As part of the opening of the new library and auditorium of the The Jewish Theological Seminary, the Library will present a concert of the music of composer Gerald Cohen, including the string quartet Playing for our lives, played by the Cassatt String Quartet.  The piece is a tribute to the musicians imprisoned at the Terezin concentration camp during WWII, and the music that was composed and performed during this tragic time.  Cohen, who teaches at the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of JTS, will also speak about the piece and role of the arts in the lives of those at Terezin.  The Cassatt will be joined by trombonist Haim Avitsur in Cohen’s Preludes and Debka, for trombone and string quartet.

The concert will also feature the world premiere of a new piece for vocal duet, Amid the Alien Corn (Ruth and Naomi), with text by E. Louise Beach.