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Nova Linea Musica will present “L’dor v’dor” (“from generation to generation”) on May 6, 2026 at Guarneri Hall in Chicago.
The showcase features soprano Arianna Zukerman, mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson, and pianist Jason Wirth and traces the legacy and evolution of Jewish-American composers through vocal works reflecting cultural memory, resilience, and artistic innovation.
At the core of the presentation is “Ki Ger Anokhi Imakh,” a world premiere commissioned by Nova Linea Musica with music by David Hanlon and text drawn from Psalm 39:13-14. The work was inspired by the story of Hanlon’s grandparents, who fled Austria in 1939.
“Psalm 39 draws on the Jewish tradition of seeing the stranger in ourselves,” Hanlon said per an official press release. “We are obliged to empathize with the Stranger, not only because our ancestors were the Stranger, but because we are all visitors passing through the land of the living.”
The program also features works by Leonard Bernstein, Laura Kaminsky, Ricky Ian Gordon, Laura Karpman, David Leisner, and Alex Weiser.
Nova Linea Musica is a Chicago-based new music presenter and incubator, founded by Artistic Director Desirée Ruhstrat and Executive Director Michele Mohammadi, dedicated to commissioning and presenting contemporary classical chamber music while building connections between composers, performers, and audiences.
