Posts tagged: Musique Internationale

JSA at FAU Libraries receives gift in memory of Barry Serota

By , October 14, 2011 12:04 pm

Blanche Serota embraces a copy of the specially-created record label that honors her son, Barry Serota. Photo Credit: Alethea Perez

 BOCA RATON, FL (October 4, 2011) –Florida Atlantic University recently received a gift in memory of the late Barry Serota, an attorney, record producer and executive director of the Chicago-based Institute for Jewish Sound Recording. Serota was widely known for his deep knowledge of Jewish music and produced more than 100 recordings of Jewish sacred and secular music. His productions at the Institute for Jewish Sound Recording included choral,   instrumental, folk and art music.

Serota’s mother, Blanche, donated 1,500 LPs, more than 700 78-rpm discs, 100 digital audio tapes and 1,443 audio reel-to-reel tapes to the Judaica Sound Archives (JSA) at FAU Libraries in honor of her son. The collection includes rare record masters and pre-production one-of-a-kind recordings.

“Barry Serota devoted his life to collecting great Jewish music and producing high-quality recordings,” said Maxine Schackman, Ph.D., director of the Recorded Sound Archives at FAU Libraries. “Although we knew this was a wonderful donation to the JSA, we really couldn’t be sure what treasures we would find. Many of these recordings are legendary in the world of the cantorial arts.”

Blanche Serota became acquainted with the FAU Libraries when Ben Roth-Aroni, JSA’s sound technician, called to offer his condolences following Barry’s death. During his youth, Roth-Aroni worked for Serota as a tape editor and greatly admired his expertise in the field of Jewish music. Roth-Aroni encouraged Blanche to visit FAU Libraries, and during her February 2011 visit, she arranged to donate her son’s treasured collection to the JSA.

“She wanted to honor his memory,” said Schackman. “It comforted her to know that what he loved so much would find a warm welcome and a permanent home at the JSA.”

The JSA has digitized and compiled a collection of 56 albums produced by Barry Serota. The recordings can be heard on the JSA website at Musique Internationale.

A mother’s loving tribute

By , August 1, 2011 1:25 pm

Mrs. Blanche Serota holds a recording produced by her son under the Musique Internationale label.

Blanche Serota visited the JSA in February 2011 to arrange for the donation of  her son’s personal record collection to the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.

Mrs. Serota was clearly still grieving over the loss of her son, lawyer and record producer, Barry Serota, when she visited the JSA.  She told me that her son was never interested in making money.  He collected and produced Jewish music recordings just for the love of it.

She wanted to honor his his memory.  It comforted her to know that what he loved so much would find a warm welcome and a permanent home at the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.

Ben Roth-Aroni, RSA’s sound archivist, was especially elated about the gift. His  relationship with Barry Serota went back to the early 1970’s when he was employed as Serota’s tape editor.  “When I first heard about his passing, it didn’t sink in right away.  I couldn’t believe it! I was very fond of him. I called Barry’s mother to offer my condolences and to tell her how much I admired his dedication to the preservation of cantorial and other Jewish music. I invited her to visit the Judaica Sound Archives. She was spending the winter in West Palm Beach and I thought she would be interested in what we were doing here.”

Mrs. Serota was unable to make the trip to Boca Raton that winter but we made arrangements for Ben to visit her in Chicago to assess the collection of recordings and Musique Internationale masters that were stacked in her basement.  “I would have to say that it was pleasantly overwhelming!” he reported.  He estimated that there were approximately 100 boxes of recordings, record masters, and reel-to-reel tapes.

Meeting Mrs. Serota face-to-face for the first time, Ben talked about his memories of Barry. She remembered the beautiful voice of Ben’s father, Cantor Zvee Aroni. And so they talked and ate deli sandwiches for lunch.

Dr. Wiiliam Miller (right), Dean of FAU Libraries, looks on as Blanche Serota (middle) and Maxine Schackman (left) pose in front of the new "gold record" honoring Barry Serota.

 By the time Ben left Chicago Mrs. Serota had made up her mind to donate all the recordings she had to the JSA.
The following February Ben personally escorted Mrs. Serota to Boca Raton where she was visibly impressed by what she saw.  Dr. Miller arranged for a JSA  donor recognition “gold record” to be placed on the JSA Sound Angel wall. Mrs. Serota expressed her pleasure in knowing that her son’s memory and his work would be appropriately honored.

FAU Libraries accepts generous gift in memory of Barry Serota

By , July 21, 2011 3:01 pm

When Barry Serota’s life suddenly ended because of a heart attack in November 2009, the world of recorded Jewish music lost one of its most respected professionals.

Barry Serota, a practicing attorney and executive director of the Institute for Jewish Sound Recording, died suddenly November 16, 2009 on a plane flight between New York and Madrid on the way to Israel.

Serota, widely known for his deep knowledge of Jewish music, had produced more than 100 recordings of Jewish sacred and secular music. Serota’s output at the Institute, based in Chicago, included choral, instrumental, folk and art music. Serota was especially known a promoter of chazzanut. Starting in 1969, he issued many esoteric Jewish music recordings under the imprint of Musique Internationale.

Serota, an advisor to the Milken Foundation, worked on their large project of the Library of American Jewish Music, the recordings which were published under the Naxos label. He was also involved in the Foundation’s oral-history project, for which he interviewed many of the leading figures in Jewish music.

Serota earned degrees at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and received a law degree from De Paul University of Chicago. He lectured widely, including numerous professional and academic organizations such as the Cantorial Council of America, HUC (Hebrew Union College), TACI (Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute), and the Museum of the Diaspora.

At the time of his death, Jeffrey P. Lieuwen wrote, “I hope the enormous collection he leaves behind will fall into good hands, so it will be preserved for generations to come.” I hope Mr. Lieuwen and others will be pleased to learn that Barry Serota’s mother, Mrs. Blanche Serota, has donated his entire personal collection to the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.

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