Leonard Bernstein at 100 Concert
Temple Sinai and Cantor Laura Berman are thrilled to present the first of a three-concert series that will bring our community together with music, and will celebrate our congregations and The Cantors Assembly. Subsequent concerts are being planned for 2020 and 2021 at Beth Shalom and Tree of Life / Or L’simcha to continue the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein. Our program includes:
- The Chichester Psalms, Movement II (Psalm 23) performed by the Temple Sinai Intergenerational Choir, the Rodef Shira Choir, and members of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, conducted by Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Thomas Douglas
- Bernstein’s Piano Trio featuring members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Lorien Benet Hart, violin, and Michael Lipman, cello
- Songs from beloved works such as West Side Story, Candide, and On the Town performed by members of The Cantors Assembly and Temple Sinai
- Stories and commentary from Flavio Chamis, former Assistant Conductor to Leonard Bernstein
Cost: $20/$10 with valid student ID; Register online in your Temple Sinai account or RSVP to Nancy Conaway at Nancy@TempleSinaiPGH.org or (412) 421-9715 ext. 115 by 5 PM on Wednesday, April 3.
Open to the community. Additional donations will benefit the Cantors Assembly & Temple Sinai.
Photo: Leonard Bernstein by Paul de Hueck, Courtesy of the Leonard Bernstein Office
ABOUT FLAVIO CHAMIS
A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Flavio Chamis began his formal training in conducting and composition at the Rubin Academy of Music (Tel Aviv University) under S. Ronli Riklis and Zubin Mehta of the Israel Philharmonic. He continued his studies with Martin Stephani in Detmold, Germany, graduating from the Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie. Shortly thereafter, Flavio moved to Vienna, where he was appointed Music Director of the Villa Lobos Ensemble. While in Europe, he made recordings for RIAS with the Radio Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and the Nouvelle Philharmonique de Radio France – his conducting of the world premiere of Michel Phillipot’s Concerto for Violin and/or Viola has been released by the label Solstice. His European engagements have included, among many others, performances at the Musikverein (Vienna), the Wiener Festwochen and the Royal Festival Hall in London.
In 1985, Flavio was named conducting assistant to Leonard Bernstein. In this capacity, he led the Israel Philharmonic in preparation for tours of Europe, Japan, and the United States, featuring
performances of Mahler’s 9th Symphony. The following year, he conducted in New York the rehearsals for the world premiere of Bernstein’s Jubilee Games, later renamed Concerto for
Orchestra. In 1989, he again assisted Maestro Bernstein, this time on the European tour of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Flavio returned to Brazil in 1987, as Music Director of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra. There he won enthusiastic critical acclaim for his performances and appearances on Brazilian radio and television. As well as having conducted all of the major orchestras in Brazil, Flavio enjoys engagements as guest conductor throughout Europe and Latin America.
He has collaborated with such highly acclaimed international soloists as Mischa Maisky, Paul Badura Skoda, Ileana Cotrubas, Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Dang Thai-Son, Ransom Wilson, Antonio Meneses, Jean Louis Steuerman, and Arnaldo Cohen, among others. He has also participated in numerous international music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival, Bayreuther Festspiel, and Schleswig Holstein Music Festival.
As a composer, Flavio's works embrace a wide range of styles, from solo, chamber, and symphonic pieces, to jazz and Brazilian music. He has also written the text for many of his vocal compositions. “Especiaria,” a Latin Grammy nominated CD exclusively with Flavio's Brazilian Jazz compositions has been released by the Brazilian label Biscoito Fino. In 2007 Flavio received the International Press Award as "Outstanding Brazilian Musician based in the United States." A frequent guest lecturer, his presentations on both Brazilian and classical music have been heard in universities, as well as several cultural and educational organizations across the country. Since 2008, Flavio has been a permanent member of the Screening Committee of the Latin Grammy.
Flavio resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Tatjana, acting Principal violist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and their three children.
