Mira J. Spektor facts for kids
Mira J. Spektor (born November 8, 1928 – died November 28, 2021) was an American composer, poet, and music director. She was born in Germany but moved to the United States. Mira Spektor also started two important music groups: the Atlantic Opera Singers and the Aviva Players.
Her Life Story
Mira Spektor was born in Berlin in 1928. Her parents were from Lithuania and had to leave their home country because they faced difficult times and persecution. Just before a terrible event called Kristallnacht began, Mira and her parents moved from Berlin to Paris. She went to school there until the summer of 1939. Then, her family moved to the United States on a ship called the SS Washington.
Mira Spektor wrote her very first musical when she was still in high school, and she even sang in it! She loved music and continued her studies at several well-known schools, including Sarah Lawrence College, Mannes School of Music, and Juilliard School. After her studies, she performed in plays that were shown in smaller theaters, known as Off-Broadway shows. She also recorded her songs on LPs (long-play records) and CDs.
In 1975, Mira Spektor started a special music group called The Aviva Players. This group focused on playing chamber music, which is music for a small group of instruments. What made The Aviva Players unique was that they performed music written by women composers, some of whom lived as far back as the 12th century! Mira Spektor also founded the Atlantic Opera Singers, which performed for 10 years.
Mira Spektor was a very creative person. She wrote a musical called The Housewives' Cantata, and the script for it was published in 1994. She also wrote a collection of poems titled The Road to November. Her music was even used in movies and television shows.
