[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JEFFREY KAHANE

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                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2006

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jeffrey Kahane, a man 
who has filled the world with beautiful music and a beautiful 
philosophy, bringing them to young and old through both performance and 
education. His inspiration and motivation came as a result of one of 
history's most sombre times.
  At age 17, Jeffrey Kahane's mother and her brother were sent by their 
parents from Germany to the United States to escape the growing 
Holocaust. Her ship docked in New Orleans, but on the same day a second 
ship, the Saint Louis, was turned away from Miami. That was the cursed 
``Ship of Fools,'' and all of its passengers were forced to return to 
Germany and were annihilated. As a new American, and as Lore Kahane 
grew older, she remained always sensitive to her good fortune, and she 
determined to raise her children to enrich America, its people and its 
culture.
  For son Jeffrey, music is the means by which he fulfills his mother's 
mission. Soon after graduation from the San Francisco Conservatory of 
Music, he made his debut as a classical concert pianist at Carnegie 
Hall in 1983. He has become one of the best in the nation, appearing as 
soloist with great American, English, Austrian, and Spanish orchestras. 
Yo Yo Ma, Hilary Hahn and many famed performers have recorded with 
Jeffrey, as have many orchestras.
  He made his conducting debut in 1988, and that has become a major joy 
to him and to his legions of admirers. A born educator, he brings to an 
audience not only magnificent music, but also fascinating and 
significant stories about the music and its composers. A particular 
goal for him is to educate and inspire youths who then become the 
audiences and the performers of tomorrow.
  He has been creative director of the Los Angeles Chamber Music 
Orchestra for many years. For the past 10 years, he also has conducted 
the Santa Rosa Symphony Orchestra. During that time, he has built the 
orchestra into one of the outstanding regional symphonies in the 
nation. He also is Artistic Director of the Green Farm Music Festival 
in Sonoma County.
  His outreach to this community has been unique. For example, he took 
his vision to the Fine Arts department of Santa Rosa High School and 
explained the meaning behind two great works--Benjamin Britten's War 
Requiem and Michael Tippett's Child of Our Time. Over many months, he 
worked with and inspired students and their teachers to create ballets, 
plays, art work, etc. that expressed the deep philosophies of these 
musical works. Then, on the nights when the two works were performed on 
stage, the students performed their creations and displayed their art 
work in the concert hall lobby.
  This is just one example of his using music for messages that address 
great wrongs to humanity: war, poverty and, yes, the Holocaust. It has 
been actions such as these that have led to Maestro Kahane's being so 
well-loved and well-respected by his community.
  Now he is leaving Santa Rosa to become Musical Director of the 
Colorado Symphony in Denver. He has promised to return frequently and 
play for Santa Rosans, many of whom he has educated to understand and 
love classical music. In the months and years to come, Denver will come 
to enjoy and respect this amazing performer and admirable human being.
  We salute Jeffrey Kahane for his continuing contribution not only to 
entertainment but to knowledge and caring for the wonders of music as 
an expression of the best of humanity by young and older Americans and 
citizens of many countries.
  And we bestow high gratitude to Lore Kahane, his mother, who brought 
light out of the darkness of the Holocaust by encouraging a son to make 
this world a better place with music.




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