VELEVA, Soprano 

DAVID BROZA, Singer/Composer 

WESTFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 

DAVID WROE, Music Director 

PRO ARTE CHORALE 

DAVID CRONE, Music Director 

Featuring the world premiere of ROBERT COHEN’S 

Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System 

a musical dramatization of poems by HYAM PLUTZIK 

and special presentations by 

UNITED NATIONS UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL SHASHI THAROOR 

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UN DAN GILLERMAN 

ELEANOR REISSA 

WELCOME ABIGAIL TENEMBAUM, International 

Raoul Wallenberg Foundation 

Tribute to Bulgarian Rescue 

SHASHI THAROOR, United Nations Under-Secretary- 

General 

ROBERT COHEN Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System (2006) 

for soloists, chorus, and orchestra 

poems by Hyam Plutzik 

“Elegy” 

“The Uneasy Hedonist” 

“Connecticut Autumn” 

“The Milkman” 

“Shoeless Joe Jackson” 

program continued 

PLEASE SWITCH OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES.


“The Premonition” 

“Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System” 




ANDREW OAKDEN, Baritone 

Tribute to Greek Rescue 

SOLOMON ASSER 

G. ZL.CHERKIN Art Song: “The Blue-eyed Girl” 

(1905–1977) 

G. ZL.CHERKIN “Rebellious Song” 

GIACOMO PUCCINI “Quando m’en vo soletta” from La bohème 

(1858–1924) 

GAETANO DONIZETTI “Regnava nel silenzio” from Lucia di Lammermoor 

(1797–1848) 


Tribute to Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Portuguese 

(1885–1950) 

SHEILA ABRANCHES 


Intermission 

Excerpts on Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish (1912–?) 

DAN GILLERMAN, Israeli Ambassador to the UN 

AMBROISE THOMAS “Je suis Titania” from Mignon 

(1811–1896) 

RABBI EZRIEL “Ani Ma’amin” (I Believe) 

DOVID FASTAG 


ROZENTAL AND VEKSLER “Yisrolik” 

ELEANOR REISSA, Actress 


WOLFGANG AMADEUS Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550 

MOZART (1756–1791) Molto allegro 

Andante 

Allegro assai 



RABBI ROBERT N. LEVINE, 

President, New York Board of Rabbis 

“Yihiyeh Tov” (There Will Be Goodness) 

DAVID BROZA, Singer/Composer


WELCOME 

It is with pleasure that we welcome you to a special artistic program to commemorate 

the Holocaust and recognize those who displayed extraordinary 

courage in saving Jews from genocide. Tonight’s program, Partners of Hope. 

Honoring Bravery and Humanitarianism: Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust 

follows shortly after the United Nations-designated Holocaust Remembrance 

Day and features prominent musicians, entertainers, and other notable figures in 

a moving tribute. 

More than 60 years ago, among the horrors of the Holocaust, incredible acts of 

courage occurred. The entire Jewish population of Bulgaria was rescued thanks to 

the extraordinary and widespread response of people who refused to capitulate 

to Nazi genocide. Diplomats such as Raoul Wallenberg and Aristides de Sousa 

Mendes saved tens of thousands, while risking their own lives and careers. 

Families, priests, and peasants saved individuals from certain death. There are 

thousands of stories of bravery and humanitarianism that we must share with 

future generations. 

Tonight we bring together those stories and a fitting combination of renowned 

performers and readers from Israel, Bulgaria, the United States, India, and other 

countries, all unified in this tribute to those who proved by their actions that one 

person can make a difference. 

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, with branches in New York, 

Buenos Aires, and Jerusalem, is a public non-profit non-governmental organization. 

Its mission is to develop educational programs and public awareness 

campaigns based on the values of solidarity and civic courage, ethical cornerstones 

of the saviors of the Holocaust. 

Raoul Wallenberg is a Swedish diplomat, missing since January 1945, who saved 

the lives of tens of thousands of Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis during 

World War II. 

More than 200 Nobel Prize laureates, heads of state, and other dignitaries are 

among the IRWF’s honorary members. These include Tom Lantos, congressman 

from California, who was personally saved by Raoul Wallenberg; Rudolph 

Giuliani; George Pataki; the Dalai Lama; and Elie Wiesel. 

We hope you enjoy tonight’s performance as we celebrate these stories of rescue. 

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation 

34 East 67th St., Second Floor 

New York, NY 10021 

Tel: 212–737–3275 

Fax: 212–535–6262 

E-mail: irwf@irwf.org 

Website: www.raoulwallenberg.net


Notes ON THE PROGRAM 

ROBERT COHEN Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System 

This work for soloists, chorus, and 

chamber orchestra is a musical dramatization 

of seven poems by Hyam 

Plutzik, recognized by many as one of 

the great unheralded poets of the 20th 

century. Plutzik, nominated for a 

Pulitzer Prize in 1961, was the John H. 

Deane Professor of Poetry and Rhetoric 

at the University of Rochester. The work 

consists of settings of seven poems from 

the collection Hyam Plutzik: The Collected 

Poems, published by Boa Editions 

in 1987 with a foreword by Anthony 

Hecht. In selecting the poems, I wanted 

to choose a variety of poetic images 

and personas—some literal, some paradoxical, 

and some metaphorical—that 

would in total form a unifying arc. My 

approach was to imagine each poem/ 

movement as an exploration of individual 

aspects of the poet’s own persona 

and points of view. Because many 

of Hyam Plutzik’s poems are serious, 

enigmatic, and mysterious, I wanted 

to balance those musical settings with 

contrasting ones—occasionally drawing 

on elements of musical theater— 

that contained elements of humor and 

irony. Plutzik’s belief that “there is a 

Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System 

by Hyam Plutzik 

“Elegy” 

He walked quietly among the loud ones, 

In the first world and the eternities following, 

Till the pale flame of the spirit sank 

And flickered out in the last wilderness. 

veil over the surface of things,” and that 

“occasionally, in a fortunate moment, 

from some object in itself trivial—a 

tree, a stone, a house, a hand—the veil 

is brushed away, and we see the shape 

of truth” very much describes the 

challenge of finding a musical vocabulary 

with which to both illuminate and 

add meaning to his poems without 

losing the beauty and impact of the 

language. As in much great poetry, the 

text provides as many questions as 

answers. While some of the poems revealed 

themselves in a more concrete 

way, others were far more elusive, requiring 

me to work on a more abstract 

and intuitive level. It seems to me that 

much of the dark sense of irony not 

only was an integral aspect of his personality 

but also stems from the period 

during World War II when Hyam—a 

Jew—was stationed in England and 

saw first-hand the early hints of the 

nightmare of darkness and death, and 

the ultimate horror that came after. 

Those elements came to inhabit the vast 

majority of his poems, alongside mythology, 

science, and the nature of time. 

—Robert Cohen


There on a plain vast and shadowy 

Come at last those who have run their course, 

Where the minions of God regard them coolly and see 

As in a fog the starved fires sinking. 

It is pitiful how long the test goes on. 

Some swagger and shout but he walked quietly. 

Some were lonely, but there was a kindred spirit 

That passed with him through the metamorphoses 

And failed beside him after the race was done. 

Together they spurned the immense coils of Being, 

The poised darkness, the blows of the answerless Ocean. 

“The Uneasy Hedonist” 

Craving incantation 

As a drunkard gin, 

He lulls himself in the sin 

Of soft words in a naughty world. 

The syllables shine 

In the vaults behind the eyes, 

And the masked terror flies 

That came from the outer chamber. 

Lost in the drug, 

He hears treason cried 

By urgent voices outside— 

And muses; Whom do they accuse? 

“Connecticut Autumn” 

I have seen the pageantry of the leaves falling— 

Their sere, brown frames descending brokenly, 

Like old men lying down to rest. 

I have heard the whisperings of the winds calling— 

The young winds—playing with the old men— 

Playing with them, as the sun flows west. 

And I have seen the pomp of this earth naked— 

The brown fields standing cold and resolute, 

Like strong men waiting for the end. 

Then have come the sudden gusts of winds awaked: 

The broken pageantry, the leaves upflailed, the trees 

tremor-stricken, the giant branches rent. 

And a shiver runs over the remnants of the brown grass— 

And there is a cessation.... 

The processional recurs.


I have seen the pageantry. 

I have seen the haggard leaves falling. 

One by one falling. 

“The Milkman” 

The milkman walks with mysterious movements, 

Translating will to energy— 

To the crunch of his feet on crystalline water— 

While the bad angels mutter. 

A white ghost in an opaque body 

Passing slowly over the snow, 

And a telltale fume on the frozen air 

To spite the princes of terror. 

One night they will knock on the milkman’s door, 

Their boots crunch hard on the front-porch floor. 

One-two, open the door. 

You are the thief of the secret flame, 

The forbidden bread, the terrible Name. 

Return what is left; go back where you came. 

One-two, the slam of the door. 

A woman crying: Who is there? 

And voices mumbling beyond the stair. 

Is there a fume in the frozen sky 

To spell that someone has been by, 

Under the sun and over the snow? 

“Shoeless Joe Jackson” [excerpt] 

Shoeless Joe Jackson once played ball 

In his stocking feet near the centerfield wall. 

Home Run Baker was at the plate, 

Swinging his bat like a well-oiled gate. 

Some can’t hit a something with a paddle 

But Baker was mean and rarin’ for battle. 

Home Run swung from the back of his heel 

And lifted the ball toward centerfield. 

The sun shone down on Shoeless’ eyeball 

As he tried to judge that difficult high ball. 

It went through the hands of Shoeless Joe 

And fell plumb sprang upon his toe.


Baker made third on that simple error. 

(Good old Baker he was a terror.) 

2. 

But Joe, while thinking over the danger 

Of playing ball, soon met a stranger, 

Who offered him plenty of the folding lettuce 

If he’d throw the series to the Cincinnatis. 

Shoeless was blessed with half a brain, 

Though he sometimes came in out of the rain 

(That is, when the umpires called the game). 

Yes, Joe was a man of limited views 

But he knew one thing, he hated shoes…. 

“The Premonition” 

Trying to imagine a poem of the future, 

I saw a nameless jewel lying 

Lurid on a table of black velvet. 

Light winked there like eyes half-lidded, 

Raying the dark with signals, 

Lunar, mineral, maddening 

As that white night-flower herself, 

And with her delusive chastity. 

Then one said: “I am the poet of the damned. 

My eyes are seared with the darkness that you willed me. 

This jewel is my heart, which I no longer need.” 

“Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System” 

He will never forget the aimless birds 

That ride a white sky’s wind today. 

When the brain is darkened an aimless bird 

Will circle forever a darker sky. 

Whatever is won is won forever. 

Whatever is lost is gained forever. 

Forever’s terms are the sum of the days. 

A white sky’s circling bird is forever. 

Text © by the Estate of Hyam Plutzik. All rights reserved.


ANNA VELEVA How I Chose My Repertoire for This Concert 

The theme of this concert is acceptance, 

commonalities among people, different 

cultures, hope, rescue, and universality. 

Therefore I chose a very diverse repertoire 

of arias and songs, including works 

by Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, and Delibes. 

I also chose two Bulgarian songs, written 

by one of Bulgaria’s finest composers, 

DAVID BROZA 

I am honored and thrilled by the mere 

thought that the greatness of Raoul 

Wallenberg and other rescuers will be 

reflected and echoed today through my 

MOZART Symphony No. 40 in G minor 

The acclaimed musicologist Alfred Einstein 

described this 40th Symphony of 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s as “heroically 

tragic” and an “abyss of the soul.” 

It is interesting the influence Mozart’s 

grim last years had on his compositions. 

The poverty he was living in, his 

marital problems with Constanze, and 

his fading Viennese popularity were 

summed up in a letter to a friend, 

Michael Puchburg, groveling for money. 

“Black thoughts... often come to me,” 

Mozart wrote, “thoughts that I push 

away with a tremendous effort.” These 

“black thoughts” are evident in No. 40, 

one of only two minor symphonies of 

the composer. The first movement, 

opening with the viola accompaniment 

preceding the melody, comes across as 

if it were the continuation of previous 

work. The second movement, Andante, 

Georgi Zlatev Cherkin. He was born 

in 1904 and his life and work was 

greatly affected by World War II. 

In short, I chose the best of my repertoire, 

which I will sing tonight in 

commemoration of those who have 

displayed extraordinary courage. 

songs. I stand in salute of the courage 

and angelic humanity of these great 

men and women. May their actions be 

inspirational for generations to come. 

opens with a counterpoint of successive 

entries. This elegant pathos, although in 

a major key, is created by the dissonance 

and persistence of rhythmically repeated 

notes. Finally, the opening of the fourth 

movement with its “Mannheim rocket” 

(an ascending arpeggio figure) offers a 

reversal of the usual loud-soft dynamics 

common to symphonic finales. The 

development contains a 12-tone series 

that breaks through conventional composition. 

The movement then modulates 

from G minor to the most distant 

key of C-sharp minor, thereby teasing 

the tonality that has since been established 

in the listener’s ear. Lastly, a 

heroic horn makes an appearance for 

an instant and then defiantly returns, 

ending the piece decisively with three 

prominent G minor chords. 

—James W. Fuerst


RABBI EZRIEL “Ani Ma’amin” 

This is a powerful prayer and a song of 

spiritual resistance that is universally 

remembered by survivors. “Ani Ma’ 

amin” is sung to the words of one of 

the Thirteen Articles of Faith of 

TEXT AND TRANSLATION 

“Ani Ma’amin” 

Ani Ma’amin 

Be’emunah Sh’lema 

Be’viyat Hamashiach. 

V’af al pi, she’yitma-me-ah, 

Yim Kol ze Ani Ma’amin. 

ROZENTAL AND VEKSLER “Yisrolik” 

“Yisrolik” was a signature song of the 

Vilna Ghetto, composed by Misha 

Veksler (1907–1943) with text by Leyb 

Rozental (1916–1945). It tells the 

heartwarming story of an 11-year-old 

peddler who risks his life daily by 

smuggling contraband goods to protect 

his family from certain death. There 

were multitudes of yisroliks in the Vilna 

and Warsaw ghettos—brave souls who 

personally ensured the survival of 

TEXT AND TRANSLATION 

“Yisrolik” 

Cheys Yisrolik, ich bin dos kid fun 

geto 

Cheys Yisrolik, a hefkerdiker 

yung 

Chotsh farlibn gole neto 

Der lang ich altst noch a sviftsh un a 

zung. 

Maimonides (1135–1204), with a melody 

composed by Rabbi Ezriel Dovid 

Fastag in a cattle car on the way to the 

Treblinka death camp. 

“I Believe” 

I believe, with complete and perfect faith, 

in the coming of the Messiah. 

And even though he may tarry, 

I will await him, each and every day. 

thousands. Many yisroliks served as 

messengers and arms smugglers to support 

the ghetto resistance movement. 

“Yisrolik” was first performed in 

January, 1942, by the lyricist’s sister, 

Chayele, who survived the war and 

emigrated to South Africa. When the 

Vilna ghetto was liquidated, Veksler was 

deported and killed at Ponar. Rozenthal 

died at the Dutmergen death camp. 

I’m called Yisrolik, I’m the child of the 

ghetto 

I’m called Yisrolik, a youth no one 

looks after 

Though left stripped bare 

I still offer up a whistle and a 

song.


THE Artists 


Soprano Anna Veleva has received international 

acclaim as one of today’s 

most gifted and versatile opera singers. 

She has been recognized internationally 

for her opera, concert, and recital 

performances. Recent highlights include 

Verdi’s La traviata (Violetta) and 

Rigoletto (Gilda), Puccini’s La bohème 

(Musetta), and Bizet’s Carmen 

(Michaela), produced by Columbia 

Artists Management. 

Ms. Veleva’s professional engagements 

have included radio, television, and 

theater appearances. In 2003 she continued 

her training in theater with 

renowned actor Alec Baldwin, at the 

Southampton College in New York. 

Ms. Veleva confirmed her status as one 

of opera’s most important new stars 

with her sensational debut at Sofia National 

Opera in 2003 as the title role 

in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. 

Her performances earned spectacular 

reviews, and since these performances 

she has been engaged by Opera Verdi 

Europa to perform as Lucia, as Gilda 

in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and as Musetta in 

Puccini’s La bohème. Ms. Veleva has 

also sung Gilda with Bourgass Opera 

and Varna Opera and toured the U.S. 

with the Plovdiv Opera. 

Ms. Veleva has been featured in major 

opera houses and recital and concert 

halls in such countries as the U.S., 

Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, 

and Poland. Her concert engagements 

have included major events such as 

the New Year’s gala concert at the 

National Palace of Culture in Sofia, 

conducted by Maestro Emil Tabakov; 

the music festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; 

the Boston Music Festival; 

special concert programs at the World 

Bank in Washington; and debut performances 

at Carnegie Hall. 

Ms. Veleva received her bachelor and 

master of music degrees from the State 

Academy of Music (Pancho Vladigerov) 

in Sofia and her professional postgraduate 

diploma in vocal performance 

from the Mannes College of Music in 

New York. Since finishing her postgraduate 

studies with honors she has 

continued her professional training in 

New York with renowned opera singer 

Renata Scotto. Ms. Veleva has received 

awards from such competitions as the 

G. Zl. Cherkin Competition and Spoletto 

Vocal Art Competition. Critics have 

hailed her as “the new opera hope.”


ANDREW OAKDEN, Baritone 

Andrew Oakden is a graduate of the 

Indiana University School of Music 

where he studied with Virginia Zeani 

and Timothy Noble. While at Indiana 

University Mr. Oakden performed various 

leading roles, including the title 

role in Rigoletto, Enrico Ashton in 

Lucia di Lammermoor, and Giorgio 

Germont in La traviata. Mr. Oakden 

was a recently a finalist in the regional 

Metropolitan Opera National 

Council Auditions and the 2005 

MacAllister Awards. 

Mr. Oakden has performed at Santa Fe 

Opera as the Mandarin in Puccini’s 

Turandot and as Pietro in Simone 

Boccanegra; at Sarasota Opera as Alfio 

in Cavalleria rusticana, as Tonio in Pagliacci, 

and covering Stankar in Verdi’s 

Stiffelio. At Indianapolis Opera Mr. 

Oakden sang Marullo and the title role 

in Rigoletto and covered Germont in 

La traviata. At Janiec Opera Theater 


David Broza is an Israeli singer with a 

repertoire that transcends national 

and artistic boundaries. 

With 23 albums to his name, Mr. Broza 

has gained a wealth of respect and 

recognition not only on the international 

music scene but also in literary 

circles for his lyrical adaptations of 

poems written by some of the greats. 

As artist-in-residence at Bennington College 

in Vermont, Mr. Broza often conducts 

workshops on poetry and song, 

frequenting the former writing cottage 

of Robert Frost. Armed with his early 

classical guitar training in Madrid and 

he sang Sharpless in Madama Butterfly 

and Germont in La traviata. 

Mr. Oakden has participated in the 

Young Artist programs with Minnesota 

Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Aspen 

Music Festival, and Sarasota Opera. 

He has been fortunate to work with 

great conductors and directors such as 

James Conlon, Tito Capobianco, Corrado 

Rovaris, Imre Pallo, Sherrill 

Milnes, David Effron, and Alan Gilbert. 

the cultural and linguistic facility of 

three languages, Mr. Broza has adapted 

his favorite poems into songs in an 

album titled Poets in New York.


In addition to his multi-cultural pop 

albums, Mr. Broza has composed a 

classical suite which has been performed 

with orchestras all over the world. 

His song “Together,” co-written with 

Ramsey McClean, was the theme song 

for the UNICEF 50th anniversary 

celebration in more than 148 countries. 

His Israeli anthem for peace, 

“Yihiyeh Tov,” based on a poem written 

by Yehonatan Geffen and adapted by 

American lyric writer Terry Cox, was 

performed at Rabin memorials in New 

York’s Madison Square Garden and at 

other venues in Washington and Boston. 

DAVID WROE, Conductor 

A native of Great Britain, David Wroe 

is music director of the Westfield Symphony 

Orchestra New Jersey, a regular 

conductor at New York City Opera, 

debuting in 2004 and returning this 

season to lead the company in La 

bohème and Don Giovanni, and also 

artistic director of SOPAC Virtuosi, 

South Orange’s Performing Arts Center 

ensemble-in-residence in New Jersey. 

In 2006 Maestro Wroe assumed the 

music directorship of Theatro Graticiello 

in New York City. The 2002–07 

seasons marked debuts and returns, 

including L’Orchestre de Normandie 

with which he tours north-east France, 

L’Orchestre Lamoureux at Paris’ renowned 

Théâtre Châtelet with cellist 

Mstislav Rostropovitch, the Royal 

Scottish National Orchestra, L’Orchestre 

National de Lille, China 

National Symphony, a tour of Western 

Austria and appearance at the Bregenz 

Frühlings Festival with the Vorarlberg 

Symphony, Taiwan National Philharmonic, 

Delaware Symphony, Shenzhen 

Mr. Broza’s performance career includes 

headlining with Paul Simon, Bob 

Dylan, Van Morrison, José Feliciano, 

and other superstars in Israel’s yearly 

Masada concert and other special 

events, such as dueling guitar solos on 

stage with Sting, performing at the 

Rabin Memorial in Madison Square 

Garden at the request of President 

Clinton, and giving time and song to his 

appointment as goodwill ambassador 

for UNICEF and other humanitarian 

causes. Wherever there is a need and an 

opportunity for Mr. Broza to use the 

power of music to heal and promote 

peace and unity, there he goes. 

Symphony (China), Symphony Nova 

Scotia, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, 

and Santa Fe Symphony. Other 

auspicious debuts include the Saint 

Louis Symphony Orchestra, Kansas 

City Symphony, New York City Ballet, 

Des Moines Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony 

Orchestra, and the Philharmonische 

Orchester der Stadt Heidelberg. 

In addition, Maestro Wroe was music 

director of Music on the Mountain: 

Garrett Lakes Arts Summer Festival in 

Maryland from 2000 to 2006.


In 2000 he completed his contract as 

principal guest conductor at the City 

Opera of Heidelberg, conducting much 

of the major operatic repertoire. Maestro 

Wroe directs the summer Opera Under 

the Stars series at the 7000-seater Garden 

State Arts Center in New Jersey, 

and he has initiated an Opera in Concert 

series—which featured Porgy and 

Bess, Tosca, Turandot, Carmen, Le 

nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Aida, 

and Othello—with his Westfield Symphony 

Orchestra, to great critical review. 

He opened the newly formed 

Fresno International Grand Opera for 

its production of La bohème and in 

2003 debuted with The Ash-Lawn 

Opera Festival (Virginia) in its production 

of La Cenerentola. He served as a 

judge for the Metropolitan Opera 

ROBERT COHEN, Composer 

Robert S. Cohen has written music for 

orchestra, chamber ensemble, dance and 

theater. He has been the recipient of 

numerous awards and commissions, 

including a New Jersey State Council 

on the Arts Fellowship, an American 

Music Center grant, and a Meet the 

Composer Award. 

Mr. Cohen’s works include Edison Invents, 

for baritone and orchestra, which 

was premiered by the Westfield Symphony 

in 2005; a ballet, String Quartet 

No. 2 (A Day in the Life); and Sprig of 

Lilac, for a cappella chorus, recorded 

by the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir of 

Denver, Colorado. In addition, his setting 

of Wallace Stevens’ Peter Quince 

at the Clavier has been performed by 

CONCORA, and his choral work 

Genesis Part I, for chorus, brass, and 

percussion with a libretto by Maria 

National Council and New Jersey 

Regional Auditions in the spring of 

2000, and again in 2002. 

Maestro Wroe devotes considerable 

time to the musical education of young 

people, and from 1993 to 1995 he conducted 

in the Boston Symphony Orchestra 

Youth Concerts. He has taught 

and given master-classes at the New 

England Conservatory, Harvard University, 

Beijing Central Conservatory, 

and Montclair State University and has 

served as a judge for the music assistance 

fund administered by the American 

Symphony Orchestra League. In 

2004 he was the chairman of the 

jury of the New Jersey MTA State 

Concerto Competition. 

V.S. Seigenthaler, was recently premiered 

at Southern Nazarene University. Other 

works include Three Spirituals, commissioned 

by the Foundation for Universal 

Sacred Music; Tiktaalik, a ballet 

for percussion to be premiered at Kean 

University in April; My New York, a 

commission from the Children’s Aid 

Society; Orange Alert for timpani;


Ode to a Toad; and a setting of “The 

Serenity Prayer.” 

Mr. Cohen co-authored the book and 

composed the score for the 2000 

Richard Rodgers Award-winning off- 

Broadway musical Suburb, published 

by Dramatic Publishing in 2006. In 

addition, his other literary works include 

a collection of short stories, The 

Half-Life of Pizza and Other Slices, 

and the novel George (My life as a Cat). 

Mr. Cohen received a B.A. in music 

from Brown University, where he 

studied composition with Ron Nelson, 

and an M.A from Queens College; he 

was enrolled in the Ph.D. composition 

HYAM PLUTZIK (1911–1962), Poet 

Hyam Plutzik, poet and English professor 

at the University of Rochester, 

was born on July 13, 1911, in Brooklyn, 

New York. He was the son of Russian 

Jewish emigrants who arrived in 

the United States in 1905. In Plutzik’s 

home, Yiddish, Russian, and Hebrew 

were spoken. Plutzik himself did not 

learn English until the age of seven. 

Upon his completion of high school in 

1928, he won a Holland Scholarship 

from Trinity College. He majored in 

English and graduated Phi Beta Kappa 

in 1932. He continued his study of literature 

and poetry with a two-year fellowship 

to Yale University Graduate 

School. The first significant recognition 

of his talent in writing poetry came in 

1933 when he won the Yale Poetry 

Award for “The Three.” He won the 

Yale Poetry Award a second time for 

“Death at the Purple Rim.” 

program at Columbia University. Mr. 

Cohen is a member of ASCAP, the 

American Music Center, Dramatists 

Guild, and Chorus America. He is the 

president of Leapfrog Productions and 

lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with his 

wife, Maryann, and three cats: Fred, 

Ginger, and Trixie. 

Mr. Cohen would especially like to 

thank The Goldwasser Pluzik Foundation 

and members of the Plutzik family, 

The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, the 

Bulgarian Consulate, Maria Seigenthgaler, 

Robert Aldridge, David Wroe, 

and his wife, Maryann. His website is 

www.robertscohen.com. 

Throughout his career Plutzik published 

poems in journals and magazines 

such as Poetry, Yale Review, 

Antioch Review, Kenyon Review, 

Sewanee Review, Prairie Schooner, 

Accent, and The Nation. In 1950 he 

received one of six awards given by the 

American Academy and Institute of 

Arts and Letters for Aspects of Proteus.


In 1954, Plutzik received a Ford Foundation 

Faculty Fellowship and returned 

to Yale to explore the relationship between 

poetry, science, and philosophy. 

As a teacher Plutzik created a solid place 

for poetry at the University of Rochester 

and in the surrounding community. 

Upon his death the University 

established the Plutzik Poetry Series, 

which to this day brings established and 

emerging writers to the campus. In 1999 

the Plutzik Library for Contemporary 

Writing was dedicated at the University 

of Rochester library. 

Important themes throughout Plutzik’s 

poetry are the relationship between poetry 

and science as modes of expression, 

the paradoxes of historical time and 

eternity, and questions of Jewish identity. 

He also translated and wrote prayers. 


The Westfield Symphony Orchestra 

(WSO) is New Jersey’s second largest 

fully professional regional symphonies. 

The WSO’s mission is to promote the 

world’s legacy of symphonic and operatic 

music to audiences, involving them 

in this rich heritage through a diversity 

of professional musical experiences, 

including performance, education, 

and mentoring. 

Founded in 1983, the WSO has appeared 

twice before at Carnegie Hall 

in, 1987 and 1988, and in 1988 the 

orchestra received state-wide recognition 

when it was invited to perform at 

ceremonies marking the opening session 

of the New Jersey State Legislature. In 

1992 the New Jersey State Council on 

the Arts (NJSCA) named the WSO a 

Distinguished Arts Organization. In 

A “Plan for Work,” written in October 

1960, outlined what Plutzik hoped 

to bring to fruition in the coming years, 

including a long poem on the Holocaust 

in which he planned to include 

sections on Anne Frank and on Lapichi, 

the Russian town in the Czarist province 

of Minsk where his family had originated. 

Unable to begin this project because 

of illness, Plutzik died of cancer 

at the age of 50 on January 8, 1962. 

Hyam Plutzik’s life and poetry is the 

subject of a newly released documentary 

film, Hyam Plutzik: American Poet, 

by Academy Award nominee Christine 

Choy and Ku-Ling Siegel. To view a 

trailer of the film, or for more information 

about Hyam Plutzik’s life and 

poetry, see www.hyamplutzikpoetry.com. 

1998 the Union County Arts Center in 

Rahway named the WSO its resident 

orchestra, and in 1999 the Board of 

Chosen Freeholders designated it the 

resident orchestra of Union County. 

The Star-Ledger, the state’s newspaper 

of record, consistently recognizes 

WSO performances as being “among 

the best,” describing it in 2005 as the 

leading professional freelance orchestra 

in the State of New Jersey. 

Currently under the leadership of 

Maestro David Wroe, who became music 

director in 1998, the WSO reaches 

over 15,000 music lovers a year and has 

accompanied such renowned artists as 

Leon Fleisher, Earl Wild, Shlomo Mintz, 

and Eugene Istomin. WSO has collaborated 

with New York City Opera, 

and presented 18 world premieres of


contemporary music as well as performances 

of pillars of the symphonic 

and operatic repertoire. It is a recipient 

of wide support on both a state 

and national level, including the NEA, 

the Dodge Foundation, and Meet 

the Composer. 

PRO ARTE CHORALE 

In its 43rd season, Pro Arte Chorale has 

earned a reputation as one of the finest 

cultural institutions in the northeast. 

The Chorale has appeared in major concert 

venues, including Carnegie Hall, 

Avery Fisher Hall, the New Jersey Performing 

Arts Center, and Alice Tully 

Hall. The chorus also performed at St. 

Mark’s Basilica in Venice and the Vatican 

in Rome. In addition to its own 

subscription series in Bergen County, 

the Chorale regularly appears with the 

Westfield Symphony Orchestra and has 

made several appearances with the New 

Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Performances 

have included Beethoven’s 

Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, 

ELEANOR REISSA 

Eleanor Reissa is a Tony-nominated 

director and an award-winning playwright, 

choreographer, actress, and 

singer working in English and Yiddish. 

The WSO serves as an ambassador, role 

model, and focus for the community’s 

sense of solidarity and cultural health. 

The relevance and interrelationship of 

all music selected directly serves this 

purpose. Music is the common language 

that unites all people. 

Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Mendelssohn’s 

Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Other highlights include performances 

with the American Symphony Orchestra, 

the New York Philharmonic, the 

Mark Morris Dance Company, and the 

New York Chamber Symphony. Currently 

under the musical direction of 

David Crone, Pro Arte has been conducted 

by Roger Nierenberg, John 

Nelson, and Bart Folse; in addition, 

the Chorale has sung under the batons 

of Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, 

Julius Rudel, Hugh Wolff, Zdenek 

Macal, Yuri Temikanov, Leon Botstein, 

David Wroe, and Gerard Schwartz. 

She was the former artistic director of 

the Folksbiene Theater and is the 

daughter of Holocaust survivors.


SPECIAL THANKS 

We acknowledge with gratitude and appreciation the support and collaboration 

of generous institutions and individuals who have made this program possible. 

The Goldwasser Plutzik Family 

Foundation 

Harry Wall 

Consulate General of Bulgaria in 

New York 

Consulate General of Israel in New 

York 

Soroptimist International of New York 

Anti-Defamation League 

B’nai B’rith International 

Irena Alexandrova/Mega Mogula 

B’nai B’rith Klutznick National 

Jewish Museum 

STAFF CREDITS 

Radi Georgiev, Producer 

THE INTERNATIONAL RAOUL WALLENBERG 

FOUNDATION 

Baruch Tenembaum, Founder 

Abigail Tenembaum, Vice President 

Zvi Kichel, Director of Finances 

Daniela Bajar, Director of Programs 


ELIZABETH RYAN-MITCHELL, Executive Director 

VIOLIN I 

Byung-Kook Kwak 

Evelyn Estava 

Victoria Stewart 

Franco Genneralli 

Robert Lawrence 

Susan Heerema 

Valerie Levy 

Gregor Kitzis 

VIOLIN II 

Sebu Sirinian 

Lori Miller 

Alissa Hendrickson- 

Madsen 

Peter Borten 

Lisa Batchelder 

Geri Kushner 

VIOLA 

Veronica Salas 

Judith Witmer 

Joel Rudin 

Martha Mooke 

Ruth Kahn-Siderman 

Ruth Brons 

CELLO 

Eliot Bailen 

Gerall Hieser 

Joseph Kimura 

David Bakamjian 

Daryl Goldberg 

Leo Grinhauz 

BASS 

Vincent Carano 

Kalin Ivanov, Bulgarian Virtuosi 

Violeta Jeliazkova / BG Focus 

Alexander Nishkov 

Simeona Veleva 

Nedelnik Newspaper 

Bulgaria Sega Newspaper 

Big Lights USA 

Nevena Mandadjieva 

Sharon Sauer, Managing Director of 

Pro Arte Chorale 

The American Gathering of Jewish 

Holocaust Survivors and Their 

Descendants 

THE GOLDWASSER PLUTZIK FAMILY 

FOUNDATION 

Debra Whitelaw, Senior Program Officer 

Edward Moran, Literary Advisor 

Venus Davis, Administrative Manager 

Anthony Scelba 

John Babich 

FLUTE 

Helen Campo 

OBOE 

Richard Foley 

James Wilson 

CLARINET 

William Shadel 

Dorothy Duncan 

BASSOON 

James Jeter 

Wendy Large 

FRENCH HORN 

Patrick Milando 

Theresa MacDonnell 

TRUMPET 

Donald Batchelder 

TIMPANI 

Peter Wilson 

PERCUSSION 

Barry Centanni 

Thomas Mulvaney 

ORCHESTRA 

CONTRACTOR 

Vincent Carano

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