CANOPY OF PEACE is a five movement work scored for mezzo-soprano, solo violin, harp, and strings, based on texts by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis. The piece was commissioned by Noreen Green and the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony.

I. Aria for a Calmer World (solo violin, orchestra)

II. Whose Am I (mezzo soprano, orchestra)

III. Touch My Heart (mezzo soprano, orchestra)

IV. Mirror Eyes (mezzo soprano, orchestra)

V. Because You Suffer (mezzo soprano, solo violin, orchestra)

Testimony poured out continually with great emotion in December 2014 during memorial services at Valley Beth Shalom for Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis—an undeniable compassion for people to look beyond their differences and come together in community, the courage to stand up against social injustice, and a strength of character that insisted on dignity for all people, whether it be between divisions of Jewish sects, for equal rights, or speaking out against atrocities like genocide. His impeccability rang in sharp contrast to our current world of clay-footed leaders.

Conductor Noreen Green had asked me earlier to consider composing a suite for voice and strings based on my recent collaboration with Rabbi Schulweis, the song cycle "Sacred Transitions." And there Noreen and I sat as Rabbi Eddie Feinstein began the memorial service with this prayer for peace:

"This we know:
Fear can yield to faith, hope can reignite,
Rage can cease, hatred can be melted...
Merciful One, spread the canopy of your peace over us,
Over all who dwell on earth."

I heard these words and knew that "Canopy of Peace" was the perfect title for this project. The suite has 5 movements. The first movement, "Aria for a Calmer World," is a gentle invocation featuring solo violin. The second, third, and fourth movements are songs from my cycle "Sacred Transitions." "Whose am I?" suggests that our frustrated inner search for identity—Who am I?— is best answered in our search outward for community— Whose am I?—using the refrain "In belonging lies the secret." Similarly, "Touch My Heart" is a mother's song to a child asking how we touch love, suggesting instead that love is not a where (an object) but a when. "Mirror Eyes" is a love song to a spouse ("In your eyes I find myself")  that also speaks to the larger ideas of differences and toleration: "I choose eyes/ Not focused on blemishes alone/ Eyes that do not blink away my crooked nose/ And twisted mouth/ But wink encouragement and hope and love."

The final movement, "The Meaning of My Existence," is a setting of the concluding words of an extraordinary speech Rabbi Schulweis delivered at a Jewish World Watch benefit. Like the previous songs, he used word reversal to dramatically explain our individual responsibility in the world for peace. "The philosopher defined existence... 'I think therefore I am'. The existentialist wrote: I feel therefore I am...But our tradition declared, 'Because you suffer, therefore I am.' "

The music in Canopy of Peace is tonal and warm, not overtly written in any particular Jewish style, but rather it suggests the intimate world of German artsong. While the texts are meant for an entire community, they feel more like a dear friend sitting directly across from you and opening his heart. We are all personally responsible to create this "canopy of peace." In that spirit, this work is dedicated to Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis.