When
Where
On March 24 at 1:00 pm, Cross Island Ensemble will present a program of solos and duets, featuring Meira’s Bracha, which will be performed by the ensemble’s cellist Suzanne Mueller and pianist Elinor Abrams Zayas. The program will also include several other works by women composers past and present, honoring Women’s History Month.
This will be Cross Island’s return to the Islip Arts Council’s Winter Concert Series at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, NY.
Bracha is a musical interpretation of the Jewish concept of blessing. The Hebrew word bracha is related to breycha, which means pool of water, or flowing stream. In this composition, it is interpreted as a stream of Divine goodness flowing downward into the world. The opening gesture represents this stream in its flowing melodic descent. As the piece progresses and the blessing is received, other melodies emerge in response to this influx of grace. Toward the end of the composition, the opening violin (or cello) melody turns upwards, as a blessing fully received on earth returns its flow (shefa) into the upper worlds (olamot).
Formed in August, 2007 by cellist Suzanne Mueller and pianist Elinor Abrams Zayas, Cross Island‘s foundation is a shared love of programming that brings together music from diverse periods, genres, and styles. Their goal is to share music they love with their audiences, and those audiences have responded enthusiastically and affirmatively, specifically praising the variety of music and the way it is combined and presented. Their programming presents to listeners a mixture of well-loved, familiar composers and works blended with quality music that is unfamiliar, often resulting from collaborations with composers and arrangers.