Composing A Heart and other immigrant stories

The Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica
With holdings of over 100,000 volumes, the
Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica is
considered the foremost Jewish Studies
research collection in the Southeastern United
States. In terms of many of its scarce, late 19th
to early 20th century imprints, the Price Library
of Judaica ranks among the top 20 academic
libraries in the world.
The Price Library is developing as a center for
research into the history of Florida Jewry,
particularly the immigrant experience. We are
starting to collect papers from Florida Jewish
families. If you have materials that you would
like to donate, please contact:
Dr. Rebecca Jefferson
Head, Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica
[email protected]
Composing A Heart
and other immigrant stories
Music by Craig D. Ames
Spoken words by Bess de Farber
Materials selected and compiled by
Rebecca Jefferson
Many thanks to the Jewish Community Alliance, Jacksonville,
Florida; the Center for Public Policy and the Arts, and the Center for
the HumaniƟes and the Public Sphere at the University of Florida.
This performance is made possible by funding from the George A.
Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida.
October 6, 3.00 p.m.
Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica
Jewish Community Alliance
8505 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida
Images: A page from Irving Stirt’s diary (above),
photograph of Irving’s sister Rivka (lower edge),
donated by David Stirt, Gainesville, Florida.
Bess de Farber, 1958, South Beach Pier, Miami Beach, Florida, Photo by Joseph
Farber (lower right); Gaíl/Farber family (center pages); Leah Stupniker’s sister, Alia
and a friend in Palestine (above).
This special concert, dedicated to the memory
of Daniel Pearl (1963-2002), will be preceded by
an oral history performance of immigrant
stories found in the Judaica Library of the
George A. Smathers Libraries, University of
Florida. These will be presented by Rebecca
Jefferson, curator of the Isser and Rae Price
Library of Judaica.
Clarinetist, Bess de Farber studied at the
University of Southern California, with Mitchell
Lurie, “the premier clarinetist in motion picture
music and indeed in the world" according to
Leonard Bernstein. She was fortunate to study
and perform works arranged for her by former
CBS Symphony conductor and composer,
Alfredo Antonini. Bess has been featured in
many recital and chamber music programs
throughout Florida and beyond.
Materials and recordings used in today’s performance
n
Irving Stirt’s Diary, c. 1938-1943: extract from June 1940
A Handful of Leaves (a translation of Kometz ‘alim by Leah
Stupniker, 1924)
Letter by Símon Farber, Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 28,
1953
Tésis, Conservatório Melaní, Buenos Aires, Argentina by
Sara Gaíl
Music Box,—Bob Merrill, “(How Much Is) That Doggie in
the Window?” 1952
1984—Adagio, Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, Mozart; St.
Cecilia’s Catholic Church, Clearwater, Florida; Bess de
Farber, clarinet; Mark Prader, organ
1996—Catalina Husson, Interview, La Plata, Argentina
1975—Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, Mozart, Rollins College,
Knowles Memorial Chapel, Winter Park, Florida; Bess de
Farber, clarinet with Florida Symphony Orchestra
A discussion with the audience led by Dr. Sophia Acord
(University of Florida) will immediately follow the concert.
Composer, pianist, music director, and teacher, Craig
D. Ames studied with Russian pianist Xhanna Dawson
at the University of Wisconsin, as well as French
pianist Phillipe DreVet. He has extensive credits in
musical theatre and has been awarded numerous
Carbonell Awards for his musical directing and
arranging for, and performing in productions in
South Florida. In 2011, Ames received a Glider
Lehrman Institute Fellowship to study early American
History at Yale.
Rebecca Jefferson has been the Curator of the Isser
and Rae Price Library of Judaica at the University of
Florida since 2010. Jefferson previously worked with
the Cairo Genizah manuscript collection in Cambridge
University Library. She holds a PhD in medieval Hebrew
from the University of Cambridge.
Composing A Heart has been presented in concert at such
noteworthy venues as the Caldwell Theatre, the Jewish
Museum of Florida, and Steinway Hall in NYC, as well as
both recorded and live on National Public Radio.