Performance of Teruah by Haim Avitsur, Phil Snedecor, Colleagues and Hart School Students

Teruah, meaning joyous shout, is the title of my piece for shofar, brass ensemble and tympani. Co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival and the Jewish Commission of Los Angeles in 2006, Teruah celebrates the holiday of Rosh HaShanah. In addition to music inspired by the shofar calls, I have drawn on a beautiful Rosh HaShanah melody, composed by Avraham Tzvi Kubowitzki, the paterna grandfather of my husband Michael Kubovy. The melody’s words are part of the Rosh HaShanah service relating to the blowing of the shofar. They express the hope that the Lord will “understand and listen, look at and pay attention to” our plea. I am grateful to Michael, who heard this as a child, for sharing this melody and dedicate this music to him and his family. I also wish to thank Ron Schneider of the Pittsburgh Symphony for his excellent editorial suggestions. This performance has been organized by trumpeter Phil Snedecor and trombonist Haim Avitsur who will perform with their colleagues and students from the Hartt School.   They are also recordingit for a future album. To learn more, or for the score, visit here. And if you want to hear it now, find it on Sound Cloud.