What does it take to create a new work of Jewish Music on a biblical scale? In the case of the oratorio, David’s Quilt, it takes an intriguing idea, a diverse team of talented composers, dozens of passionate lyricists, musicians and performers, and a few years of dedication to a common vision.

In 2015, in partnership with the Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music at UCLA (now the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience, or “MAJE”) and the Max Helfman Institute for New Jewish Music, an opportunity presented itself to develop a new work based on the biblical story of David.

Cantor Phil Baron (founder and director of the Max Helfman Institute) originated the project based on the story of David which, he observes, reads like a novel. Bringing the concept to Mark Kligman, then director of the Lowell Milken Fund (now UCLA MAJE), the project began to take shape.

David’s Quilt took two years to complete, involving 15 composers of varied nationalities and backgrounds. The 11 cantors and composers from the Helfman Institute and four UCLA faculty and graduate students led by professor and composer David Lefkowitz were encouraged to write in their own styles.

The group’s heterogeneity brought layers of diversity and perspective to the oratorio, much as a quilt relies on different pieces of fabric to form the complete pattern. It was performed on November 5th, 2017.