WAITING page 59
ROMPER CHOP HOUSE
T
Irina rehearses with Zina Astrakhan.
neer TV, radio and record
initiatives.
"I had a Jewish TV pro-
gram in Moldavia, and
each week I had two or
three songs on a Jewish
:- D Moldavian radio pro-
gram," she explained.
"I recorded Jewish
songs in Moscow, and it
i was the first recording of
Jewish songs in Russia,
but it has not been
released."
While the Lektman
family was pleased with
the Moldavian changes
that allowed them to
observe their religion over
the past few years, they
still experienced anti-
Semitism, which they felt
— limited Mr. Lektman's
( ) work. They also were dis-
turbed by an anonymous
caller and swastikas
drawn on buildings.
Faced with food short-
ages, they decided to try
(‘=,- to leave. It took two years
'_, for the arrangements to
be approved.
"Our life here in
i America is like a dream,"
-i.-) Ms. Lekhtman said. "Now
L___, we have a Jewish life. We
have had great help from
the Jewish community.
"Our problem is miss-
ing, longing for, others —
,._ my parents and our
friends."
Each morning after her
husband, Alexander,
leaves for his construction
job and her daughter,
Rachel, goes to school,
Ms. Lekhtman practices
her singing at the Jimmy
,, Prentis Morris Jewish
Community Center near
her apartment. Her
accompanist is another
Jewish refugee, Zina
Astrakhan from Russia.
c. Part of her day is spent
learning English. She
also gives singing lessons
to one private student,
who helps her with pro-
fessional correspondence
in search of roles in the
United States.
Recently , she left for a
month's work in Belgium,
where she appeared in
Verdi's Un Ballo in
Maxchera.
" My opera — Kishinev
Opera House — invited
me to have a big tour,"
she explained. "In March,
in Kishinev, we had a big
Il
performance of
Trovatore, and we had a
Belgian conductor, who
had a tour in Moldavia.
He recorded this perfor-
mance and showed it to
his European manage-
ment. They saw my
Azucena and invited me
to have this contract."
Ms. Lekhtman also has
been invited to return to
Moldavia next summer to
appear in Carmen, but
she is not sure if she can
leave the United States
then.
As she eases her way
into American concerts,
she is beginning with
smaller, local engage-
ments. She has performed
at Temple Israel and
Adat Shalom Synagogue
and before the Music
Study Club and the
Women of the Jewish
National Fund.
In between these per-
formances, she waits.
The classical singer has
yet to hear the results of
the two auditions she has
completed. She also has
not received responses to
letters and resumes she
has sent to other promi-
nent opera houses in
request of auditions.
While her waiting time
is not filled with work, it
does bring many plea-
sures.
"It is great to meet so
many wonderful people,"
she said. "They have
helped us so much." ❑
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