KlezCalendar

Yosl Kurland is well known in Yiddish circles and at Caffé Lena as the lead singer, Yiddish songwriter and fiddler with the Wholesale Klezmer Band. For this solo appearance, Yosl will be performing a wider variety of material than that which he performs with the band, including liturgical music for the High Holy Days, Shabbos and Festivals; Yiddish Art Songs; Yosl's own translations of Yiddish stories, comic Yiddish vaudeville acts, and Poetry.

Whether you are Jewish or not, you can get a taste of the Jewish Holy Day season by experiencing the Yiddishe tam, the flavor of old-fashioned Ashkenazic culture with Yosl Kurland, Sunday, September 13th at 3 pm at Caffé Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Yosl Kurland is a founding member of the Wholesale Klezmer Band (since 1982), High Holy Day singer at Temple Israel of Greenfield, MA and Temple Israel of Athol, MA. He has taught Yiddish language at the National Yiddish Book Center, and has lectured on Yiddish music, dance and poetry, and Ashkenazic prayer music. His song, "The Messiah will not come until..." was the only Yiddish song selected for the 2008 Shalshelet Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music. Yosl has performed with the Wholesale Klezmer Band at the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall and at President Clinton's first Inaugural in 1993 and at the Linda Norris Auditorium.

A highlight of this show will be Yosl's recreation of a 1930's vaudeville piece about three High Holy Day cantors auditioning before a synagogue search committee. As always, Yosl will make the music accessible with translations, subtitles and explanations.