Judaic Sacred Music Foundation
We preserve sacred Judaic music by fostering newly commissioned
works & performances rooted in Judaism's diverse traditions.
Our First Commission
The Symphony
This symphonic work is in four movements. Each movement contains original musical material based on the traditional Jewish New Year services (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) of the 18th, 19th, and 20th century Eastern European synagogues.
These melodies embody prayers and hymns derived from the Bible, Talmud, and Mahzor written between the 5th and 6th centuries, which made the synagogue on these Days of Awe a treasure house where the national and religious genius of Israel was embodied.
The primary goal in creating this symphony was to capture that deep, emotional, and creative aura that imbued the heightened sense of personal relationship between the Jewish people and God.
Time Table
- Currently, two movements have been written and orchestrated by Dr. Rothstein and recorded by the Bratislava Studio Symphony under the direction of Vladimir Martinka.
- The third and fourth movements are written and orchestrated.
- The third and fourth movements will be recorded by the Bratislava Studio Symphony as soon as the musicians are available.
Riverside Philharmonic Performs Movement II
On December 15, 2018 the Riverside Philharmonic lead by Conductor Tomasz Golka performed Variations on Ki Anu Amecha, the second movement from Symphony No: 1 JUDAICA (Days of Awe).
Our History
Professor Robert H. Freilich has been fascinated by the High Holy Days liturgy days since his youth in New York City. His father Julius Freilich sang in the choir of world-famous Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt on the lower East Side from 1912-1924 and later graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1925. Professor Freilich has been a devotee of classical music his entire life. He merged his love of Jewish High Holy Day music and classical music when he founded the Judaic Sacred Music Foundation in 2014 to commission a composer to write a Judaic Symphony based on historic High Holy Day synagogue melodies.
The Foundation commissioned Dr. Steven P. Rothstein, a composer with a Ph.D. in Classical Music Composition from UCLA, to compose the Judaic Symphony.
Dr. Rothstein and Dr. Freilich have done in-depth research identifying the synagogue and temple music and motifs of the 18th-20th centuries.
Our People
Robert H. Freilich, Founder and President
Professor Robert H. Freilich has been fascinated with the High Holy Days liturgy and music since his youth in New York City.
As a teen, his father Julius Freilich sang in the choir of world-famous Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt on the lower East Side from 1912-1924 and later graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1925.
Steven Rothstein, Ph. D., Composer
Steve Rothstein, Ph.D. is active as a composer and music instructor in the Los Angeles area. He received his Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of California, Los Angeles (2006). Mr. Rothstein has written numerous works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, wind ensemble, choral groups, as well as art songs. His works have been performed by The American Youth Symphony, the UCLA Philharmonic, the UC Irvine Symphony, the Redlands Symphony, and the New York Master Chorale. In 2008 his oratorio Hymn of Light received its international premiere in China.
Jerry Krautman, Director of Development
Jerry is a resourceful, energetic, hands-on professional with over 20 years of fundraising, administrative, management, and marketing expertise with Israeli and Jewish nonprofit organizations.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Journalism from the University of Northern Colorado and his Master of Business Administration from the American Jewish University.