Ruti Halvani opera singing teacher singer Mezzo Soprano

The idea of the Opera Diva is well known: the big voiced, big bosomed prima donna clad in Viking helmet and little else, breaking glass and hearts. Put this together with the affectionate Yiddish suffix 'le,' a sweet and endearing diminutive, and you have a vocalist and concert which joins the worlds of opera and Jewish music.

Jewish folk songs were an inspiration to both Jewish and non-Jewish classical composers. Based on her research for the 2003 Jewish Music Institute's Millennium Award, Ruti Halvani presents a very personal combination of art and folk music from the last two centuries which illustrates this idea.

The concert programme is flexible and includes pieces for piano and solo voice as well as duets. It features arts songs by European Jewish composers such as Simon Laks, and from Britain and America, Alex Knapp,Julian Dawes, Helen Greenberg, Max Helfman and Lazar Weiner. The work of non-Jewish composers inspired by Jewish folk songs includes Ravel's Hebrew Songs, Shostakovich's Yiddish tango songs and work by Rimsky-Korsakov. There are also unusual selections of rare classical arrangements of traditional Jewish folk songs sung in Yiddish, Ladino and Hebrew.

premiers took plance on November 16th 2003 at the Hampstead Hall London as part of the Jewish Music Institute's Autumn Series.


	-- repertoire --\| operatic roles --\| oratorio parts --\| private functions --\| recital repertoire --\| jewish music ----\| MezzoMorphosis ----\| songs of liberation ----\| research	MezzoMorphosis The idea of the Opera Diva is well known: the big voiced, big bosomed prima donna clad in Viking helmet and little else, breaking glass and hearts. Put this together with the affectionate Yiddish suffix 'le,' a sweet and endearing diminutive, and you have a vocalist and concert which joins the worlds of opera and Jewish music. Jewish folk songs were an inspiration to both Jewish and non-Jewish classical composers. Based on her research for the 2003 Jewish Music Institute's Millennium Award, Ruti Halvani presents a very personal combination of art and folk music from the last two centuries which illustrates this idea. The concert programme is flexible and includes pieces for piano and solo voice as well as duets. It features arts songs by European Jewish composers such as Simon Laks, and from Britain and America, Alex Knapp,Julian Dawes, Helen Greenberg, Max Helfman and Lazar Weiner. The work of non-Jewish composers inspired by Jewish folk songs includes Ravel's Hebrew Songs, Shostakovich's Yiddish tango songs and work by Rimsky-Korsakov. There are also unusual selections of rare classical arrangements of traditional Jewish folk songs sung in Yiddish, Ladino and Hebrew. premiers took plance on November 16th 2003 at the Hampstead Hall London as part of the Jewish Music Institute's Autumn Series.