By Sharon Wisch-Ray

Double simcha for the Sherwin family this month

Two simchas are coming up for Ken Sherwin this month.
First, his granddaughter, Ariella Arons, will get married to Yair Sharibi, Oct. 13 in Jerusalem.
Then Oct. 26, his son, Scott, will wed Ellen Blitz in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Officiating at Scott’s wedding will be his sister Robbi Sherwin of Austin. Robbi, a rabbinical student at Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, has served for the past seven years as the spiritual leader of B’nai Butte Congregation in Crested Butte, Colo.
Robbi will be the featured entertainer for the “Daytimers” program Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Beth-El Congregation.
The “Daytimers” program generally meets earlier in the month, but because of the Sherwin’s double simcha, they are delighted to wait for an end-of-the-month date for this fabulous entertainer.
Cantor Robbi Sherwin loves traveling the world as a cantor and artist-in-residence. A multi-instrumentalist, inspirational singer and speaker, Robbi leads Shabbatons, life-cycle events and retreats specializing in spiritual connections to God through music and nature. She is one-third of the touring award-winning Jewish folk-rock band, Sababa! (with Steve Brodsky (Denver) and Scott Leader (Phoenix). Her “spirited Jewish songcrafting” has been sung, recorded and performed from Tulsa to Tel Aviv.
Catering for the Oct. 30 event will be Pak-A-Pocket, and guests have a choice of turkey pastrami, chicken schwarma or falafel, all on pita sandwiches. Cost is $9 for lunch or $4 for the program only.
For information and reservations, call with your credit card to Barbara Rubin, 817-927-2736, Larry Steckler, 520-990-3155, or Hugh Lamensdorf, 817-738-1428, or reserve for yourself at www.bethelfw.org/donations.
The Sylvia Wolens “Daytimers” is a program of Beth-El Congregation with financial support from the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Chamber Music Society will open next weekend

The late Leon Brachman was an extraordinary patron of the arts. One of the projects he founded — 26 years ago — is the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. I know Leon would be proud to know that the organization is stronger than ever, and has a new artistic director, Gary Levinson. The 2013-2014 season will debut with a concert at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The Miró String Quartet will be featured.
Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “explosive vigor and technical finesse,” the Miró String Quartet is one of America’s highest-profile chamber groups and remains in place at the top of the international chamber music scene according to the Chamber’s website. Now in its second decade, the quartet continues to captivate audiences and critics around the world with its startling intensity, fresh perspective and mature approach.
The Miró regularly performs in the world’s most celebrated concert halls including Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonics Kammermusiksaal and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
In April 2013, Gary Levinson joined the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth as artistic director. He joined the Dallas Symphony as the Senior Principal Associate Concertmaster in 2002. Chosen by Zubin Mehta to join the New York Philharmonic in 1987 at age 21, Levinson made his New York Philharmonic solo debut under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf in 1991, the same year he earned his Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School. He has also toured at Mr. Mehta’s request with the Israel Philharmonic. His teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Masao Kawasaki, Glenn Dicterow and Felix Galimir.
A prolific recording artist, Levinson is currently involved in three major recording projects. Asked by the Classical Music Recording Foundation to complete their comprehensive catalog of the chamber music works of Beethoven, he has recorded the ten sonatas for piano and violin with renowned pianist Daredjan Kakouberi. Koch Records will release a disc of award-winning composer George Tsontakis’ chamber music in which Levinson collaborates with David Jolley, Melvin Chen and others. Finally, a retrospective of the important women composers from mid-19th century to the present is due out with Albany Records in 2009. Works feature Libby Larsen, Louise Ferrenc and Victoria Bond among others.
Levinson’s video “DSO Studio: The Master Class” was released in early 2007. It is an attempt to both elucidate the craft of the professional violinist and address issues both budding violinists and kids simply interested in the language of music can incorporate in their lives. As co-director of the Élan International Music Festival, he leads an intensive program comprised of successful practice techniques to chamber music coachings.
Other chamber concerts will be held Nov. 16, Jan. 4, Feb. 8, March 29, April 19 and May 17, all at 2 p.m. at the Modern. Tickets can be purchased at 817-877-3003 or www.chambermusicfw.org.