In September 2001, I was working at Lincoln Center, about to open my debut production for New York City Opera. On September 10, I spoke at the Guggenheim Museum about this new work I was directing, feeling that I had become the artist I had aspired to be. Instead, on September 11, I awoke to a changed world. That afternoon, I sat on the steps of Lincoln Center witnessing the throngs of ghost-like survivors find their way home, walking up Broadway without any functioning public transportation. On September 12, I pledged to pivot my work in the arts to pursue the greatest possible public value.
Over the last 12 years, we have done this work at The Soraya, creating a venue with a clear vision and strong values, one that uplifts communities even in the most challenging times. While there are dozens of examples, one that stands out in my mind is our 2018 production of the mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, a story about family and immigration. Now our 2025 Season Opener, “Yiddish Fiddler” as we call it, offers another good example. Los Angeles Times critic Charles McNulty wrote powerfully about it, both a theater review and a cultural/historic reflection. Please read it here.
I excerpt the following for emphasis:
“This version of Fiddler in Yiddish elicited in me a poignant longing for an America that once understood itself as a nation of immigrants, bound together by the dream of a better life, regardless of creed or national origin or accent.
Fiddler on the Roof, perhaps the most unifying American musical of the 20th century, reminds us of the long, hard road many of our ancestors traveled to arrive at a country founded on (however imperfectly realized) democratic ideals. I’m thinking now of my parents and grandparents, but also of my students, whose families come from different parts of the world but whose paths follow a similar trajectory.
It’s a pity that this concert had such a brief run. But how lucky to experience at this fragile moment the values of generosity and empathy underlying this classic American musical — values that once made it possible to transcend our political differences and find ourselves in each other’s stories.”
Gratefully,
Upcoming Performances
With a Special Centennial Creation by Bernstein,
Rountree, and Boykin
Featuring Wild Up
