Friday, March 30, 2012

Campanella Children’s Choir at Zemer Am Festival of Jewish Choral Music in Chicago

 
An all-day event, culminating in a joint concert featuring synagogue choirs and Jewish singers from the greater Chicago area and beyond. This year’s festival was dedicated to the music of Max Janowski in his home synagogue Kam Isaiah Israel, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.


Zemer Am Festival was a spectacular event. The festive spirit of all participants, and their collaboration was amazing: it was hard to tell where one group ended and the other began. The organization of the festival was superb and the idea to collaborate by switching conductors truly aided in the feeling of togetherness.

Campanella's performance, teamed with Pavel Roytman, was an added bonus, fresh and boisterous. There was a distinctive 'gasp' in the audience in response to Campanella’s plans for Carnegie Hall. Marianna Kosaya was given the special honor of conducting the encore song, with Campanella Children’s Choir soloing.