active as Chairman of the American Composers' League. Between 1941-47 gave many concerts as a pianist and conductor of Contemporary music in both parts of the American continent. He visited Israel and ex-Soviet Union (1960). Above all won wide recognition of the audience as a composer of orchestral and ballet music. He extensively incorporated North and South American folklore, motives of Mexican music, cowboys songs, hymns of various communities and elements of jazz. Several of his compositions are based on cantillations, folkoristic and synagogal Jewish thematics. One of his most famous works is the Vitebsk Trio (1929) - a Study on Jewish Themes. According to the composer's explanation the reason for writing this work was Ansky's play "Hadibbuk" and Engel's music to it. Copland listened to the play and used a melody as a main pattern of the Trio, namely Ashkenazi idiom of East European Jewish music. The idea for the Sextet performed in the Festival came from the "Zimro" Group, for whom S. Prokofiev wrote his composition "Overture on Jewish Themes". One of Copland's major works, based on Jewish idiom, is "In the Beginning" for mezzo-soprano and choir. PAUL HEINZ DITTRICH (b Germany, 1930) German composer. Studied music in Leipzig and later graduated from the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied composition under Prof. Wagner-Regeny. From 1964 taught at the Berlin Academy of Music. In 1976, due to political criticism of culture, he lost his job and was prevented from teaching. However, he had more freedom as a composer and could give concerts and master Hasses in the west. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was invited as a professor to the Academy of Music in Berlin. At present is a member of the Academy of Fine Arts and serves as Artistic Director of the Branderburgishes Colloquium fuer Neue Musik. His composition "Stehen im Schatten" for piano (1990), written to a poem by the famous Jewish poet Paul Celan* will be performed in the Festival. JOSEPH DORFMAN (b. Odessa, 1940) Joseph Dorfman was born in Odessa. He studied at the Stolyarsky School of Music and the Conservatoire of the same city and at the Gnessin Institute of Musical Education in Moscow, where he received his Ph.D. in 1971. Since 1973 he lives in Israel. Between 1985-89 he held the post of Director of the S. * Paul Celan (1920-1970) One of the most powerful and regenerative voices of post-World War II literature, was sent to a forced labour camp and his parents were murdured.