Mekor Haim and HaMakom Choirs
The Baroque Period in music, between the Renaissance and the Classical periods, is usually associated with the church music of Bach and Vivaldi, but it was also a time of flowering of Jewish music in Italy. The master of this art was Salomone Rossi who lived in Mantua from 1570 to 1630. He wrote music for both the synagogue and the church under the patronage of the Duke of Gonzaga. He also composed madrigals and orchestral works.
The recently rediscovered manuscript of his Shir HaShirim Asher leShlomo (Solomon’s Song of Songs) contains 33 songs composed for the synagogue, to be sung on the Sabbath and Festivals. The name of the collection is a pun on the composer’s name, Shlomo (Solomon). Most of the compositions are based on the Psalms but some are settings of popular hymns sung during the synagogue service like Adon Olam, Ein Kelohenu and the Kaddish (memorial prayer).
Salomone Rossi (1570-1630)
The Mekor Haim and HaMakom choirs have joined together to prepare this concert of Baroque Jewish Music. The Mekor Haim choir, under the direction of Leonardo Mendonça, was formed in October 2020 to learn and perform Jewish music in Hebrew, Ladino and Yiddish. The HaMakom choir, under the direction of David Kates, is a project of the Progressive Jewish Community of Porto.
The concert will take place in the Holocaust Museum of Porto on Friday 19 June 2026 at 3:00 pm. Admission is free. Registration is required. A repeat performance of the concert is scheduled for 17 July 2026 in the Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue.
