Red River Radio High Holy Day Programs

Red River Radio High Holy Day Programs

Red River Radio (KDAQ 89.9 Shreveport) will again have a number of wonderful, inspirational, thoughtful programs to help prepare for the new Jewish Year.

Airing for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur 5784

• Thursday 1pm 9/14/23
  Birthday of the World PT 1 
  THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD MUSIC AND TRADITIONS OF THE HIGH HOLY DAYS PART I: ROSH HASHANAH  Sung by The Western Wind Narrated by Leonard Nimoy In this classic performance, Leonard Nimoy and The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble join forces to explore the rich and profound musical and spiritual traditions of the Jewish High Holy Days. The Birthday of the World presents some of the most inspiring music in the Jewish liturgical tradition, performed by the acclaimed vocal ensemble The Western Wind. Mr. Nimoy's timeless narration focuses on the universal themes of redemption and divine forgiveness. "Sung by The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble with outstanding cantors, this is an ideal High Holy Days service with a splendid narration by Leonard Nimoy, the performance is outstanding for the beauty of its artistry."-Hadassah Magazine 
• Monday 12pm 9/18/23
  Musical Memories of the High Holidays with Itzhak Perlman 
  For Itzhak Perlman, the Jewish High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – bring a flood of memories, many of them associated with music. In this one-hour special, the superstar violinist shares a wide variety of recordings that have special meaning for him, including several of his own performances. Ranging from classical gems to cantorial singing to raucous klezmer fiddling, the music will spark warm associations and an emotional response for all listeners.
• Wednesday 1pm 9/20/23
  Music for the High Holidays 
  Hosted by WQXR’s Naomi Lewin, Music for the High Holidays includes liturgical music, as well as classical compositions based on High Holidays melodies. The show features a new recording of Kol Nidre with violinist Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot of Park East Synagogue. Other local musicians in the show include the Juilliard String Quartet, and Cantor Benzion Miller of Young Israel Beth El in Borough Park, Brooklyn.  Between the musical selections, Lewin explains the significance of the holidays and shares some of the traditions associated with them. “Everyone who’s Jewish grows up with certain High Holidays melodies,” said Lewin.  “In addition to the traditional ones I heard as a child, I got to know some of the beautiful composed liturgy when I became a professional singer. This show includes a bit of each—plus some wonderful classical compositions based on music from High Holidays services. I’m delighted to share these treasures with listeners who know them intimately, as well as with listeners experiencing this rich musical tradition for the first time.” 
• Wednesday 2pm 9/20/23
  Sound the Shofar

  The shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, has been heard in synagogues all over the world during the Jewish High Holidays since time immemorial. It has also been heard outside those contexts as a call to battle or a way for shepherds to summon their flocks. 

  The primeval, evocative sounds of the shofar have captivated many classical composers and its powerful influence shows up in places you might not expect. Elgar, Bernstein, Gershwin, and Golijov have all emulated the shofar in their music, and to this day composers continue to be inspired by its sound and history.

  Miguel Kertsman’s new Concerto for Violin, Horn, and Shofar showcases this venerable and influential instrument, and provides the centerpiece of the enlightening one-hour special, Sound the Shofar! An Ancient Instrument in Modern Times.

  Join us on an aural journey filled with an abundance of musical examples as we hear from Miguel Kertsman and the musicians who brought his Concerto to life.  Composer Osvaldo Golijov and shofar virtuoso Steven Ovitsky provide insightful commentary about the instrument’s cultural, historical, and musical significance, and Jamie Bernstein shares the direct connection between the shofar and the music in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

  Sound the Shofar! concludes with a glimpse into Miguel Kertsman’s new composition as he pulls back the curtain on his creative process, revealing the secular motivation that inspired him and the sound world he intended to evoke. The hour finishes with a complete performance of the Concerto from the NAXOS debut recording, featuring Gergely Sugar, horn and shofar; Orsolya Korcsolan, violin; and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.

  This special is produced and hosted by WFMT’s award-winning team of Louise Frank and Kerry Frumkin.

  Although this special focuses on the secular context of the shofar, this program is an ideal way to herald the Jewish High or at any point during the year.

• Thursday 1pm 9/21/23
  Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement
  We're nearing Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year, and the source of some of Judaism's most beautiful and soul-searching liturgy. Tune in to the next Sounds Jewish for potent music inspired by the day on which the proverbial Book of Life is sealed.

• Thursday 2pm 9/21/23
  Birthday of the World PT 2 
  THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD MUSIC AND TRADITIONS OF THE HIGH HOLY DAYS PART II: YOM KIPPUR Sung by The Western Wind Narrated by Leonard Nimoy In this classic performance, Leonard Nimoy and The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble join forces to explore the rich and profound musical and spiritual traditions of the Jewish High Holy Days. The Birthday of the World presents some of the most inspiring music in the Jewish liturgical tradition, performed by the acclaimed vocal ensemble The Western Wind. Mr. Nimoy's timeless narration focuses on the universal themes of redemption and divine forgiveness. "Sung by The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble with outstanding cantors, this is an ideal High Holy Days service with a splendid narration by Leonard Nimoy, the performance is outstanding for the beauty of its artistry."-Hadassah Magazine 
• Sunday 1pm 9/24
  ABOUT FAITH (with Rabbi Jana) 
  Special episode discussing Repentance

Programs from Previous Years

• Remember Us Unto Life 
  Remember Us Unto Life" is a one-hour celebration of Rosh Hashanah, The Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement - ten days known as the Jewish High Holidays. The program takes the form of a conversation between Rabbi Ismar Schorsch and host Larry Josephson, a secular Jew who wants to know more about the religion of his grandparents. Rabbi Schorsch talks about the history, liturgy and meaning in our time of these ancient holidays, the most solemn on the Jewish calendar. The conversation is illustrated and elevated with music of the High Holidays including "Kol Nidre", which is traditionally sung in the synagogue at the beginning of the Yom Kippur service. 
• The Jewish New Year Music and Inspirational Teachings From the Kabbalah 
  Music and teachings from the Jewish mystical tradition on the High Holy Days. Each year, on the evening of the new moon, the beginning of the month of Tishrei in the Jewish lunar calendar, Jewish people around the world begin a period of prayer and self-examination that ends, ten days later, with a twenty-four hour fast. These are the High Holy Days, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and ending with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. These days are a time to reflect on the past year and to realign life with truth and wisdom, to prepare for a new year's challenges. In this program, Kabbalistic teacher, therapist, and author of "Sacred Therapy," Estelle Frankel and Cantor Richard Kaplan share the depths of insight accumulated by the Jewish mystical tradition of the Kabbalah. They discuss the insights in stories, teachings and music, gathered from that rich tradition.