Arts & Entertainment
A Musical Evening of Hope and Inspiration
Join us for an evening of hope and inspiration through two incredible musical stories: The first is based on the Book of Ruth, and her journey from despair to peoplehood; the second is the true story of Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem, which captures the prophetic cries of Isaiah - that we are asirei tikvah - prisoners of hope - only to be freed after 2,000 years of yearning. The "Ballad of Ruth" is a one-act, forty-five minute opera based on the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi, with a libretto by Michael Laurence and music by Stephen Richards. Originally conceived in 1959 as a chamber opera for seven singers and six instruments, Richards expanded it and scored it for orchestra in 2006. Composer/conductor Michael Isaacson produced the recording of the opera with members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, along with a distinguished cast of soloists from the United States.