Please join us as we sing through a variety of secular and sacred pieces celebrating the Jewish faith and traditions.
Kol Tikvah—The Voice of Hope—will explore music of fruits and trees, of growth, blessing, remembrance, recovery, and spirit in Jewish traditions worldwide. We’ll sing songs for Tu Bishvat, the Jewish Birthday of the Trees, a holiday celebrated during the season of the SingOut festival. We’ll sing music about The Feast of Fruits in Ladino (a blend of Hebrew and Spanish) and Goldfaden’s classic lullaby, “Raisins and Almonds,” in Yiddish (a blend of Hebrew and German). From music about the beautiful fruits of our trees, we will turn to the imagery of fallen leaves—lives destroyed by the Holocaust—and will sing the words: “We are the children of the scattered leaves / The survivors who lost their roots and trees.” The music of recovery, resilience, hope, and peace follow, including the rollicking Israeli song of hope, Artza Alinu (We Shall Ascend to the Land), as well as a song for peace by the foremost Jewish-American woman songwriter of the Twentieth Century, Debbie Friedman, a contemporary setting of a Chassidic Nigun (song without words), and a 90’s Israeli pop anthem. And we’ll sing: “To our hopes-Amen / To the world-Amen / To peace-Amen / May the human spirit be strong- Amen / To everyone-Amen.
Join us in song this February, and let’s be the voice of hope, Kol Tikvah, together. Amen
Festival Choir Program
TuBishvat from the Sephardic and Yiddish Traditions
Hamisha Asar (Feast of Fruits) Flory Jagoda; arr. Nick Page
Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen (Raisins with Almonds) Avrohom Goldfaden; arr. Josh Jacobson
Holocaust remembrance
The Scattered Leaves Stanley M. Hoffman
Renewal of Hope: the Promised Land and New Diaspora
Artza Arlinu (We Shall Ascend to the Land) Israeli Dance Song; arr. Earlene Rentz
Oseh Shalom Debbie Friedman; arr. Sally Lamb McCune; ed. Judith Clurman
Dai di di Dai Chassidic Nigun; arr. Coreen Duffy
Amen Moshe Datz; arr. Gadi Goldman
Coreen Duffy is director of choral activities at the University of Montana School of Music, where she conducts Chamber Chorale and University Choir, teaches conducting, choral methods, and supervises student teachers. Under her direction, the UM Chamber Chorale has earned invitations to perform at the NW American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Conference in 2022, as well as from Vox Anima to perform at Cadogan Hall and Southwark Cathedral in London (2022), and the Montana International Choral Festival (2019, 2022). Dr. Duffy is an active clinician and composer; her works are published by Walton Music, ECS, and Pavane Publishing. A specialist in Jewish choral music, Duffy has presented sessions at national conferences for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and at the international conference of the European Center for Jewish Music in Hannover, Germany. Duffy serves several national choral organizations, including as Co-Chair for World Musics and Cultures for Northwest ACDA, as well as Northwest Division Representative on the NAfME Council for Choral Education, and on the Editorial Board for The Choral Scholar, a publication by the National Collegiate Choral Organization. In Missoula, Duffy is the Artistic Director of the Missoula Community Chorus, and serves on the board and the Artistic Committee for the Montana International Choral Festival.
All singers (15+ years) are welcome to join the SingOut! SWFL Music Festival chorus.
Festival/Workshop
(led by Dr. Duffy)
Saturday, February 3rd - 10:00 - 5:00 PM
(registration at 9:30 AM)
Sunday, February 4th - 12:45-3:15 PM
Festival Concert
(The first half of the concert will include performances by Choral Artistry and the second half of the concert will feature the Festival Choir.)
Sunday, February 4th
4:oo PM
(FREE ADMISSION)
Location for
Rehearsals & Concert
New Hope Presbyterian Church
10051 Plantation Rd
Fort Myers, FL 33966
Closest Airport: RSW
Hotel suggestions: There are many in the area - Holiday Inn, Drury, Marriot, etc. You may want to map the Church location and then see what hotels interest you. Many are located in shopping centers (Gulf Coast Town Center/Bell Tower Shops).
