Leonard Nimoy: The Icon and the Image

Leonard Nimoy’s life has been about images. As a ten-year-old boy growing up in a two-bedroom apartment in Boston with his Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish parents, his brother and his grandparents, he discovered the family camera. It was a discovery that would spark a life-long pursuit of art, truth and beauty, often within the context of his Judaism.

At one time enrolled in photography at UCLA, Nimoy abandoned his original love for a life as an actor and celebrity. His is one of the most famous faces in the world. He is more than just a movie star really. He is a pop culture icon. TV Guide recently named his Mr. Spock as one of the 50 Greatest TV Charters of all time.

Now in his eighties, he has returned to his passion for photography. Nimoy’s pictures are widely acclaimed and respected, and he is just as engaged as ever in the pursuit of art. Leonard Nimoy: THE ICON AND THE IMAGE looks at his work as a photographer as the man reflects on the life he has led, and the curiosity that drives him to continue to create.

Unbelievably, there has never been a documentary produced on Nimoy’s livelong creative quest. The film will mark the first and perhaps only document of artist who has made his way permanently into the lexicon of popular culture.

Source: http://riddlefilms.com/leonard-nimoy/

Cleveland Orchestra musician Richard Solis with Leonard Nimoy at a Cleveland Orchestra performance of Beethoven 9 in Miami in January 2007. Rick’s lapel pin is the insignia of the United Federation of Planets.

When I was growing up in Las Vegas, my parents did not allow a television in the house, thinking that it would contribute to bad grades in school. Well, I fooled them! I got bad grades anyway! I remember kids in high school talking about a show called Star Trek and a character named Spock. It was all foreign to me, but when I finally got a job with The Cleveland Orchestra in 1971, I bought a TV. Just about then, the networks began showing reruns of Star Trek. My wife, who had watched every episode of the original show, got me interested. I was always a Sci-Fi freak and fell right in line watching this relatively new series. I was completely hooked.

Compared to today’s technological wizardry, the show was visually rather lame, and some of the stories were pretty silly, but the overlying concept of a future where people were treated equally and compassionately, planet ecologies were respected, and discourse was favored over war, was hugely appealing to me. I watched the reruns over and over again.

Since then, my wife and I have watched every episode of every Star Trek show and spinoff that came along, in addition to every movie that was produced. When Enterprise went off the air (many thought it was a weak show; I thought its final season was actually quite good) we felt a huge emptiness. Fortunately, there is renewed interest in the Star Trek universe, and the recent movie was great fun in addition to being a fine movie.

I’m really looking forward to working with (and hopefully meeting) George Takei. The people who took part in that wonderful universe are slowly leaving us and we should cherish every opportunity to honor them.

--Rick Solis

Source: The Cleveland Orchestra

Leonard Nimoy was the costar of a popular science fiction program called Star Trek. Some of you older readers might remember it. Star Trek was in its inaugural season and the Pear Blossom Committee saw Nimoy as the logical choice for Grand Marshal. They were even able to convince him to participate in his alien persona of Spock, half human science officer from the planet Vulcan.

The parade was held on April 15, 1967. Nimoy/Spock sat in the back of a convertible and reveled in the crowds along the parade route, the largest crowd the parade had ever experienced. For Nimoy the cheering spectators was a sure sign that he had finally hit the big time, and he looked forward to the autograph session in the city park at the conclusion of the parade. The park, however, turned out to be a place where no man should boldly go.

The crowds grew and the crush began, people in the back pushing forward to see Mr. Spock and secure an autograph. Nimoy and his handlers began to worry that some in the throng might be injured. Still the crowd grew until even Nimoy became nervous for his own well being. The grandstand began to sway, the potential for tragedy increased. Fortunately the Medford police detail was able to drag the Grand Marshal to safety and return him to the tranquility of his hotel.

Never again, Nimoy vowed, would he make a public appearance as Spock, a promise he has kept to this day. That leaves Medford, Oregon, as host to the only public appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock.

Source: Just In Case Someone Might Be Interested

JWeekly
January 23, 1998
By Michael Elkin

Nimoy’s ties with Israel have lived long and prospered

The actor, who first encountered fame as the detached Mr. Spock, is emotionally involved in Israel's survival. He has visited the Jewish state several times, the latest sojourn a family affair three years ago.

"It was a bar mitzvah gift for my stepson," Nimoy says.

Visiting Israel "is always an emotional trip," he says, adding that he "has always had fantasies of living there, but, at this point, it's unrealistic."

What is real is his continued commitment to Israel.

"There was a time, years ago, when you couldn't find people in my industry" eager to come out of the Jewish closet, Nimoy says. "It was a time in which name-changing [among Jewish stars] was rampant."

Today, however, "there is a greater sense of security," Nimoy says of his industry colleagues.

"And [the flourishing] of Israel has something to do with that."

June 11, 2008
by Angie Brenner

Booksellers queue in front of the L.A. Convention Center doors on Saturday morning of the 2008 BookExpo America - BEA. At 9:00 am, they push through and quickly disperse among the rows of publisher booths, ready to grab the latest galley copies of new releases and meet the authors. Today, among the many on hand to sign their books are: Arianna Huffington, Ann Rice, Salman Rushdie, Dionne Warwick, Andre Dubus III, Alec Baldwin, Leonard Nimoy, Vincent Bugliosi, William Shatner, Mariel Hemingway, Jamie Lee Curits, and Barbara Walters - whose handlers make sure that no photos will be taken of the interview queen as she signs her just released, tell-all biography, Audition.

Book Expo – Day Three
June 2, 2008 by kjwinston

While I was in the booth fondling the book, the most hilarious thing happened. There are a lot of celebrity authors at the show – this year’s crop included Brooke Shield, John Hodgman, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and one of the “Skinny Bitches.” I could not care less about celebrities, and I walked past booths where several were signing as if I were walking past a fire hydrant. But on day two of the convention, I visited the Interweave Press booth because, as some of you know, I am a rabid knitter. I wasn’t looking for anything there for PW or the blog, but was hoping to satisfy my own lust for yarn and knitting patterns by getting a glimpse of their forthcoming knitting books. I didn’t see any new knitting books because instead, I was stopped dead by the sight of Stephanie Pearl McPhee, the knitting guru/author/blogger/all-around wunderknitter, a.k.a. The Yarn Harlot sitting in the booth in an apparent meeting with Interweave’s reps. (An aside – if you are not knitter, you may be saying, “Who is SPM?” But if you are a knitter, it is as if I just told you I saw Pope John Paul II. Yes, she is that famous and that beloved). I just gaped. I didn’t say anything (what would I say? “I LOOOOOOVE YOU”???). But later that night, having dinner with my religion reporting colleagues Lynn and Marcia Ford, I mentioned that I had seen her and Marcia suddenly came out with, “I LOVE Stephanie Pearl McPhee! ARE YOU A KNITTER? ME, TOO!” and we were off to the races, comparing knitting stories and patterns and the like. Poor Lynn was completely left out.

ANYWAY, on this day, as I was fondling Made From Scratch in Storey’s booth, I glanced to me left – AND THERE WAS STEPHANIE PEARL MCPHEE AGAIN! This time, I was so startled out of my mouth came, “Oh, my God, I just saw you yesterday at Interweave’s booth and here you are again!” (Another aside: when startled I am not especially clever, though I do tend to be verbose and enthusiastic). Without missing a beat, SPM says, “Are you stalking me?” I must have blabbered something and then she said she was stalking William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (see the pictures on her site), and that she had managed to capture Captain Kirk with her camera.

Culver City P.O.
BookExpo America

As wonderful as it was to have Rick Wartzman remember me, it was even more exciting when I discovered that Leonard Nimoy, my favorite classic “Star Trek” character Mr. Spock, was signing his latest book at 1PM. Tim and I zipped over to booth #2110, fifteen minutes early. Nimoy was already hard at work signing and schmoozing with his fans. I rushed to get on line, but the queue of people snaked halfway through the hall. We decided to just snap a photo instead.

Exhausted, with not an ounce of adrenaline left in our bodies, we hobbled to the secret “librarians-only lounge,” organized by “Library Journal,” the oldest and most popular publication in the profession. There we noshed on pastries, chatted with colleagues and generally relaxed until it was time to enter the fray once again. Turns out my other favorite classic Trek hero, William Shatner, was signing his latest book at 3PM.

We dashed over to the St. Martin’s Press booth at 2:30PM. But the line was already twice as long as Nimoy’s had been, so we looked at a few more exhibits and then headed home.

Takei would love to see some of his old Trek cast mates guesting as the bad guys.

“Oh, I certainly can. I think Leonard [Nimoy] would make a wonderful villain. Although Leonard has announced that he is moving onto a different phase of his life. His current passion is photography. And he is very good. He does everything well. He is meticulous. He is detail oriented. And his photographs are works of art. So he’s announced that he won’t be doing any more Star Trek conventions, or considering any acting again. I’m hoping we may be able to entice him away from that with a juicy villain role.

“I know Bill [Shatner] will be available. Bill will do anything and everything.”

Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek

It was very moving to see Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek. Until then I couldn’t associate the man who made the photographs for Spirit In The Flesh with Spock. Now I can. His voice was laden with his deep commitment and identification with the deepest meaning of Star Trek. Perhaps it is: putting us in direct contact with the cosmos, and through this encounter putting us in relationship to each other and to encountering the unkown in ourselves. He is the still center in the wild, careening film. The heartbeat behind the scenes.

One of the amazing things about Kabbalah is placing human life in relation to the cosmos. The Shekhina is the link between cosmos, the animation, the spirit of our world and the residing of spirit within us. The Shekhina is the healing power in the world.I felt that in making Spirit In The Flesh and felt it in Leonard’s words and in his face. Spock was no longer Spock the first officer but the Wise Old Man with the healing power of unity within him, uniting future and past, uniting planets, uniting the two main characters by uniting feeling with logic.

The Vulcan greeting is the sign for the Hebrew letter, the “Shin”, which is the first letter of the word “Shekhina”. It goes back to Leonard’s childhood in Brooklyn - in the Synagogue when the priests, the Kohanin, would call the Shekhina to enter the temple. Nimoy relates how his father told him no one could look as the light from the Shekhina was too powerful to behold. But he looked and saw the Kohanin with their arms outsetreched, in ecstacy, their hands in rhe sign of the Shin. So he chose that sign as the Vulcan greeting.

In some of Nimoy’s Shekhina photographs, the women have the Shin written on them, sometimes like tatoo, sometimes the letter printed as if on their palm reaching out to us, sometimes floating in space above them. A sign of power, of magic, or a brand of yhe sacred upon the body? Uniting the female body with divinity.

At the end of Spirit in The Flesh I have one of the dancers, Andrea Beeman, standing covered with a black shawl, making herself the middle prong of the “Shin” Vulcan greeting, then she spins, with the real cosmos as see by the Hubble telescope on the film screen behind her and embedded in the stars, one of Nimoy’s photographs, a star-women, looking down in blessing. the worlds united - going where no woman has gone before.

In Star Trek Nimoy seemed a messenger from a timeless realm beyond. The future beyond death. Or reincarnation? Certainly a visitation of blessing for us. For us to feel. A most un-Spock-like wish. And he isn’t an alien destructive creature form beyond, but a visitation of ourselves from beyond putting us in contact with ourselves beyond ourselves.

The dark side of Spirit In The Flesh

While theme, the subject if you will, of the film, the Shekhina, as Female, divine source of creation and energy – – of motion, on earth in us, around us, is usually only thought of now (in Kabbalah in US) as “sweetness and light” – comfort,protection, other female associated virtues, that’s so very far from the whole picture. It’s the watered down version. Here is Vittoria Maniglio in a rehearsal photo shoot (photo by Robert Haller) with Leonard Nimoy photo in background – like the photo is the Shekhina in her aspect as the mother of Lilith, and Vittoria is channeling Lilith, which Vittoria really identifies with by the way.

(...)

The great Kabbaliastic scholar, Gershom Scholem, who links (though also distinguishes) the Shekhina to the Hindu Shakti and Kali (as he does with the ancient Mother Goddesses, supernal and chthonian. Gershom Scholem (whom I got into through the Canadian avant-garde filmmaker, Bruce Elder) says how the Zohar , the sacred book of Kabbalah, recognizes this – the darkness we must sometimes go into to find another depth to reach another level . Shekhina is both the protection and light and ‘duende’ the dark energy. And I even feel that energy working on this film. Sometimes it’s like flying. And sometimes, like now, it seems to be frighteningly dangerous. I now understand when Leonard Nimoy asks in his book “Am I entering dangerous territory?”

the dance of spirit in the flesh Tasha Taylor and John Zorn

Today I worked on the section of “Spirit In The Flesh” with Tasha which comes from the words from Leonard’s Shekhina book, a poem by Norma Farber which starts “Demon of tenderness, Shekhina accessible…” which traces her descent. Like most of the other section it is to amazing John Zorn Masada string music. How his music gives expression to Leonard’s Shekhina photographs and our Shekhina dance. His music is an inspiration, as is the rich voice/music of Zohara, and the mystery of “Spirit Transform Me” by “Oren and z’ev.

I learn more about the Shekhina, from the great 20th century philosopher/scholar of Kabbalah, Gershom Sholem. There are two Sehkhinas in Kabbalism: the one which is ‘”above”, is the active creative flow of the universe – a female creativity. The one “below” is in creation itself. our world. The spirit with us. Dwelling. Both come from wisdom, is associated with wisdom (usually a male attribute?).

The project, Spirit In The Flesh, transforms the photography series, Shekhina, by Star Trek star – turned – photographer, Leonard Nimoy, into a film joining performance, words, music (by downtown music star, John Zorn) with Nimoy’s photographs to bring to the screen a personification of Shekhina – in Kabbalah, the invisible female divine spirit which is the animating force in ourselves and our world. The film, like the photographs, takes as its aim to create, “The photographic image of the invisible” (Nimoy). The film will transform a multimedia performance presented in Manhattan in 2009.

You & I

In 1970, I renewed an old love. I turned with a new intensity toward the art of photography. I had been interested in photography as a hobby for many years, had always owned a camera, and sometimes when a darkroom was available, processed my own prints. But I had never approached the work at a more serious level than simply recording events such as birthday parties and other celebrations of various kinds. Now I was intrigued with photography as an art form, particularly in black and white.

I took some UCLA courses and began to understand the science of photography as an art form. I worked intensely until I was satisfied that my prints were suitable for publication. Now I realized that the form of publication was a major choice and decided that perhaps the format that would serve me best would be a book of photographs and words.

For the first time in my life, I sat down seriously to think and write poetically. It was surprisingly easy. Or I should say it came in an unexpectedly gratifying flow. My search for an understanding of the art of photography had led me to a new surprise. That I was capable of writing and being published successfully as a poet. Since that first book which was called, "YOU & I," I have had four other books published, all quite successful.

Source: Nimoy, Leonard. "All My Life I've Been a Searcher..." in Datsun Dicovery, Fall 1978.

Take us back to December, 1968, and the shooting of your episode.

Hartley: When I did my episode, I just loved the script, loved the idea that this strange man (Spock) was finally going to be schtupped and I was going to be the one to do it, and that I was going to be the one to teach him how to not be a vegetarian. So I loved the idea. Then, when they showed me the costume, I thought I was going to die. But I sensed that it was a very special thing when I was doing it. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it was because of the script or the costume or the makeup, but there was a special-ness to it. I mean, who had any idea that it’d become what it has? I don’t think Leonard (Nimoy) or Bill (Shatner) had any idea, either.

What else do you recall of the actual production?

Hartley: I’m surprised how many memories I have of it, really. But when you kiss Spock, I mean, come on! I remember De Kelley. I remember the whole thing vividly. I remember taking off that huge coat, the fur coat, and people going, “Oh, wow.” I had no idea that I had a figure. I come from Connecticut. I had no idea what sexuality was. I was doing Shakespeare.

Everything you learned about sex, you learned from Star Trek?

Hartley: Absolutely (laughs). Absolutely. And Leonard, too, quite clearly. But I do remember it vividly. I remember being in the cave. I remember the lighting in the cave. Marvin Chomsky was a terrific director, very caring, and Jerry Finnerman, who unfortunately recently passed away, was a wonderful director of photography. He came in with this kind of magic, and I was fascinated with that, too, because the only things I’d done up until then were black and white, except for Ride the High Country, the Peckinpah film. I remember that the cave was lit with red and green. I remember that De was asleep and ill, and one time I was thinking, “Well, we’re going to be making a lot of noise, Mr. Nimoy and I. Aren’t we going to wake up De in the middle of all this?” And there was the whole thing about getting back into the time (portal). I just loved the brilliance of the imagination. I’ve been lucky, because I’d also worked on The Twilight Zone with Rod Serling. So I’ve been at the peak of these shows.

I've saved my Spock reaction for the final comment. The Mr Spock character was 20% created by Gene Roddenberry, 20% created by me and 60% created by Leonard Nimoy.

The young Mr Spock was certainly commendable. But I missed the depth of Leonard's Spock, and the centuries of knowledge that always lurked in his eyes.

The single most emblematic phrase of our original series is 'Live Long and Prosper'.

I hope the new series of movies will have that long life, and that Star Trek will continue to prosper.

Beam Me Up to the World’s Largest STAR TREK Convention
August 20, 2010

Later that day, the Hilton ballroom was at full capacity for the star attractions of Bill Shatner (Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Spock), who appeared in succession.

They are still a study in contrasts. Both actors are pushing 80 years old. Nimoy declares that he is again retiring from acting (after a superb role in the latest TREK film), and that this go-around is his last one on the convention circuit.

Shatner, on the other hand, gleefully describes the FOUR television series he now has on the air. A favorite is “Aftermath,” where he interviews names in the news several months after their moment in the spotlight. He talks about a landing airplane manufacturer Bombardier as a production sponsor (providing an airplane for the production crew), after learning that the Canadian manufacturer’s CEO is a STAR TREK fan. Shatner is electric with energy, and answers questions from the crowd. He is rumored to have never seen the latest STAR TREK film, but quashes that rumor with a declaration.

Diembodied voice at microphone: “Why won’t you see J.J. Abrams STAR TREK film?”

Shatner: “I saw it! I saw that wonderful motion picture.”

All of the fans in the room know the undercurrent and backstory. Shatner actively campaigned for a cameo role in the latest film. But that never happened.

“I sat by the phone, day after day,” Shatner tells the audience. “And then the phone rang, and it was Leonard Nimoy telling me that he was going to be in the new film!”

Nimoy is up next. He wears a black t-shirt with four letters emblazoned on the front: “LLAP.”

“Do you know what it stands for?” he asks the faithful.

“Live Long & Prosper,” we all shout back.

Nimoy talks about his passions, beyond acting. Later in the day, he will lead a photography seminar. A fan asks him a question about the 1970’s book “I Am Not Spock.”

“I caught hell for that book,” the actor admits.

“What are your favorite STAR TREK episodes?” asks another fan.

It’s a question Nimoy has been asked hundreds of times, and he rattles off the answer – a list that is agreeable to many in the audience.

City on the Edge of Forever.
Space Seed.
Amok Time.
This Side of Paradise.

“Amok Time was very important episode for Spock character. Theodore Sturgeon wrote beautiful script. It was memorable because it was the first time that ‘Live Long and Prosper’ was spoken and also the first time that we introduced the Vulcan salute.”

Another fan asks the inevitable question: “Would you consider doing another STAR TREK movie.”

Nimoy is forthright.

“That question comes up regularly. I am very flattered. I have learned time and time again — particularly in my STAR TREK career — never to say never. But as we stand here now, I have no plans to be involved.

Together on stage at the end of the session, Shatner and Nimoy relish the opportunity to reflect on being working actors together on a 1960’s TV series.

“They were trying times and very physical work, typically six days a week. It was a great and proud experience,” Nimoy says, as he turns to look at Shatner.

And as they end another convention appearance together, the actor who played the non-emotional, logical science officer from another planet turns to colleague Shatner with a warm smile.

“You are an emotional brother to me, and you always have been.”

And in that moment, these two actors perfectly capture what attracts so many to the STAR TREK universe. After almost 50 years, it’s the human stories of conflict, adventure, love, and longing that continue to draw thousands to the world of the Starship Enterprise.

Leonard Nimoy and William shatner leaving after a Star Trek convention
07/09/2010

A couple weeks ago the city of Vancouver hosted a Star Trek Convention.

Headlining the event was probably the two largest stars the franchise has. Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner.

Nimoy, who is more recently known for his work as Dr. William Bell on the hit sci-fi show Fringe, is no stranger to Vancouver. He has made several trips up here to work on the show that he was recently killed off on.

Shatner has also spent some time in the city over the years.

When they showed up to the airport to leave town after their event, they were polar opposites. Nimoy took the time to sign for the multiple people waiting for him there, was talkative & personable.

(...)

Seeing him & Mr. Nimoy at the same time, seeing how they both dealt with the requests from fans & dealers alike in two completely opposite ways made me appreciate Mr. Nimoy a bit more.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

We were getting together to celebrate my birthday a few days late as well as attend my very first Broadway play at the Helen Hayes Theater. We had chosen Equus as at the time it was starring Leonard Nimoy and Carol and I were admittedly big Star Trek fans which made it totally exciting for us!

Probably the only reason we chose Equus was because of Nimoy as the play itself is rather, uhm, disturbing you might say. Equus was written in 1973 by Peter Shaffer and it tells the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious/sexual fascination with horses. Pretty heavy material for a couple of teenagers especially considering there's full frontal nudity at one point; you've got to remember, 1977 was a totally different time as compared to now and those things were still pretty racy. I can still remember the older lady sitting next to me waking up at just that point in the play and gasping "Oh my goodness!" rather loudly!

Still it was quite the adventure for Carol and I and we had a wonderful time posing for pictures in front of the theater ...

(...)

Anyhow, this trip was just one of several that Carol and I took to New York City while I was living in New Jersey but it may be the only one that I have any pictures of. Obviously I wasn't attached to a camera back then like I am now which is too bad as the memories these pictures provoke are priceless. I can still remember how much we laughed when we went to open the window shade of our hotel room and it came crashing down off of the window or how shocked we were when Leonard Nimoy just materialized in front of us while we were taking pictures out in front of the theater. And what did my brilliant 19-year old mind come up with to say on such an auspicious an occasion? "Oh, it's you!" Duh ...

Kristallnacht Concert
A sold-out crowd attended “Shining through Broken Glass” on November 9 at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht and celebrate 1,000 years of Jewish music and culture. The concert was narrated by internationally acclaimed actor and director Leonard Nimoy.

Left (Left to Right): Elaine & Barry Fain, concert co-chairs; Leonard Nimoy, director of “Shining Through Broken Glass”; Debbie & Ellis Waldman, concert co-chairs.

Source: Rhode Island Monthly

Shining Through Broken Glass (2008)
An Ecumenical Concert of Memory and Hope, 70 Years after Kristallnacht

Noted actor and director Leonard Nimoy will narrate a concert to commemorate Kristallnacht in a one-night only performance called SHINING THROUGH BROKEN GLASS, to be held on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, Rhode Island.
Tickets: $25, $50, $75, $100 (discounts for seniors and students)

SHINING THROUGH BROKEN GLASS, a historic concert of memory and hope exactly 70 years to the day after Kristallnacht, that infamous night in 1938 when the Nazi regime unleashed terror of epic proportions throughout Germany and Austria. SHINING THROUGH BROKEN GLASS is a dramatic and choral concert that will expand appreciation of the achievements of 1000 years of Jewish music, culture and art, and give meaning to the lessons learned from the Holocaust. This concert will feature an ecumenical adult and youth choir of over 200 voices from synagogues, churches, schools and colleges in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, four cantorial soloists and a 40-piece professional orchestra. The beautifully restored, historic Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, Rhode Island will be the venue for this very special performance.

Produced by Temple Emanu-El of Providence, Rhode Island, in partnership with the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of RI, “This concert has been in the making for 10 years,” says Cantor Dr. Brian Mayer of Temple Emanu-El. “I knew we needed some spectacular way of paying tribute to the millions of Jews, gays and lesbians, gypsies and anyone not considered to be ‘Aryan enough,’ who perished in the Holocaust.” With more than 30 historical musical selections, including the music of renowned Viennese cantor, Salomon Sulzer and Berlin composer, Louis Lewandowski, the concert will take the audience from the time of the Middle Ages up to the 1930’s. Composer Arnold Schoenberg’s “Survivor of Warsaw” which demonstrates the horrors of the Holocaust will be performed by Mr. Nimoy, the orchestra and an all-male choir. The final section of the performance will use music to celebrate contemporary life, and to exemplify the message of Psalm 133: "How good it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in harmony"

The premier and only performance of Shining Through Broken Glass is definitely not to be missed. Tickets are available from the Veterans Memorial Auditorium Box Office (401-421-ARTS) or on line at www.vmari.org

Date and Time: Sunday, November 9, 2008. 7:00 p.m.

Place: Veterans Memorial Auditorium
1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, Rhode Island

Tickets: $25, $50, $75, $100 (discounts for seniors and students)

Source: Jewish Music Web Center Concerts

The Arab/Jewish Ensemble, a unique part of the acclaimed KeyNote Education and Outreach Program of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, traveled to the United States in June on a tour sponsored by AFIPO West Coast Chairmen Council members Susan Bay-Nimoy and Leonard Nimoy and American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The Ensemble performed at Temple Israel of Hollywood in Los Angeles, as part of The Nimoy Concert Series; at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco and at Temple Hevreh of Southern Berkshires in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

The eight musicians, that comprise the Arab/Jewish Ensemble, are three members of the IPO itself, who play their orchestral instruments, and five Arab friends and colleagues, who perform on traditional Arab instruments such as the oud, the ney and the darbuka. The Ensemble performs a musical program that represents both western and Middle Eastern traditions.

In Los Angeles, Leonard Nimoy greeted over 1,000 people in attendance at Temple Israel of Hollywood and the following evening, in San Francisco, at Congregation Emanu-El. Mr. Nimoy spoke to both audiences about the valuable contribution the Arab/Jewish Ensemble makes, not only to the music community, but by creating a microcosm of intercultural respect and peace.

In the Berkshires, Temple Hevreh of Southern Berkshires was filled to capacity for the Ensemble’s performance. In all three venues the music captivated the audiences’ attention with its combination of familiar strains and unique sounds, along with stories and often humorous tales by the Ensemble spokesman, IPO double bass player Peter Marck.

American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of the Nimoy Foundation for the West Coast tour of SheshBesh. In San Francisco, special appreciation and thanks to the ongoing generosity of the Koret Foundation and Carol and Ruud van Wijnen, for co-sponsoring this event. Also, a special thank you in San Francisco to: Cantor Roslyn Barak, David Akov, Consul General of Israel for the Pacific Northwest Region, Tamar Akov, Cultural Attaché, Consulate General of Israel for the Pacific Northwest Region, Alexis Denny, Diane and George Frankenstein and Theo Koffler. In the Berkshires we extend our appreciation to sponsors Jerry and Roger Tilles and concert producer David Winkler.

Photo: SheshBesh members (L-R) Yossi Arnheim (IPO flutist), Haya Samir (vocals), Alfred Hajjar (ney), Ramsis Kasis (oud), Bishara Naddaf (percussion), AFIPO West Coast Chairmen's Council member and sponsor of the SheshBesh tour, Leonard Nimoy, Eugenia Oren-Malkovski (IPO violist), Peter Marck (IPO double bass) and Wisam Gibran (oriental violin).

Source: American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orcestra

These are the travails of the local cultural icon, ESO

I got to meet Mr. Spock! My wife wouldn’t let me wear my Starfleet uniform or put on my Vulcan ears, but the significance of that day is only superseded by the one where I had to say, “I do.” At least that’s what my wife tells me.

And I’ll never forget the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for providing me the opportunity to shake the hand of a cultural legend. I haven’t washed it since.

Back in September of 2008, Leonard Nimoy narrated a performance of Holst’s “The Planets,” and for a little extra cash, you could have your picture taken with the “Star Trek” star. And if there’s ever a fire, I’ll grab that autographed photo from the mantle first and go back for the kids later.