Harvard Alumni Duo Earn Grammy Nomination with “Alike: My โฃMother’s Dream”
Husband and wife, Ben and Allison Herzfeldt, both Harvard universityโ alumni, have received โa Grammy โnomination for their album, Alike: Myโ Mother’s Dream. The album is a deeplyโข personal project,serving as a tribute to Allison’s mother’s lifelong dedication to emphasizing shared humanity over division.
Alike: Myโข Mother’s Dream features seven tracks of classical music, blending contemporary compositions with rediscovered works from the late Romanticโค era. A central theme of the album is pairing โฃcomposers from โขhistoricallyโฃ conflicted regions – a โRussian and a Ukrainian,an Iranian and an Israeli – to โฃillustrate the potentialโฃ for peaceful coexistence. As Allison explains, the album aims to demonstrate that “just as these pieces belong right next โto โeach otherโฆso do โthese people belong next to each other-living in peace.”
The album is framed by orchestral pieces: Antonรญn dvoลรกk’s “Songs My Mother Taught Me” opens the collection, while American composer โKim D. sherman’s “Invocation” – a setting of the phrase “Make peace onโ all your lands” โขsungโ in 15 languages – provides a powerful closingโ statement. A significant discovery featured on theโข album is the first-ever โEnglish-language recording of Amy Beach‘s ten-minute scenaโ for soprano and โorchestra, โ”jephthah’s Daughter.” the manuscript for this โฃpiece was lost โฃfor over โa century, seized byโฃ the German armyโข during World War I, and only recently rediscovered.โ Allison notes this lossโค exemplifies the broader devastation of war, extending beyond lives lost to include โข”great beauty โandโ great potential.”
Despite geographical distance – Ben conducts and Allison performs as โฃa soloist – the couple collaborates closely. Their process involves extensive repertoire discussion, performance planning prior to recording, and strategically scheduled rehearsals. For Alike: My Mother’s Dream, they performed in Dallas before recording there, and Allison joined Ben as a guest soloist at a โfestival he conducted in the โCzech Republic, where further recording took place โคin Prague. Theyโข also serve as creative sounding boards for each other’s individual musical endeavors.
Bothโ Ben and Allison maintain a connection toโ Harvard University, with ben regularly attending Reunions. Allison nowโ experiences โขthe campus anew throughโค the eyes of her son.
The Grammy โขnomination โขis a significant honor for both artists, marking their first time being recognized by the music industry. They dedicate the nomination to โขthe memory of Luiseโ Vosgerchian, hoping she would be pleased to seeโ their โขcontinued dedication to music. Allisonโค expressed her hope that the album, though a small contribution, might inspire others โto contribute their own “drop” towards aโข more peaceful and harmonious โฃworld.