In Vancouver on Nov. 29, sopranos Jaclyn Grossman and Miriam Khalil will present Salam-Shalom: Echoes of Home. This program of Arabic and Jewish music explores how these two distinct cultures are intertwined through shared histories, human experiences, and sounds. They will be accompanied by pianist Gordon Gerrard, artistic director of City Opera Vancouver.
Both performers emphasize their eagerness to embrace this learning opportunity. “Right out of the gate, we both [agreed]let’s not do ‘I’m doing my thing, and you’re doing your thing,’” says Grossman. “Let’s share in each other’s music and cultures in this concert.”
Jaclyn Grossman
Photo: Jessica Osber
A Jewish singer and co-founder of Likht Ensemble, Grossman regularly researches, programs and performs Jewish music, spotlighting Jewish artists from the Holocaust in particular. This concert will feature works by writers and composers from the WWII era, including songs by Ilse Weber who Grossman discovered while working on Likht Ensemble’s The Shoah Songbook series. “I always have a need to feature her in everything I possibly can,” says Grossman, “because [her work]is such an important part of… why I started stepping outside of traditional classical music repertoire and going in this new direction.”
Miriam Khalil
Photo: Shayne Gray Photography
Lebanese-Canadian soprano Khalil recalls a similarly transformative moment in her career: performing an Arabic song as an encore to a recital entirely of Western music. She sang Aatini’l Naya Wa Ghanni, a song inspired by the poetry of Lebanese-American writer Gibran Khalil Gibran. This encouraged Khalil to change her trajectory away from singing only within the Western classical tradition. A personally relevant piece, it will also appear in the upcoming Vancouver concert. “Why wouldn’t we feature something that has shaped us as artists, right?” says Khalil. “Especially if it’s something that speaks not just to a theme, but to us as human beings.”
Program Highlights
Jaclyn Grossman in performance
Photo: Stuart Lowe
Grossman and Khalil have aimed to feature songs centred on themes of home, hopefulness and resilience that seemed common and relevant to their respective communities. The setlist includes:
Lorelei and Rashi’s Vision
from Mermaids Who Sing
Music and words: Felix Jarrar
This piece by Palestinian and Sri-Lankan-American composer Felix Jarrar explores mermaid legends, drawing inspiration from Syrian, Lebanese, and Hebrew traditions. Grossman and Khalil are excited to feature living composers like Jarrar who exemplify the recital’s goal to explore cultural intersections.
Ya annah emza’cha
from Ayre
Poet: Yehudah Halevy
Music: Osvaldo Golijov
An excerpt from Osvaldo Golijov‘s work Ayre, which blends Hebrew and Arabic poetry. This piece features a Hebrew prayer alongside the poetry of Palestinian writer Mahmoud Darwish, exploring themes of exile, displacement, and the search for belonging. Grossman and Khalil will perform it together in Hebrew and Arabic.
“It’s my first time singing and speaking in Arabic, which is really important to me,” says Grossman, who once again emphasizes that she and Khalil wanted to share their cultures with one another in this concert.
Eli, Eli
Poet: Hannah Szenes
Arr. Nate Ben-Horin
Originally a Hebrew poem written by Jewish-Hungarian resistance fighter Hannah Szenes in 1942 and set to music by David Zehavi in 1945, this song captures the resilience of the Jewish people during WWII. Grossman’s friend and frequent collaborator Nate Ben-Horin arranged the piece, which will be performed in Hebrew, Arabic and English.
“I sang [Eli, Eli] in elementary school. And then I stumbled upon it again a few years ago, and, in the back of my mind, I’ve been saying, ‘This is a really important song for something. I’m gonna just hold onto this idea, and then the right program will come along that needs this piece.’ And here we are,” says Grossman.
Additionally, the recital includes an original composition by Ben-Horin, The New Colossus, featuring poetry by Jewish activist Emma Lazarus. This text is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and concerns immigration and the search for a place of belonging.
“So many people from different communities are continuing to be turned away from refuge and from a place to find home and safety, and so I think [this piece]was an important one for me and Miriam to chat about and bring into this,” says Grossman.
Open Dialogue in the Current Moment
Miriam Khalil in performance
Photo: Curtis Perry
The idea for this concert was born from the open dialogue Grossman and Khalil maintain in their relationship. “I think the big thing for us is we’re not trying to say we have all the answers,” says Khalil about navigating the responsibilities of performing this show during a time of conflict in the associated regions. “What we are saying is that if we can talk openly, and ask each other these questions, and have our minds open, and have our perceptions be challenged and changed, then there should be an outlet where other people can do so as well.”
The two sopranos hope to create a safe space that will promote empathy and break down barriers. “We’re certainly not going to do it all perfectly, and I hope to hear from people who might say, ‘Respectfully, have you considered XYZ for the next time you do this?’” says Grossman, “because I’d love to evolve based on what people need.”
Looking towards the future, Grossman and Khalil see plenty of room to expand on this recital. Adding more visual elements, building on the repertoire, and moving beyond a concert format are all possible if funding allows. Most importantly, they hope that their work will raise awareness of how other communities can come together and find commonalities.
“The big thing that happens through music that we take for granted is we tend to empathize more naturally—be it through common sounds or through common harmonies,” says Khalil. With this recital, Grossman and Khalil showcase how music can bring us together and the power that comes from a willingness to listen to one another.
Salam-Shalom: Echoes of Home will be presented in collaboration with City Opera Vancouver on Nov. 29 at the Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre. To purchase tickets, visit www.cityoperavancouver.com.
