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Fit For A Queen

Local choral society presents
Handel's Esther oratorio.

I

Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer

T

he biblical story of Esther, as
told in an oratorio set to music
by Handel, will be presented
Saturday evening, Nov. 15, in a church
setting.
The Oakland Choral Society will per-
form the work at 7:30 p.m. in St. James
Episcopal Church in Birmingham.
"Handel is a fantastic composer, and
this is his first oratorio:' explains Scott
Hanoian, music director. "The piece,
which features strings as well as harp and
French horn, shows lots of what's to come
in the composer's later works:'
Hanoian, director of music and organ-
ist at Christ Church Grosse Pointe, was
assistant organist and assistant director of
music at Washington National Cathedral.
He chose to present Esther because
of its polished and light orchestration,
infrequency of performance and universal
themes. Although written on commission
for private performances, the piece was
later revised by Handel for public audi-
ences.
"Esther shows the importance of being
bold, daring and sacrificiar Hanoian says.
"She is one of the phenomenal characters
of the Jewish faith as she saves her people
Shari Kash, one of the newer members
of the society, likes the piece because it is
so dramatic.
"The piece is all in English, and the
members of the Oakland Choral Society
are so committecr says Kash, who lives
in Berkley and works as a technical writer
for Compuware.
Kash learned about the group by
attending an event sponsored by a clas-
sical music radio station. She encourages
other vocalists to join the choral perform-
ers as they present other pieces.
A former member of the Jewish
Parents Institute, Kash has sung in many
choirs and studied classical voice with
private teachers. Early participation was
with choirs at Berkley High School and
Michigan State University.
Harold Silk has been with the Oakland
Choral Society for some six years and has
performed many Christian pieces.
"I've liked the other pieces, but this
one is special for me:' says Silk, a West
Bloomfield resident who does part-time
counseling at Oakland Community
College.
Silk, part of choral groups at Cooley
High School and Michigan State
University, has performed with the Oak

Directed by Mary Bremer

Park Chorus, Plymouth Oratorio Society
and the Dearborn Summer Festival
Chorus.
He has participated with High Holiday
choirs at the former Congregation Beth
Achim and has held membership in B'nai
B'rith.
"The Oakland Choral Society performs
in different venues:' says Silk, a retired
Detroit teacher and counselor who
became a society member on the recom-
mendation of someone he knew from
other vocal groups. "Esther is a wonderful
piece of music and very interestine
Beatrice Sandweiss of Oak Park goes
back some 14 years with the group, which
started with a credit course at Oakland
University She has participated with
many choral groups, some during the
time she worked as a secretary at the
Wayne State University Center for Urban
Studies.
"I enjoy the great works and the big
works:' says Sandweiss, a music major at
Cass Technical High School in Detroit.
"Esther brings beautiful music to this Old
Testament story
"I enjoy the Christian classics that this
group performs, but it's always refreshing
to do the Old Testament works:'
Sandweiss has vocalized with the
Sholem Aleichem Choir, Oak Park Civic
Chorus, Fort Street Chorale and the
Christ Church Chorale. Once active with a
Zionist youth organization, she has lived
in Israel.
"For 10 years, I went to a choral festival
in Massachusetts:' Sandweiss says. "I've
always loved choral singing:'
Hanoian says that Esther is in line with
the master choral works done by great
composers from Bach to Verdi and invites
community vocalists to audition for
upcoming productions.

❑

Esther will be performed at 7:30

p.m. Saturday, Nov.15, in St.
James Episcopal Church, 355 W.
Maple, in Birmingham. $20. (248)
391-0184;
www.oaklandchoralsociety.org .

Filled with youthful hope, romanticism, and laughter, Enter Laughing
is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Carl Reiner about
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November 13 • 2014

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