Milken Archive of Jewish Music

08/11/2026

Composer Douglas Moore (1893 – 1969) is best known for his most successful opera, The Ballad of Baby Doe. Inspired by actual events that occurred in 19th-century Colorado, that opera launched the operatic career of American soprano Beverly Sills.

Best known for his opera, The Ballad of Babydoe, Douglas Moore was an American composer heavily drawn to popular musical styles and American historical themes

08/06/2026

Jewels of Elul returns next Thursday, Aug. 13, with its 24th volume featuring prominent Jewish voices. Spanning over two decades, Jewels of Elul is an annual collection of personal stories and reflections shared during the 29 days of Elul designed to inspire introspection before the High Holy Days.

With their 24th volume entitled, "Before You Judge Me," chosen essayists were invited to share the personal story that shaped them—not their politics, but their humanity. Sign-up below to receive your daily Jewels beginning next week.

Before you judge someone, hear their story. We live in a world overflowing with opinions, labels, and assumptions. Too often, we know what people believe before we know who they are.Jewels of Elul offers another way.For the 29 days leading up to the Jewish New Year, receive one personal story each d...

08/05/2026

William Schuman’s ballet score, Judith: Choreographic Poem for Orchestra, was composed in 1949 at the request of the celebrated dancer Martha Graham, with whom he had collaborated two years previously on the ballet Night Journey.

William Schuman’s ballet score Judith: Choreographic Poem for Orchestra was composed in 1949 at the request of the celebrated dancer Martha Graham, with whom

07/29/2026

The Foundation for New Jewish Music is now taking applications for their "L'dor vaDor Composer's Program" in the 2027 academic year. Composers ages 18-30 can apply for this one-year online international composition mentorship program dedicated to the exploration and creation of new Jewish classical music.

More info: https://foundationfornewjewishmusic.org/application

07/27/2026

Some achieve Yiddish theater stardom, some have stardom thrust upon them, and some stars were literally born on Second Avenue. Bruce Adler (1944 – 2008) was all of the above.

Celebrate the life and legacy of the magnificent Yiddish theater artist, Bruce Adler.

07/22/2026

These chants and elegies—sung on Tisha b'av to commemorate both the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the 1492 expulsion of Jews from the Iberian peninsula—utilize the unique Western Sephardi cantillation tradition that developed in Amsterdam and London in the 16th and 17th centuries.

These chants and elegies—sung on Tisha b'av to commemorate both the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the 1492 expulsion of

07/21/2026

This month's quiz explores ten works that reveal the range of American Jewish orchestral music.

Test your knowledge of the genre, and discover how composers have drawn on theater, dance, ritual, poetry and biblical narrative to create some of its greatest works.

What happens when biblical stories, liturgical traditions and Jewish history move from the synagogue and the page into the concert hall?

07/16/2026

Widely considered to be the first successful and most enduring exploration of the Hebrew liturgy for serious artistic purposes, Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Service remains a pinnacle within the collective repertoire of Jewish sacred music.

Watch the short documentary below.

Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Service remains a pinnacle within the collective repertoire of Jewish sacred music.

07/07/2026

Composed to a book by Robert E. Sherwood, directed and coproduced by Moss Hart, Irving Berlin’s musical comedy Miss Liberty is a mostly fictitious account of the history behind the creation of the Statue of Liberty.

The song "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" served as the final number in that 1949 production.

Composed to a book by Robert E. Sherwood, directed and coproduced by Moss Hart, Irving Berlin’s musical comedy Miss Liberty is a mostly fictitious account of

06/24/2026

“By any measure, ‘Bei Mir Bistu Shein’ is a triumph of American Jewish music. But it is rarely done in Yiddish. Becoming the biggest hit of 1938 and history’s leading Yiddish theater crossover required a clever English lyric and a detour through Harlem.”

Milken Archive curator, Jeff Janeczko, was interviewed by Moment Magazine for their “Soundtrack 250” edition. Explore the full article below.

For America’s 250th anniversary, it may not be immediately obvious why a Jewish magazine would choose to focus on music. There are certainly other ways to