New exhibition celebrates music
Celebrating Australia’s vibrant Jewish music scene, showcasing artists including Conway, Lior, David Helfgott and the Bashevis Singers.
Music has long been interwoven with the Jewish experience, and this connection is explored in the Jewish Museum of Australia’s (JMA) new exhibition, A Secret Chord, which opened on October 31.
The title pays homage to Leonard Cohen’s lyrics in Hallelujah, “Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord, That David played, and it pleased the Lord.”
That much-loved song was beautifully performed at the opening night of A Secret Chord on October 30 by musicians including Deborah Conway, Willy Zygier and their daughter Hettie, who also movingly played Book of Life and Eden Golan’s Hurricane to an audience of over 200.
The exhibition also celebrates Australia’s vibrant Jewish music scene, showcasing artists including Conway, Lior, David Helfgott and the Bashevis Singers.
Musician Husky Gawenda – who is part of the Bashevis Singers along with his sister Evie Gawenda and cousin Gideon Preiss – told The AJN, “I’ve seen some great things at the Jewish Museum lately. In this world of social media and AI, the museum is more and more important to keep us grounded in reality – history and present. There are artworks and artefacts from our friends and collaborators Tunni Kraus and Anita Lester and we’re really glad the Bashevis Singers could be part of it too. People should go and see it!”
Museum director and CEO Noè Harsel told The AJN, “As caretakers of our history and culture, museum collections and collection exhibitions like A Secret Chord serve as vital platforms for understanding our world and each other. Our collections invite us to reflect on the past, understand the present and imagine the future we hope to create. By exploring these objects and stories, we deepen our appreciation for the complexities of our identities and the shared humanity that binds us all.”
The exhibition is also a collaboration with fellow Multicultural Museums of Victoria, as each of the participating museums contributed an object, instrument or song that ties into the themes of A Secret Chord – offering insight into how different cultures express themselves through music and movement.
To complement the exhibition, the JMA has planned a range of programs, including the panel discussion “What Makes Jewish Music ‘Jewish’?” on November 20 with Dov Farkas representing religious music, Tomi Kalinski on Yiddish and klezmer, and Simon Starr sharing insights into Israeli music, moderated by musician Joshua Moshe.
At a family Sunday session on December 1, DJ Joel Kuperholz will spin a mix of children’s music, contemporary hits and Hebrew tunes. Another Sunday session on December 8 features renowned composer and bassoonist George Dreyfus discussing his music and cultural identity, moderated by musician Jonathan Dreyfus and historian Dr Kay Dreyfus.
To learn more about A Secret Chord and to see the program of events, visit jewishmuseum.com.au/exhibitions/a-secret-chord/
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