Led by Founder and Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson, the Zamir Chorale of Boston is a vibrant voice in the presentation, preservation, and perpetuation of Jewish culture.
Celebrating over 50 years of “music with a mission.”
Zamir’s Concert in the Round Resounds
On June 10 at Temple Reyim in Newton, MA, Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson presented a dynamic “surround-sound” concert that removed the invisible wall that often separates performers from their audience, whether in the theater, the concert hall, or at worship services.
In rotating positions and arrangements, Zamir members treated the audience to a range of polyphonic and, at times, interactive music from many traditions—from meditative to rousing, whimsical to mystical, jazzy to prayerful. View the program book here and our photo gallery here.
Read these comments about the concert from our fans:
I can’t find the right adjective to describe the effect of last night’s performance. Perhaps transporting—as in to a higher plane of esthetic ecstasy. You may have noticed the chairs of our Temple B’nai David contingent hovering dangerously above the floor. Tonight can only be transcendant.
— Gary Kaplan, Canton, MA
Last night didn’t need stars or a moon since nothing shined brighter than the Zamir Chorale of Boston.
By surrounding us with sound, you brought us all totally into the program...The glass-player should go on tour. I’m curious about the relationship of water fill to pitch.
What a wonderful pu-pu platter of tasty songs. Door Dash should distribute it everywhere. I, for one, would appreciate another taste.
The singers were a warm fuzzy, particularly the basses, soft cushions for us in the silent chorus who drew comfort from the warmth and energy from the vibrancy.
Most of all, Kudos to you, Josh, for your diverse and interesting programing, experimentation in chorus dispersion, and, most of all, for the incredible music in your hands.
— Robert Snyder, Wayland, MA
What a fabulous concert!
– The sound experience lived up to the hype: It is a truly celestial experience.
– The program was perfectly chosen to bring out the nuances of the format, especially the caravan and other pieces where the singers or voicings moved around the circle.
– Rotating the singers was a great idea. We had a soprano behind us for several pieces and a bass for others. Far from creating an imbalance in the sound, it somehow gave greater definition to the 3-dimensionality of the space, a remarkable experience.
Brilliant idea, wonderfully executed!
— Roy Gould, Lexington, MA
Bringing the Joy of Jewish Music to Your Home
We hope you have enjoyed our online programming that we’ve been posting since the beginning of the pandemic. We were delighted to hear from so many of you asking us to continue sending them. Miss any? Recorded sessions can be viewed here.
Zamir News
The Mass ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) elected Josh Jacobson to receive the LifetimeAchievement Award in recognition of all of his dedicated work with choirs in our region and beyond. Every year, the Mass ACDA awards this recognition to a conductor who has made significant contribution to the choral art in our state, whose leadership has made a calculable difference. Lisa Graham, President of the Mass ACDA chapter, wrote the following to Josh: “Through your work at Zamir Chorale, Northeastern University, Hebrew College, your many publications, and service on the ACDA board, you have distinguished yourself as a true example of the best of our profession. You are a mentor, teacher, conductor, champion, and friend, and it is my great pleasure to celebrate this award with you.” Josh will receive the award at the summer conference, August 14-16.
Jewishchoralmusic.com, Zamir’s free resource for choral leaders and conducting students, was nationally recognized for filling a void during “social distancing”. The enriched site provides a core online/podcast curriculum on the history of Jewish music, and lets them peruse compositions for days on end! See what ACDA has to say here.
Zamir is pleased to partner with the Mass Cultural Council, Department of Transitional Assistance, WIC Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector to offer the Card to Culture program, the most comprehensive effort of its kind in the nation to open doors to arts and culture experiences for low-income families.
Card to Culture lets EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare card holders purchase free tickets to Zamir-sponsored public events. Just contact manager@Zamir.org if you’re interested.
This Arts Access program is not funded by MCC, MDTA, or taxpayers.
Who We Are
Photos by Mickey Goldin
Performing on concert stages throughout North America, Europe, and Israel, the award-winning Zamir Chorale of Boston awakens audiences to the exotic rhythms of the Middle East to the majestic anthems of 19th-century European synagogues, from the romances of Spain to the chants of Yemen, and from contemporary American jazz to the much-loved Yiddish tunes of Jewish musical theater.
Founded in 1969 by Joshua Jacobson, one of the world’s leading authorities on Jewish choral music, the Zamir Chorale of Boston’s “music with a mission” brings the joy of Jewish music to audiences that transcend age, religious and ethnic background. Zamir sets the bar for musical excellence.
Founder and Artistic Director
JOSHUA R. JACOBSON, founder and director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Harvard College, a Masters in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory, a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Hebrew College. He served 45 years as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University, including nine years as Music Department Chairman and six years as the Bernard Stotsky Professor of Jewish Cultural Studies. He is also Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College.
Prof. Jacobson has guest conducted a number of ensembles, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Bulgarian National Symphony and Chorus, the New England Conservatory Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera Company. He has guest lectured and taught workshops for schools, synagogues, festivals and conventions throughout North America and in Israel, Germany and Australia. He has also written articles on various aspects of choral music, and compositions and arrangements that have been published and performed by choirs around the world. In 1989 he spent four weeks in Yugoslavia as a Distinguished Professor under the auspices of the Fulbright program. In 1994 Hebrew College awarded him the Benjamin Shevach Award for Distinguished Achievement in Jewish Educational Leadership, in 2004 the Cantors Assembly presented him with its prestigious “Kavod Award,” and in 2016 Choral Arts New England presented him the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award. And in June, 2018, Prof. Jacobson received the Distinguished Service Award from Chorus America at its national convention in Chicago.
