The 10th Louis Lewandowski Festival is celebrating its anniversary under special circumstances, as all invited choirs are unable to participate due to restrictions.

Instead, the festival will feature musicians from Berlin, including the Synagogal Ensemble Berlin, Berlin cantors, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles.
The concerts, which will be streamed online, will present synagogal music from various Jewish centers and eras.

The festival pays tribute to Louis Lewandowski (1821-1894), whose music shaped the style of prayer in synagogues in Europe and beyond.
His works combined traditional melodies with modern arrangements.
Other important composers of synagogal music, such as Salamone Rossi and Salomon Sulzer, will also be honored.
Rossi was the first Jewish composer to publish polyphonic works with Hebrew prayer texts, while Sulzer, as cantor in Vienna, introduced reforms that inspired numerous successors.
The festival also sheds light on the development of synagogal music in the
19th and
20th century, including the influences from Vienna, Paris and Eastern Europe.

The performances include works by composers such as Abraham Dunajewski, David Nowakowski and Paul Ben-Haim, who further developed the musical styles of their time.
In addition, modern American compositions by Charles Davidson and Meir Finkelstein will be presented.
The festival invites you to enjoy the diversity of synagogue music via livestream.

Regina Yantian / Artistic Director