YIVO’s Alex Weiser a Finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Music

(New York, NY) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is delighted to announce that its Director of Public Programs, Alex Weiser, has been named a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his song cycle, and all the days were purple.

The composition, which is comprised of contemporary classical songs that set Yiddish and English poems to music, finds inspiration from secular Jewish poetry. The Pulitzer jury described the piece as “a meditative and deeply spiritual work whose unexpected musical language is arresting and directly emotional.”

Weiser’s and all the days were purple reflects his encounters with Jewish culture from his work at YIVO. “As I began learning Yiddish at YIVO and becoming acquainted with the wider field of Jewish studies, it felt like a homecoming to a Jewish world that I never quite knew existed,” said Weiser about the deep connection he felt upon learning Yiddish. “This is a world in which history, language, and culture can unite Jews across time, space, and religious and political divisions.”

“I am incredibly proud and pleased to see this great recognition of Alex’s accomplishments,” said Jonathan Brent, YIVO’s Executive Director & CEO. “We are lucky to have his creativity and passion at YIVO, where through his work here has made a great impact not only on the Yiddish community, but on the broader Jewish and musical communities as well. Congratulations Alex.”

For any media inquiries please contact:
Shelly Freeman
Chief of Staff

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story

Alex Weiser

Alex Weiser is the Director of Public Programs of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City, and a composer of music with broad gestures, rich textures, and narrative sweep, which has been called “compelling” (New York Times), and “shapely, melody-rich” (Wall Street Journal). Born and raised in New York City, Weiser creates acutely cosmopolitan music combining a deeply felt historical perspective with a vibrant forward-looking creativity. Weiser’s debut album and all the days were purple, released by Cantaloupe Music in April 2019, includes songs in Yiddish and English and has been praised as “ravishing” (The New Yorker), “reverent and magical... devastatingly beautiful,” (American Record Guide), “gorgeous” (Tablet Magazine), “utterly original and exquisitely unsettling... sweeping, bewitching, divinely dissonant... pitch-perfect.” (In Geveb). alexweiser.com