Music in the Pavilion Series
Presented by the University of Pennsylvania's Music Department, the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, and the Otto E. Albrecht Music Library.
- Concert
Music in the Pavilion: Hidden Voices
Hidden Voices will perform "Monteverdi and Rossi: Celebration of Psalms."
Registration is required for guests outside of the Penn community and encouraged for all participants.
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November 13, 2025, 6:15pm -
9:00pm
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Kislak Center Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th Floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
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Open to the Public
Hosted by: Kislak Center
Salamone Rossi and Claudio Monteverdi most certainly worked side by side in the court of Mantua in the service of the Gonzaga family. Both composers stood as leaders of the new emerging styles in the 17th century. The lecture and concert will focus on side-by-side comparisons in the ways in which Rossi and Monteverdi respectively set the texts of the Psalms. The musical examples will be taken from Rossi 1623 publication of Ha-Shirim asher li-Shlomo (The Songs of Solomon) and Monteverdi's Selva Morale e Spitiruale of 1640-41. Although certain aspects of the traditional Venetian polychoral tradition and coro spezzato are to be found in the settings of Monteverdi and Rossi, both break new ground in applying the techniques and Affekts of the Seconda Practica. Further consideration will be given to the way in which the Psalms are interpreted differently in Judaism and Christianity.
Schedule
Pre-concert talk at 6:15 pm by Matthew Glandorf.
Concert begins at 7:00 pm.
About the Artists
Hidden Voices is a professional vocal ensemble created by the Ukrainian/Israeli/American conductor and educator Dr. Julia Zavadsky to highlight cross-cultural exchange, bringing Jewish music into dialogue with contemporary traditions ranging from the Renaissance through the present. Inspired by the beauty of the Jewish musical heritage, we seek out and bring to life hidden gems and classical choral masterpieces. Hidden Voices’ musicians are distinguished soloists from the Philadelphia and New York regions who appear on the most prestigious stages in the U.S. and abroad. Performing highlights include a concert featuring works by Claudio Monteverdi and Salamone Rossi at the Music in the Pavilion series at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the program celebrating American Jewish Choral music at the 15th anniversary Lewandowski Choral Festival in Berlin. Learn more about Hidden Voices.
Dr. Julia Zavadsky is a Ukrainian, Israeli, and American conductor and educator living in Philadelphia. She currently serves as the Interim Associate Chair of the Department of Musical Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and is the artistic director of Hidden Voices and Nashirah, the Jewish Chorale of Greater Philadelphia. Dr. Zavadsky’s ensembles have performed at prestigious venues across North America, Israel, and Europe. A recipient of the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence and winner of numerous international choral festival competitions, her career reflects a dedication to uniting diverse performers and audiences through music. She has collaborated with Zamir Chorale of Boston, Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Choral Arts, Singing City, Philadelphia Voices of Pride, Temple University Singing Owls, and ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir.
Dr. Zavadsky is dedicated to highlighting contemporary political issues through art, initiating musical collaborations with Israeli and Palestinian musicians, as well as offering educational initiatives on the Ukrainian choral tradition.
This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Italian Studies and by the Italian section of the Francophone, Italian, and Germanic Studies Department (FIGS).
Featured image: Hidden Voices in performance (Dr. Julia Zavadsky, cond.)
Event Series