On June 10, 2017 a Zaimont world premiere...

 ... took place in the Berkshires. Metropolitan Opera soprano Danielle Talamantes and a chamber ensemble will offer the first performance of The Statue  Emma Lazarus - Hero of Exiles at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.  Commissioned by the  director of the music series Close Encounters with Music, The Statue is a setting of texts  the composer culled from all of the poet's published writings, including much of the text for the Lazarus poem inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty, "The New Colossus".   The resulting libretto is "told" by Miss Liberty herself - "From my beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome." Emma Lazarus was a noted advocate speaking and writing in both the US and England on behalf of populations seeking to immigrate to the US from Eastern Europe, and this piece was commissioned to honor the 100th anniversary of New York state's passage of the amendment ratifying women's suffrage.   The Statue will be performed by the premiering musicians several times following the premiere, with performances planned in both New York and Massachusetts.

Judith's full radio interview with WMHT ( an NPR affiliate in the Berkshires) can be found on:

Soundcloud

WMHT

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Judith Lang Zaimont’s piece ATTARS was commissioned
by the American Pianists Association for the 2017 Awards and was premiered
at the New Music Recital on April 3, 2017.

The new work, "Attars," is named for fragrant essential oils used for perfumes as well as medicinal, therapeutic and religious purposes.  In this short piece, five well-known attars are profiled.

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