Sponsored by the Jewish Study Center. Via Zoom. Free, but donations are requested.

Advanced registration required: https://www.jewishstudycenter.org/events/25w2-darius-milhaud-your-new-favorite-jewish-composer-15-jan-2025/

“I am a Frenchman from Provence, and, by religion, a Jew.” Thus begins, “Notes Without Music,” the 1942 memoir by composer Darius Milhaud, written on a transatlantic sea journey to America after the author was forced by the Nazis to flee his beloved homeland. A prolific composer, Milhaud’s long career would encompass two continents, a myriad of musical influences ranging from jazz to his Jewish heritage, and dual roles as a composer and educator. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be a fan! Among other brilliant compositions, we’ll discuss his seminal work “La Creation Du Monde” which combined classical music and jazz, much in the way George Gershwin did in Rhapsody in Blue, but premiered in Paris three months before its more famous American cousin was first performed in New York! And we’ll cover his long tenure in this country, having fled the Nazi regime during WWII. Recordings, as well as “live” performances from the instructor will keep this presentation lively and engaging.