Since Oct. 7, 2023, songs reflecting the “millennia-long Jewish connection to the land of Israel” have been running through Cantor Hinda Labovitz’s mind.
The cantor is referring to a collection of music known as “Like Wildflowers, Suddenly,” inspired by the poetry of Yehuda Amichai and premiered in 2008 for Israel’s 60th anniversary. The libretto traces the history of the Jewish people’s relationship with Israel from biblical to modern times, according to a press release.
“When we sang it 15 or 16 years ago, it really resonated very deeply with me,” said Labovitz, who sang in the Zamir Chorale of Boston for eight years.
She is bringing the notes of “freedom and peace,” along with the prestigious Zamir Chorale of Boston, to her synagogue, Ohr Kodesh Congregation in Chevy Chase, for a March 22 concert titled “WildPeace.”
“Jews pray for peace all the time,” Labovitz said. “It’s embedded in our liturgy and throughout, so the theme of the concert feels like it’s designed for catharsis.”
Complete with an orchestra of 22 instrumentalists, the concert features Labovitz, Hazzan Asa Fradkin of Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County and Cantor Lindsay Kanter, formerly of Temple Emanuel in Kensington, as soloists, as well as fellow singers from New York and D.C.
“It is a little bit of a reunion,” Labovitz said. “The cantors of the DMV love singing together.”
Labovitz said she chose her soloists because Fradkin and Kanter are “two of the most talented musicians [she has] ever worked with.”
She added that featuring cantors from across synagogues helps bring in a larger audience.
“Part of it is wanting to bring the whole community together, unite different parts of the community,” Labovitz said. “People like to see their own cantors on stage. Every cantor is a rock star to his or her own congregation.”
Cantors also don’t often get the opportunity to sing this kind of music, she said.
The first half of the concert features just Zamir — sans orchestra — performing songs that Labovitz said “speak to the moment.” They are both Israeli and peace-oriented, she said. The latter half will bring in the D.C.-area cantors and instrumentalists.
“We want people to feel like this is a moment of absolute prayer,” Labovitz said. “And I think having it in our sanctuary really gives us that extra ambience.”
The score includes musical tributes to “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, according to Fradkin.
Kanter said she’s enjoyed learning the main song, “Like Wildflowers, Suddenly,” over the past few weeks due to its beauty and complexity. “It can be, at times, vocally and aurally quite challenging and yet also deeply soothing in places,” she said. “I feel like the piece reflects Israel itself, as Israel is a place that holds many realities at once. I think the piece invites the audience on a journey through beauty and sorrow and even moments of harshness.”
The song most meaningful to Fradkin, “Movement IIA,” is based on the narrative that the Redeemer was born on the day the Temple was destroyed. “There’s this idea of redemption, even in destruction,” he said.
Another song, Randall Thompson’s “The Last Words of David,” includes the line, “He that ruleth over men must be just.”
“That calls to governments all over the world, and how do we balance the need for power with the need for justice?” Labovitz asked.
She and Baltimore’s Cantor Melanie Blatt Schuster will solo a duet written by Israeli artist Achinoam Nini and Palestinian-Israeli singer-songwriter Mira Awad, “There Must Be Another Way.” It’s sung in three languages: English, Hebrew and Arabic.
“[The song is] wanting to call on this moment to say, ‘We believe in humanity, and we believe in a future for peace,’” Labovitz said.
Labovitz spoke to the relevance of the songs’ messages, especially with conflict roiling in the Middle East.
“The concert has been 18 months in the works, and the volatility of the moment in the world scene has changed over that time, but it still feels like it’s an important moment for us to be singing and making music about Israel in a positive way, and tracking the continuous Jewish history of that area of the world,” she said.
“It’s such a beautiful message of hope and peace and survival, and especially at such a delicate time, I think it’s so important to perform a work like this right now during a time of war in Israel,” Kanter said. “It really adds an additional emotional layer to the performance.”
Labovitz said she’s excited to introduce the Ohr Kodesh community and the broader Jewish DMV to the music she knows and loves. The cantors are glad to have a chance to convene and sing together.
“What I’m most looking forward to is to get to see my colleagues, to participate in a celebration of the day, and to be with hundreds of people who share our love of Israel. We need that right now,” Fradkin said. “We need to be in community. We’ve needed it since Oct. 7.”
