Take a look at what people are saying about Elijah’s Violin…
The performance of "Elijah's Violin" at the Chapel was a triumph! We found it beautiful, enlightening and deeply moving. While I believed it would be a worthwhile production, I was unprepared for the emotions it evoked--not only in me but in the entire audience as well. Congratulations on a wonderful achievement.
- Rev. Gerald P. Caprio
Executive Director, Interfaith Center at the Presidio
The piece had a number of touching musical moments. A cello-flute duet created palpable atmosphere as Rafi slept in the woods and demons lurked in the dark. Elijah sang dee-dee-dii with a joy that embodied the Jewish spirit. Shula sang a lovely, reflective song upon being found again, and the chorus ended the opera with another song of gentle celebration. ...One could imagine two versions of the piece: the current one, suited for younger audiences, and a full musical realization for an easier-level college production. At 50 minutes and with a small group of performers, the opera can succeed in a variety of settings. Warshauer has told the tale with lyrical and evocative music, and the audience responded with well-deserved appreciation.
- Barry Salwen, Pianist
Review of Wilmington, NC performance in Classical Voice of North Carolina
Her music was in turn dynamic, dramatic, romantic, and Jewish folksong in flavor. Tonally, it was both modal and contemporary, and it made colorful use of extended instrumental techniques to mark dramatic moments, such as squawking violin double-stops, a shrieking flute, thumps in a prepared piano, and plucked strings inside the piano. The transcendent violin theme recurred at various enigmatic moments in the story.
- Deon Nielsen Price
Journal of the International Alliance of Women in Music
What more could listeners want in a family-friendly opera: princesses and peasants, soulful and soaring vocal lines, a demonic chorus, and a magical violin…that when played by someone with a pure heart, releases the imprisoned melodies of the world! Meira Warshauer’s Elijah’s Violin delighted audience members in a workshop performance in Wilmington, NC last spring. Blending narration, fairy-tale characters, and a female chorus, it was a perfect piece for our University of North Carolina Wilmington Opera Workshop class. Meira is a masterful storyteller, weaving beautiful, warm melodies within lush harmonies, and creating an atmosphere of many colors with a small (and budget-friendly!) chamber ensemble. Our UNCW voice students loved the humor and depth of this work, and genuinely connected with the story line. It was a true pleasure to collaborate with Meira, to help bring forth the first performance of this opera. It is an outstanding addition to family-friendly chamber operas, perfect for university opera programs and outreach performances, and is sure to be a favorite of audiences both young and old.
- Nancy King
UNCW Voice Professor & Opera Wilmington Artistic Director