A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff is a solo chamber-rock opera exploring the intersection of mysticism and finance, currently in the process of being adapted into a feature-length film with director Alicia J. Rose.
“Probably the best experimental song cycle about financial corruption ever created…both entrancing and enlightening.”—The Willamette Week
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Through songs, storytelling and sacred texts, Rabins investigates the inevitability of cycles, the spiritual implications of wealth, and the limits of community. The piece weaves together original songs based on interviews Rabins carried out with people affected by the scandal; Jewish and Buddhist sacred texts; and the artist’s experiences watching the scandal unfold up close from a year-long artist residency on Wall Street.
After premiering at Joe’s Pub in NYC in 2012, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff was further developed in Portland and was named one of Portland’s best theater productions of 2014 by the Willamette Week. The 70-minute show features projected full-length animations by Zak Margolis. Rabins has performed A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff at the Berkeley Jewish Music Festival, the University of Oregon, Portland State University, and the DC Jewish Music Festival; she is currently at work on a film version.