Ron Hirsch made his debut with a staged production of Songs of Love and Remembrance in 1993, which The Chicago Tribune called "Dynamic ... Rapturous ... Lush ... Lyrical, [with a] rich vocal line that consistently serves the verse." (See the review.) A reworked version titled I Was Singing With You was staged later that year as an AIDS benefit starring Chicago's most honored, award-winning singer/actress of that time, Hollis Resnik.
In 1995, the premiere of Requiem, originally titled An AIDS Requiem, together with selections from Songs of Love and Remembrance were featured in a benefit concert titled "A Time for Healing." This performance was taped by WFMT-FM Chicago and broadcast nationally on December 1, 1995, World AIDS Day. Selections from Songs were also featured as part of the Benson Series AIDS Concert 8 in New York City in November 1997.
Another "A Time for Healing" benefit concert featuring selections from Songs and An AIDS Requiem took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 7, 2001. Reviewing the concert for the Commercial Record, Wesley Ball, a professor of music at Hope College, said that the selections from Songs of Love and Remembrance were "hauntingly expressive," and that An AIDS Requiem had "rich harmonic fabric" and "glorious sounds." Both pieces, he felt, "deserve a place in the repertoire of 'serious' vocal/choral compositions."
Other works by Ron Hirsch include Waltz Suite and Four Rhapsodies for piano and Quartet #1 for strings. He has completed a new music theater piece about growing up gay in conservative rural America and living in New York City during the 90s, a time of both the ongoing AIDS epidemic and social advancement.
The hallmark of Ron Hirsch's work is its lyricism and broad musical appeal. In an article about the premiere production of Songs of Love and Remembrance, Allan Segall, writing in the Windy City Times, said that it "walked a fine line between art song and theatre (its kind of like an oratorio on wheels)" and "it straddles between the pop and classical world as well."
Mr. Hirsch began his career as a composer after a long and distinguished career as an executive, survey researcher, and lawyer. In 2004 he authored We Still Hold These Truths which was acclaimed by James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic, as “a systematic and serious effort to make the {presidential] debate as clear and valuable as it can be … Agree or disagree with his specific conclusions, the questions he is asking are the right ones for the public this year.” John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff, endorsed the book as making “a valuable contribution to the progressive revival taking shape across America.”
In the last decade, he has authored several books on Buddhist practice and two ecumenically spiritual books, most recently, How to Find Inner Peace. His blog, www.thepracticalbuddhist.com, has been selected as one of the top 50 Buddhist blogs on the web by Feedspot.com.
In 1995, the premiere of Requiem, originally titled An AIDS Requiem, together with selections from Songs of Love and Remembrance were featured in a benefit concert titled "A Time for Healing." This performance was taped by WFMT-FM Chicago and broadcast nationally on December 1, 1995, World AIDS Day. Selections from Songs were also featured as part of the Benson Series AIDS Concert 8 in New York City in November 1997.
Another "A Time for Healing" benefit concert featuring selections from Songs and An AIDS Requiem took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 7, 2001. Reviewing the concert for the Commercial Record, Wesley Ball, a professor of music at Hope College, said that the selections from Songs of Love and Remembrance were "hauntingly expressive," and that An AIDS Requiem had "rich harmonic fabric" and "glorious sounds." Both pieces, he felt, "deserve a place in the repertoire of 'serious' vocal/choral compositions."
Other works by Ron Hirsch include Waltz Suite and Four Rhapsodies for piano and Quartet #1 for strings. He has completed a new music theater piece about growing up gay in conservative rural America and living in New York City during the 90s, a time of both the ongoing AIDS epidemic and social advancement.
The hallmark of Ron Hirsch's work is its lyricism and broad musical appeal. In an article about the premiere production of Songs of Love and Remembrance, Allan Segall, writing in the Windy City Times, said that it "walked a fine line between art song and theatre (its kind of like an oratorio on wheels)" and "it straddles between the pop and classical world as well."
Mr. Hirsch began his career as a composer after a long and distinguished career as an executive, survey researcher, and lawyer. In 2004 he authored We Still Hold These Truths which was acclaimed by James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic, as “a systematic and serious effort to make the {presidential] debate as clear and valuable as it can be … Agree or disagree with his specific conclusions, the questions he is asking are the right ones for the public this year.” John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff, endorsed the book as making “a valuable contribution to the progressive revival taking shape across America.”
In the last decade, he has authored several books on Buddhist practice and two ecumenically spiritual books, most recently, How to Find Inner Peace. His blog, www.thepracticalbuddhist.com, has been selected as one of the top 50 Buddhist blogs on the web by Feedspot.com.
