Music and Meaning: In Memory of Jimmy Galdieri

Sunday, January 12, 2025 | 3:00 PM
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation

Join Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and Opera Baltimore in a heartfelt tribute to Jimmy Galdieri, the late Music Director at BHC, lifelong opera enthusiast, and cherished board member of Baltimore Concert Opera. This special concert celebrates Jimmy’s enduring love of opera while reflecting on themes of memory, identity, and resilience.

Featuring performances by:

• Sara Duchovnay, soprano

• Rebecca Sacks, mezzo soprano

• Daniel Rich, baritone

• Marvin Mills, pianist

This thoughtfully curated program will feature a rich blend of opera and song highlights, including those by Jewish composers on Jewish themes. The concert will honor Jimmy’s legacy, while showcasing the profound impact of Jewish culture on operatic tradition, particularly during the turn of the 19th century and amidst the harrowing backdrop of 20th century anti-Semitism.

Join us for the lecture series!

All lectures are open to the public and will take place at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation

7401 Park Heights Avenue Pikesville, MD, 21208.

Lecture #1
January 3, 2025 from 1-2pm

Musicologist Nicole Steinberg will take a historical deep dive into the “Golden Age of European Jewry,” during which secular Jewish composers and Jewish cantorate were able to practice Judaism openly and obtain national acclaim. Explore how these musicians reformed opera and synagogue tradition to reflect the compositional ideals of the late Classical and early Romantic periods. 

Lecture #2
January 6, 2025 from 5-6pm 

In the mid-19th century, many European countries were looking for a solution to the “Jewish Question.” Join musicologist Nicole Steinberg to discuss how European anti-Semitism and Wagner’s “Der Judentum in her Music” would ignite the search for an autonomous, identifiably secular, Jewish music tradition. This shift in cultural thought would lead to the development of “Jewish Art Music” and Yiddish theater, both stemming from popular operatic tradition. 

Pre-Concert Lecture
January 12, 2025 at 2pm

Join musicologist Nicole Steinberg for a riveting exploration of the profound impact of Jewish culture on beloved operatic tradition from Meyerbeer to Korngold. She’ll provide you a historical and compositional roadmap for the afternoon musical journey you will embark on with Opera Baltimore and Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.