Balkan Beat Box, Miami, FL, May 1
Balkan Beat Box
May 1, 2007
7:30pm
Miami, FL
The Culture Room
Tickets: $9.99
Get tickets here
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May 1, 2007
SCSU Creative Music Orchestra, New Haven, CT, May 1
Tuesday, May 1, at 8:00 p.m., the SCSU Creative Music Orchestra, David Chevan, director, with composer-in-residence Matt Darriau in the Charles Garner Recital Hall (Room 112-C) in Engleman Hall of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut, admission is $3.00, please call
(203) 392-6630 for more information.
May 2, 2007
Yankele, Paris, France, May 2
Yankele
Le mercredi 2 mai à 21h00 à la Vieille Grille
1 rue du Puits de l'Hermite 75005 Paris Métro Monge,
réservation : 01 47 07 22 11
fax : 01 47 07 02 07
site : vieille.grille.free.fr
May 3, 2007
Valley Klezmer Band open rehearsal, Northampton, MA, May 3
The Valley Klezmer Band has ongoing rehearsal on Thursday nights from 7:30–9pm at the Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA, and occasionally in Amherst!!! Bring your instrument and play!!! Join the VKB and play klezmer and Israeli party music! Learn klezmer dance-forms such as khosidls, freylekhs and horas. You'll also learn the basics of making band arrangements.
The VKB is a performing ensemble open to the community. You should have at least intermediate competency on your instrument, and be able to read music or learn quickly by ear. Sheet music and CDs will be provided. The fee is $50 - $100, sliding scale, for around 10 sessions.
Scholarships are available.
Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831.
The VKO is directed by Amy Rose, flutist, pianist and accordionist. In 1987, Amy founded Klezamir, one of New England's premier klezmer bands. Klezamir recorded four CDs and has performed at hundreds of concerts and parties around New England. Amy also teaches piano and flute. Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831. The VKO is supported by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation
Worlds of Jewish Music, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT,
Wesleyan University presents an extraordinary course, "Worlds of Jewish Music," with four visiting faculty, each doing a two-week mini-course: Edwin Seroussi, Hankus Netsky, Mark Kligman, and Cantor Perry Fine, with Mark Slobin as instructor and Amanda Scherbenske as graduate assistant. The course is accompanied by a four-concert Ring Family Jewish Music series:
RING FAMILY JEWISH MUSIC CONCERT SERIES
At Wesleyan University
Gershon Veroba: Jewish Pop
Thursday, May 3, 8pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Free Admission
Gershon Veroba presents a concert of up-tempo, audience-friendly songs in the tradition of Jewish popular music, some pieces based on Rock and Roll and some originals.
May 4, 2007
Fireflies, Schull, Co. Cork, Ireland, 4 May 2007
The Fireflies
Friday night 4th May in Hacketts in Schull., Co. Cork.
Massel-Tov, Wasserburg am Inn, Germany, May 4, 2007
>Massel-Tov Trio
04.05.07, 20:00 Uhr
Kleinkunstbrauerei, Abteistr. 23, Thaddäus 86687 Kaisheim,
T. 09099-921999, www.kleinkunst-kaisheim.de
May 5, 2007
Yale Klezmer Band, New Haven, CT, May 5, 2007
Yale Klezmer Band's Spring Show:
Saturday May 5th
9pm
Slifka Center, Yale University
80 Wall St.
New Haven, CT
free, refreshments will be served.
Should be a lot of fun music and DANCING!!!
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EXTENDED BODY:
Yale Klezmer Band:
Josh Batson -trumpet
Michael Birnbaum - violin
Eric Bloom - piano
Jonathan Davenport - upright bass
Abigail Ebin - violia, violin
Carlin Gayer - clarinet, voice
Mitch Hoffman - trumpet
Elana Kagan - flute
Derin McLeod - drums
Mike Perlmutter -alto and baritone saxophones
Becky Wexler - clarinet
www.yaleklezmerband.com
Rushefsky & Leverett, Lag B'Omer, NYC, May 5
Celebrate Lag B'Omer with traditional Eastern European Jewish music!
Tsimbl and Clarinet played by
Pete Rushefsky and Margot Leverett
Saturday evening, May 5th, 9:00 PM
(after 8:30 PM davening)
THE OLD BROADWAY SYNAGOGUE
15 Old Broadway
(One half block east of Broadway between 125th and 126th Streets)
New York, NY 10027
Admission: $10.00 per person
For more information, please leave message at
(212) 662-9767
May 6, 2007
Freilachmakers, Sacramento, CA, May 6, 2007
The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Sunday May 6th - Salute to Israel Day on the west steps of the state Capitol building in Sacramento. We will be performing between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Price: free!! For more information about the entire event, which will run between noon and 4 pm that day, please see: www.jewishsac.org/section_display.html?ID=73
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Borscht Belt Brunch, NYC, May 6
The 14th St. Y & Mo Pitkins present:
Borscht Belt Brunch featuring klezmer music by:
Jeff Perlman & Pete Rushefsky
Sunday, May 6 1PM - 3PM
At: Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction, 34 Avenue A, East Village, NYC
mopitkins.com
Jeff Perlman (Romashka's eminent clarinetist) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl) will play klezmer duets at Mo' Pitkins for their new Borscht Belt Brunch. Music from 12:30 'til 2:30. Program presented by the 14th St. Y.
No admission-- we pass the hat... and Mo's has a wonderful brunch menu
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Youngers of Zion, Providence, RI, May 6
Free Klezmer Concert in Providence by the Youngers of Zion
May 6 at 3:00 PM featuring the Youngers of Zion led by Hank Sapoznik.
The concert is free of charge with no advance reservations necessary. It will be held in the Meeting House of Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Avenue on the East Side of Providence. For more information, call 401-331-1616.
Hank, the son of Holocaust survivors, grew up speaking Yiddish and, as a bluegrass musician seeking his own tradition, unearthed then-forgotten klezmer recordings. He put together his first klezmer band, Kapelye, in 1979, and a few years later founded a sound archive at the YIVO Institute. Recognizing a need, he established KlezKamp (now in its third decade) to cultivate Yiddish folk arts. He has produced both written and broadcast histories—Klezmer! Jewish Music from Old World to Our World, the first book on the subject, and the Yiddish Radio Project, a 10-part NPR series. His successes as writer, producer, archivist and educator have never distracted Hank from his first love, though; he still plays the music!
The Youngers Of Zion share deep roots in traditional Yiddish music. Hank plays banjo and guitar and is joined in the group by Cookie Segelstein on violin and "Doctor" Rubin on string bass and tuba. Together, these three musicians create an atmosphere both intimate and exciting, serving up all the flavors of old time Yiddish music—hot fiddle tunes, forgotten ballads, introspective instrumentals and snappy Second Avenue vaudeville songs. They evoke the coziness of the parlor and the raucousness of the dance floor.
Voice of the Turtle, Framingham, MA, May 6, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Voice of the Turtle presents 'Sephardic Spring'-an array of repertoire from the spring holidays--TU BISHVAT, PURIM , PASSOVER and LAG B'OMER--from the Song of Songs, and love songs.
METROWEST JEWISH DAY SCHOOL
29 Upper Joclyn Avenue
Framingham MA
Tickets: $5.00
For more information: (508) 620-5554
Directions: www.mwjds.org/about_us/directions.html
Sung in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) and Hebrew, these melodies represent the jewels preserved through more than 500 years of exile in Turkey, Morocco, Bulgaria, Greece, Sarajevo, and Jerusalem.
Signature Voice of the Turtle arrangements will be played on chalumeaux, saz, baglama, psaltery, rebec, kamanja, violin, vielle, harp, flutes, shawms, Medieval Spanish bagpipe, guitar, mandolin, percussion, 'ud, cornetto and clarinet.
May 8, 2007
JMF: Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre, NYC, May 8
THE JEWISH MUSIC FORUM 2006-2007
MUSIC, MEDIA AND MEMORY IN JEWISH LIFE
May 8, 2007 7:30PM-9:30PM
Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre
Lecture and Music Performance
Prof. Tamara Levitz, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Respondent: Prof. Kim Kowalke, Eastman School of Music and the Kurt Weill Foundation
All seminars take place at 10:30 a.m. at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, NYC
Event is free and open to the public.
www.jewishmusicforum.org
JMF "Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre and Jewish Memory", NYC, May 8
The Jewish Music Forum Lecture Series 2006-2007
Music, Media and Memory in Jewish Life
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
7:30pm
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York City
"Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre and Jewish Memory"
Prof. Tamara Levitz, UCLA
a lecture discussion on the Judaic aspects of the music of Kurt Weill, including a live performance of songs from The Eternal Road and Ofrah's Lieder.
guest respondent, Dr. Kim Kowalke, Eastman School of Music
Free and open to the public.
www.jewishmusicforum.org
The Jewish Music Forum is an organization devoted to the study of music in Jewish life in all of its historical and contemporary diversity. Founded in the fall of 2004 under the auspices of the American Society for Jewish Music, with the support of the American Jewish Historical Society and the Center for Jewish History, the Jewish Music Forum seeks to provide a thriving habitat for interdisciplinary dialogue and scholarly exchange in the growing academic field of Jewish musical studies as well as a critical intellectual resource for specialists across a spectrum that includes cantors, composers, performers, students, educators, artistic directors, journalists, and others from the fields of musicology, anthropology, literature, Jewish studies, and American studies. By linking together members of these communities, the Forum serves as an academic professional network and intellectual resource for all who are interested in the role of music in Jewish life.
May 10, 2007
Valley Klezmer Band open rehearsal, Northampton, MA, May 10
The Valley Klezmer Band has ongoing rehearsal on Thursday nights from 7:30–9pm at the Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA, and occasionally in Amherst!!! Bring your instrument and play!!! Join the VKB and play klezmer and Israeli party music! Learn klezmer dance-forms such as khosidls, freylekhs and horas. You'll also learn the basics of making band arrangements.
The VKB is a performing ensemble open to the community. You should have at least intermediate competency on your instrument, and be able to read music or learn quickly by ear. Sheet music and CDs will be provided. The fee is $50 - $100, sliding scale, for around 10 sessions.
Scholarships are available.
Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831.
The VKO is directed by Amy Rose, flutist, pianist and accordionist. In 1987, Amy founded Klezamir, one of New England's premier klezmer bands. Klezamir recorded four CDs and has performed at hundreds of concerts and parties around New England. Amy also teaches piano and flute. Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831. The VKO is supported by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation
May 11, 2007
Art Bailey's Orkestra Popilar + Les Chauds Lapins, NYC, May 11
Art Bailey's Orkestra Popilar + Les Chauds Lapins
May 11, Banjo Jim's
9pm Les Chauds Lapins
10:30 Art Bailey's Orkestra Popilar
E. 9th St. & Ave. C
(212) 777-0869
N to 8th St. NYU
www.banjojims.com
Suggested Donation
May 12, 2007
Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival w/Steel City Klezmorim, Pittsburgh, PA, May 30, 2007
Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival presents
Klezfest '07
"The Steel City Klezmorim"
Wednesday, May 30 7:30pm
Club Cafe, 56-58 S.12th St., South Side
Pittsburgh's own Steel City Klezmorim, a staple on the local music scene, has been making a name for themselves nationally and internationally. Band leader Henry Shapiro is part of a new generation of instrumentalists who bring a traditional sensibility to a non-traditional instrument. As a guitarist, he has forged an authentic sound and virtuosic style of klezmer. Joining him are the well-known klezmer maven and gypsy violinist Steven Greenman, the world-class cymbalim player Alex Fedoriouk, and pianist Josh Dolgin, a leading proponent of urban klezmer. Hear them take center stage at Club Cafe for a casual evening of food, drink, and traditional klezmer music. (Young guests must be 21 and over or accompanied by legal guardian.)
TICKETS $20 general admission, $15 seniors, $10 students
TICKETS available at www.proartstickets.org
(412) 394-3353
The Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival is co-sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Rodef Shalom Congregation The Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival is made possible in part by Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the A.W. Mellon Fund and the Heinz Endowments Small Arts Arts Intiative
For more info on the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival, visit www.pjmf.net.
Chevan-Byrd Duo, York, PA, Sat, May 12, 2007
Saturday, May 12, Chevan-Byrd Duo, 7:30pm York Jewish Community Center, 2000
Hollywood Drive, York, PA 17402, for more info please visit
yorkjcc.org
May 13, 2007
Freilachmakers, Davis, CA, May 13
Sunday May 13, 7:00pm
"Survival and Triumph: Music of the Holocaust Era" at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis
The Freilachmakers will join the orchestra of the Sacramento Youth Symphony under
the direction of Michael Neumann in a multi-media concert. For tickets and information
click here.
Freilachmakers, Davis, CA, May 13, 2007
The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Sunday May 13th - “Survival and Triumph: Music of the Holocaust Era”, 7 pm, at the Mondavi Center (UC Davis). Once again we will be joining the premier orchestra of the Sacramento Youth Symphony under the direction of Michael Neumann in a wonderful multi-media concert. As we did the first time this concert was presented back in 2005, we will play two songs of resistance to the Nazis. For more information (including ticket prices, etc.), see: www.mondaviarts.org/events/event.cfm?event_id=382
Radio Gagarin, London, UK, May 13, 2007
Sunday 13th May 2007
Radio Gagarin: Experiments in Sunday Socialism
Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate, London W12
6pm – 1a.m. £5.
London’s only Balkan/Russian/Baltic/Gypsy/Klez/Mash/Thrash/Trash/KULTURKlash!!!
‘The Arts Club's most adventurous and anarchic night (and that's saying something)’ Time Out
The Commissar continues to pledge exclusive music from Austria’s hottest new band FATIMA SPAR UND DIE FREEDOM FRIES, with Edinburgh based Balkan mash-up ORKESTRA DEL SOL, Russian artist, Oleg Yanushevsky’s TERRA TRIO, performance from Friends of Gagarin, poetry from Tim Cumming, Marxist-Leninist alienation from art/animation/video installations for the Proletariat from state artists Adrian Philpott & Cathy Gale; frozen vodka & rakiya galore and resident DKs (Dancefloor Komissars) Max Reinhardt & Misha Maltsev sweating it out in the Gypsy Diskoteka til’ the road of excess has led us to the place of wisdom. Early evening come to feed your soul with wintery home-cookin in the Kitschen and take a rest from your fight for Revolutionary Determinism for a few moments in the Kinodrom with new and classic shorts from Eastern Europe.
Radio Gagarins’ bi-monthly Experiments in Sunday Socialism sessions fill Notting Hill Arts Club to overflowing with a tundra melting mix of live music, digital DJ prowess, performance art, east European cinema, poetry, puppetry, poverty, latkes, blinis and vodka. Live acts have included Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz, Oi Va Voi, DJ Shantel, Sophie Solomon, Nayekovichi, Mukka, London Sevda, Martin Green & Joe Townsend, London Bulgarian Choir, Graham Lewis (Wire) with Scifi Kane, Luminescent Orchestrii, Geoff Berner, The Destroyers, Mammatrix, Emunah & Ghetto Plotz.
Co-Produced by YaD Arts / Adrian Philpott/ Ariadne Arendt/ The Shrine
Yale Strom in Mother's Day concert, Los Angeles, May 13
"OY, MY SON, THE KLEZMER"
Violinist Yale Strom Mother's Day Concert
Sunday May 13th, 3:00 pm
The Workmen's Circle
Tickets are $15 for Workmen's Circle members, $20 for the public. Call (310) 552-2007 to purchase tickets.
Presented by The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring.
1525 S Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90035
310 552 2007
www.circlesocal.org
Back popular demand! Yale Strom (violin), Elizabeth Schwartz (vocals) & Mark Dresser (bass) present a Mother's Day concert at The Workmen's Circle on Sunday, May 13th at 3 pm.
The concert will consist of classic, traditional and new klezmer and Yiddish songs. Strom and Schwartz have just returned from performing in Romania and Hungary and will share some songs and stories from those countries.
May 14, 2007
I.B. Singer's "Gimpl Tam", NYC, May 14
A NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF I. B. SINGER'S "GIMPL TAM"
The National Yiddish Theatre—Folksbiene presents a staged reading of "Gimpl Tam" (Gimpl the Fool), a new musical adaptation of Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s classic story of man who’s faith is tested by an abusive community.
In Yiddish with English and Russian translation supertitles.
Written and Directed by Moshe Yasur
Original music by Radu Captari
Starring
Ashley Adler, Shane Baker, Menachem Yankl Ejdelman, Itzy Firestone, Susanne Nancy Kobb, Stuart Marshall, Naomi Miller, Harry Peerce, Eyal Sherf and Yelena Shmulenson-Rickman
With Stephen Borsuk and Motl Didner
This event is free. Sponsored by The City University of New York
Monday, May 14th at 2 PM
Queens College, Goldstein Theater
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Flushing, NY 11367-1597
No tickets required.
For more information, please call 718-793-8080
Pharaoh's Daughter, NYC, May 14
Pharaoh's Daughter
CD Release Party for "Haran" on Monday, MAY 14th
the new HIGHLINE BALLROOM
8 p.m. at 431 W. 16th Street (bet. 9th and 10th Ave.)
Price is $25 which includes the new CD.
New melodies, to aramaic kabblaistic texts, with psychedelic arrangements, influences that run the gamut of Nubian Nile music, Malian music, Balkan music, Pink Floyd and the Doors. Concert with full 10 piece mini-world orchestra, guest Adam Levy from Norah Jones:
TKTS: www.pharaohsdaughter.com or www.highlineballroom.com (go to calendar/tickets).
May 15, 2007
I.B. Singer's "Gimpl Tam", NYC, May 15
A NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF I. B. SINGER'S "GIMPL TAM"
The National Yiddish Theatre—Folksbiene presents a staged reading of "Gimpl Tam" (Gimpl the Fool), a new musical adaptation of Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s classic story of man who’s faith is tested by an abusive community.
In Yiddish with English and Russian translation supertitles.
Written and Directed by Moshe Yasur
Original music by Radu Captari
Starring
Ashley Adler, Shane Baker, Menachem Yankl Ejdelman, Itzy Firestone, Susanne Nancy Kobb, Stuart Marshall, Naomi Miller, Harry Peerce, Eyal Sherf and Yelena Shmulenson-Rickman
With Stephen Borsuk and Motl Didner
This event is free. Sponsored by The City University of New York
Tuesday, May 15th at 2 PM
Lehman College, Studio Theater
250 Bedford Park Boulevard West
Bronx, NY 10468
For tickets or more information, please call 718-960-8025
May 16, 2007
Esta, Chicago, IL, May 16
ISRAELI WORLD MUSIC PIONEERS ESTA PERFORM RARE 5/16 CHICAGO CONCERT
Who: Esta, presented by KFAR Jewish Arts Center, Empty Bottle & Friends of Israel Arts
Where: Lakeshore Theater, 3157 N. Broadway, Chicago (corner of Belmont, lot parking)
When: Wednesday May 16th. 8pm
How: Get tickets and more information at kfarcenter.org
Hear: Mp3 samples are online at kfarcenter.org and myspace.com/kfarcenter
$$$: ALL AGES SHOW. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door.
Call: 773.550.1543 to request more information.
Founded in 1979 in Israel by Shlomo Deshet and Ori Beanstock, Esta combines World Music, Rock, and Jazz into a powerful, energetic new sound to crosses genres, styles and borders. Esta which was an instrumental band for more then 18 years, is joined by vocalist Yarona Harel.
Coming from Israel, itself a crossroads and melting pot for Jews from all over the world, it is natural that Esta embodies the variety of ethnic musical influences. The band members are all first generation Israelis, raised on their parents’ musical heritage from Bulgaria, Iraq, Poland, Iran, Romania, Syria, Russia, and Turkey. Inspired also by the 1970s progressive rock, Esta’s music traverses myriad soundscapes - acoustic instruments dance with electric, a cappella vocals complement a symphony of sounds.
With this background, the band has created a rich, hot musical "stew" simmering with Mediterranean, Balkan, African, Asian, Celtic and Western flavors. The musical polyglot, pairing bagpipes and zornas, may be why Esta was proclaimed "Israel's most original instrumental band."
Esta has performed in prestigious festivals and respected venues throughout Europe, Israel and the US. Esta performed for U.S. President Clinton at a White House reception in honor of Israel's 50th Anniversary.
After the performance, President Clinton said, "I'd also like to ask that we give a special word of appreciation to the people who provided all that wonderful music which got us in the right frame of mind. ESTA, this band, thank you very much. If you could hang around here for a month or two, I think we might get some things done. You'd keep us all in a very positive frame of mind."
Besides performing at the White House and touring extensively in the U.S., Esta has played at such notable venues as Peter's Gabriel's WOMAD (World Music Festival) in Italy, Dranouter Folkfestival in Belgium, Radio France in Paris, the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel, New Music Seminar in New York City, and Festival L'Art De La Paix (The Art of Peace) in Belgium. The band has shared the stage with artists such as Suzanne Vega, Noa, The Chieftains, Sinead O'Connor, Stanley Jordan, L. Shankar, and Cheb Mami. Esta's debut album, released by MCI Records, was greeted with critical acclaim. In 1996, Esta gave two sold out performances at the world-famous Blue Note club in support of their U.S. debut album Mediterranean Crossroads (Newance Records/Musicrama), which was produced by Esta and Producer/Engineer Steve Boyer (Grammy Award winner for Eric Clapton's MTV Unplugged Album).
Press Highlights
"The Israeli quartet Esta, with its chopsapoppin' technique, articulate melodies, and blatant disregard for generic distinctions, suggests Zappa on the Orient Express... Esta boasts impressive collective technique... and world-ranging curiosity." The Village Voice"Esta works bagpipes, bouzoukis, zornas and other idiomatic instruments into a very hot and smart rock format." The New York Press
"Esta’s high-spirited modal excursions dissolved boundaries and embraced ethnic sounds from Israel and Iraq to Ireland and Scotland." New York Newsday
"ESTA is on to something big... Esta has created a unique experimental sound." Paper Magazine
"Israeli instrumental quartet Esta cooks its musical stew. Their sound simmers with Balkan, African, Asian & Celtic influences & blends Mediterranean folk with American style jazz & rock rhythm." Washington Post
KFAR Jewish Arts Center is an independent, non-denominational organization serving Chicago's Jewish community with contemporary Jewish arts presentations and programs that simultaneously enrich and celebrate our culture. KFAR is dedicated to stimulating, promoting and producing the next generation of Jewish expression. Visit our website at kfarcenter.org
Sarah Aroeste CD Release, NYC, May 16
DATE: Wednesday, May 16th
TIME: 8 PM
LOCATION: Knitting Factory (Main Space)
74 Leonard Street
TICKETS: $15 advance/$18 door
Please join us for a very special evening celebrating the release of our new record, Puertas. Experience a sizzling Sephardic night featuring some of the best in contemporary Sephardic sounds: Along with the full Sarah Aroeste Band, Frank London and his Klezmer Brass Allstars join Scott Kettner's Maracatú New York, mixing infectious Brazilian drumming with brass band extravaganza. Also joining the party is hip hop's only Hebrew Mamita (HBO Def Poetry Jam's Vanessa Hidary) and dj handler on the turntables spinning the best in Sephardic tunes. Plus other special guests….
May 17, 2007
I.B. Singer's "Gimpl Tam", NYC, May 17
A NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF I. B. SINGER'S "GIMPL TAM"
The National Yiddish Theatre—Folksbiene presents a staged reading of "Gimpl Tam" (Gimpl the Fool), a new musical adaptation of Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s classic story of man who’s faith is tested by an abusive community.
In Yiddish with English and Russian translation supertitles.
Written and Directed by Moshe Yasur
Original music by Radu Captari
Starring
Ashley Adler, Shane Baker, Menachem Yankl Ejdelman, Itzy Firestone, Susanne Nancy Kobb, Stuart Marshall, Naomi Miller, Harry Peerce, Eyal Sherf and Yelena Shmulenson-Rickman
With Stephen Borsuk and Motl Didner
This event is free. Sponsored by The City University of New York
Thursday May 17th at 2 PM
Brooklyn College, Levinson Theater
2900 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11210
For tickets or more information, please call 718-951-4600
Steve Greenman w/Ludmila Sorin, Beachwood, OH, May 17
Steve Greenman with Yiddish/Ladino/Russian singer, Ludmila Sorin:
When: Thursday May 17th, 2007 at 7pm
Where: The Temple, Tifereth Israel
2600 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood, OH (Adjacent to the Maltz Museum)
Cost: $15 or $12 for Maltz members
Ludmila will perform a wonderful melange of Yiddish, Ladino and Russian melodies together with violinist Steven Greenman and pianist Alexandra Gerchikov.
*Please call the Maltz Museum for reservations at: (216)593-0575
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
2929 Richmond Rd.
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216)593-0575
fax: (216)593-0576
*The Ludmila Sorin Ensemble consists of conservatory and classically trained musicians performing a delightful melange of Russian and Gypsy romances, Russian folk songs, unique Ladino, Hebrew and Spanish medieval music, Yiddish and Hebrew melodies and popular American songs. Formed in the year 2000 by vocalist Ludmilla Sorin and pianist Alexandra Gerchikov, both former natives of St. Petersburg, Russia, the ensemble grew in 2005 with the addition of Cleveland violinist Steven Greenman.
The ensemble draws from its extensive individual classical music backgrounds and international concert performance experiences. Audiences are thrilled to hear Ludmilla's soaring yet sensitive and passionate vocals, Alexandra's precise pianistic skills and Steven's expertise in East-European Jewish folk music. Their music and performance style is based on the highest ideals of both classical and traditional folk music.*
*Ludmila Sorin *(vocalist) received her vocal training at the Neva Concert Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia studying with the famous Russian singer Rubina Kalantaryan. She has performed at many prestigious concert halls in Russia including St. Petersburg Conservatory, Composer's Hall, Oktyaborsky Hall, Usupovsky Palace, Actor's House, Architectures Hall and Theatre Museum. In 1994 Ludmila was a musical laureate in a competition of Israeli music in Kharkov, Ukraine. Ludmila has collaborated with the Russian composer, Timur Kogan, (the author of the famous ballets Old Tango and Galateya), on a program of Ladino music. In 1996 they performed successfully at various concert venues in Spain including Zaragoza - Centro Cultura Ibercaja, Jaca - Palacio de Congresos, Tauste - Casa de la Cultura, Barbastro - Salon de la UNED, Badajoz - Casa de la Cultura, Caseres - gran Teatro. Ludmila came to America in 1997. Her heart belongs to Yiddish songs.
*Alexandra Gerchikov* (pianist) graduated from the musical college in St. Petersburg, Russia studying with Yury Matzkevich and Ida Zacharova. She has worked as a music teacher and piano pedagogue in various schools and has lived in the United States since 1989. A cousin of Ludmilla Sorin, Alexandra grew up together with Ludmila in Russia. Their classical and familial backgrounds led to their musical collaboration with Jewish and Russian music.
*Steven Greenman* is recognized internationally as one of the finest practitioners of traditional East European Jewish klezmer violin. As a composer of klezmer music he is producer and lead performer for the recording Stempenyu's Dream which contains his original Jewish and klezmer compositions. A co-founder of the Khevrisa ensemble together with Walter Zev Feldman, Steven is also co-producer and lead performer of the recording Khevrisa-European Klezmer Music on the Smithsonian Folkways label. Steven currently leads the Stempenyu's Dream ensemble, Di Tsvey and the Steven Greenman Klezmer Ensemble. He has taught klezmer music at KlezKamp, KlezKanada, KlezFest London and Klezmer Wochen Weimar and has performed at the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Poland and at Toronto's Ashkenaz-A Festival of New Yiddish Culture. In addition to klezmer music Steven is an accomplished performer of Hungarian nota, Romanian lautari music and urban East European Gypsy music. As a concert performer Steven has been a regular guest soloist with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra performing his own arrangements of traditional East European Gypsy violin music and klezmer music.
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
2929 Richmond Rd.
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216)593-0575
fax: (216)593-0576
Frank London, Frantic Turtle, NYC, May 17
Two Generations of Jewish Avantgarde:
Frank London & Friends Meets Frantic Turtle
Grammy-winning downtown legend Frank London brings together a band of seasoned improvisers. Opening for him is the new avant-punk-poetry outfit Frantic Turtle. The culminating collaboration session will rip through age-roofs and convention-chairs!!
Sun May 17th at 7.30pm
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery (b/n Bleecker & Houston)
$6
Valley Klezmer Band open rehearsal, Northampton, MA, May 17
The Valley Klezmer Band has ongoing rehearsal on Thursday nights from 7:30–9pm at the Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA, and occasionally in Amherst!!! Bring your instrument and play!!! Join the VKB and play klezmer and Israeli party music! Learn klezmer dance-forms such as khosidls, freylekhs and horas. You'll also learn the basics of making band arrangements.
The VKB is a performing ensemble open to the community. You should have at least intermediate competency on your instrument, and be able to read music or learn quickly by ear. Sheet music and CDs will be provided. The fee is $50 - $100, sliding scale, for around 10 sessions.
Scholarships are available.
Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831.
The VKO is directed by Amy Rose, flutist, pianist and accordionist. In 1987, Amy founded Klezamir, one of New England's premier klezmer bands. Klezamir recorded four CDs and has performed at hundreds of concerts and parties around New England. Amy also teaches piano and flute. Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831. The VKO is supported by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation
in honor of Sholem Aleichem, Montreal, Canada, May 17, 2007
Yiddish Café: An Evening in Honour of Sholem Aleichem at the JPL
Yiddish Café: An Evening in Honour of Sholem Aleichem on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. at the Jewish Public Library, 5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Road, Montreal. To respect the great Yiddish writer’s final wishes, a group of talented Montrealers offers a humourous program of stories and songs in Yiddish and English, with introductions in English, in a café-style setting. Includes audio-visual presentation and refreshments. Sponsored by Shelley Solomon and the Yetta Feldman Chmiel Endowment. Cost $7 for JPL members and students, $12 others. Call 514-345-2627 ext. 3006 for tickets and information.
The Jewish Public Library, founded in Montreal in 1914, is committed to encouraging and promoting the Yiddish language, culture and literature, by collecting and preserving Yiddish materials, and by presenting a variety of cultural events.
Asya Vaisman, NYC, May 17
Asya Vaisman
Der Sod fun Mayn Hartsn:
Lider fun Tshernovitser poetn un kompozitorn
Thursday 17 May 2007
7 PM
Atran Center
25 East 21st Street, Ground Floor
Contribution: $8
Asya will be performing "Der Sod fun Mayn Hartsn," a program of songs by Czernowitz poets and composers, including several of Asya's own compositions.
With special guests Art Bailey and Jake Shulman-Ment.
Asya Vaisman was born in Czernowitz in 1983 and lived in Moscow before moving to the US in 1991. She received her BA in Yiddish from Barnard College, and she is currently writing her dissertation on the Yiddish songs of Hasidic women at Harvard University. Asya has composed music to the lyrics of several Yiddish poets; one of her songs recently appeared as the title track on the CD "Shtile Trit" of the Munich klezmer band, Massel Tov. Asya has performed with the Columbia and Harvard Klezmer Bands and at various Yiddish and Klezmer workshops and festivals around the world, including Weimar, St. Petersburg, and Jerusalem. Last summer she was on the staff of Klezkanada, where she lectured and led a singing group.
Flying Bulgars, Toronto, Canada, May 17, 2007
The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
Thursday, May 17 @ 10:30PM
@ the TRANZAC:
292 Brunswick Avenue
Toronto
(416) 923-8137
Pay-what-you-can
May 18, 2007
Slavic Soul Party, Cleveland, OH, May 18
SLAVIC SOUL PARTY
FRIDAY, MAY 18th
9:30 pm, $7 admission
The Happy Dog
5801 Detroit Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44102
http://www.happydog58.com
(216) 651-9474
Fiery Gypsy brass, soulful Balkan anthems, and hip-grinding American funk: Slavic Soul Party! is just what it says. Brash and strong as slivovitz, these nine musicians have forged a virtuosic new brass band music in the heart of New York City - melding Gypsy, East European, Mexican and Asian immigrant backgrounds with American jazz and soul - and "developed a reputation for delivering a great time." (New York Times)
Recent quotes:
"[Slavic Soul Party! is] one of the few that can balance its manic energy and irreverent spirit with a deep understanding of eastern European folk forms and the chops to play them." -Chicago Reader
"Of all the NYC dance bands that draw on Eastern European music, Slavic Soul Party! is the coolest.... SSP! jumps from traditional songs to contemporary covers and originals, connecting the dots of a number of folk schools with surprising finesse... Though all of these elements blend beautifully on the album, SSP! shines brighter as a live band. Its members seem acutely aware of the common principle that unites the traditions they borrow from: Music ought to move you." -TimeOut NY
"Serving up seriously funky old-world brass beats is the uber-sexy New York City-based Slavic Soul Party brass band reinterpreting old-school harmonies and undercurrents with broken beat and hip-hopped style making for mad sounds and infectiously joyous butt-bumping fun. Expect ecstatic and transformative energies to overtake anything that might be making your soul sticky when the full-frontal nine-piece orchestra starts strolling through your psyche." -San Francisco Bay Times
May 19, 2007
Yuval Ron Concert for Peace, Culver City, CA, May 19, 2007
May 19 at 8 pm -
Yuval Ron Ensemble
Concert for Peace at Culver City High School.
Klezmania, Brighton East VIC, Australia, May 19
Klezmania
Bonkers Music Cafe
Saturday 19 May
497 Nepean Hwy Brighton East VIC
Dinner time from 7.30 pm or Show at 8.30 pm
"Show Only" ticket $19 or "Show & Dinner" $35
If you're coming for dinner, enjoy a traditional European two course dinner including a home-made platter, main meal and a coffee or tea.
BOOK NOW on (03) 9530 6601
www.bonkersplaycentre.com.au
Yankele, Lardy, France, May 19
Yankele
Le samedi 19 mai à 20h30 salle René Cassin
Rue rené Cassin 91510 Lardy
Le samedi 26 mai à Grand Couronne (près de Rouen)
Slavic Soul Party, Pittsburgh, PA, May 19, 2007
Slavic Soul Party
May 19 Friday
w/ DJ JORO BORO and ANA VEY
@ Mr Smalls
400 Lincoln Ave.
Millvale, PA 15209
866-468-3401
www.mrsmalls.com
tickets $10/12
all ages
Purchase tix online
afterparty
@ BRILLOBox 4104 Penn Ave
PANDEMIC (global dance nite) w/ special guest JORO BORO
$3 entrance w/ ticket from show $5 w/o
412.251.6058
May 20, 2007
the Psalms of Ali Ufki, Brookline, MA, May 20
Temple Beth Zion
Sunday Seminars presents:
The Psalms of Ali Ufki - A Journey of Interfaith Sacred Music with Noam Sender
on Sunday, May 20, 10:30 am - 12:00 noon, 1550 Beacon Street, third floor
www.tbzbrookline.org/reality/adult.php?id=6377&page=6377
Flying Bulgars, Toronto, Canada, May 20, 2007
The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
@ The Free Times Cafe:
$18.95 for the "Bella Did Ya Eat?!" homemade Jewish brunch (the best in town!)
Sunday, May 20 @ 11:30AM & 1:30PM
Toronto
At the Crossroads, Los Angeles, CA, May 20, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007 Northwest Auditorium 1 PM
At the Crossroads: Music & Culture of the Middle East
The Yuval Ron Ensemble—featuring Arab vocalist Najwa Gibran, Whirling Dervish Aziz, Armenian Duduk master Yegish Manukian—includes Arab and Jewish artists who come together to celebrate the musical traditions of Judaism, Sufism, and the Christian Armenian Church. Composer and world-music producer Yuval Ron orchestrates the deep inter-cultural connection between these three traditions and the musical influences they share. The concert will feature songs of Sufi origin from Turkey, Jewish prayers from Morocco, Yemen, and Israel, as well as Armenian church chants. With the presence of Whirling Dervish Aziz, this program will be a feast for the senses!
Event is free of charge. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Preferential seating to students (with ID).
For more info, please call (310) 825-5387.
UCLA Center for Jewish Studies
302 Royce Hall, Box 951485 * Los Angeles, CA 90095-1485
Tel: (310) 825-5387 * RSVP Line: (310) 267-5327
www.cjs.ucla.edu/
Azad w/Claudine Movsessian, Paris, France, May 20, 2007
quatuor klezmer Azad et claudine Movsessian
sunday 20 may
16h30
sept lezards
10rue des rosiers
75004Paris
metro st paul
price15/10euros
tel: 0144935351
Vodkazak w/Alicia Svigals+Metropolitan Klezmer, Brooklyn, NY, May 20, 2007
Klezmerized!
Sunday, May 20 2007, 2pm
Vodkazak, with Alicia Svigals at Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts
Alicia's program of Lubavitcher Hasidic "nigunim" (wordless spiritual songs) played on fiddle, mandolin, accordion and bass.
with Metropolitan Klezmer, which performs Yiddish swing and tango, dance and trance folk traditionals, wondrous originals, Balkan brass and Latin groove klezmer melanges, music of the Soviet Yiddish theater and crypto-klezmer Broadway.
Single Ticket Price: A: $25 B: $25
Walt Whitman Auditorium,
located at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College.
(Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues at the Junction.)
Box Office 718-951-4600
www.brooklyncenter.com
Violinist Alicia Svigals, considered by many to be the world's leading klezmer fiddler, co-founded both the Jewish roots band the Klezmatics and her current group, the all-female Mikveh. As a musician and composer, she's worked with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, the Ben Folds Five, playwrights Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and Eve Ensler (the Vagina Monologues), poet Allen Ginsburg, violinist Itzhak Perlman, the Kronos Quartet, Jewish spiritual singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman, cantor Avraham Fried and many others. She has appeared on David Letterman, MTV, Good Morning America, PBS' Great Performances, and NPR's Prairie Home Companion, Weekend Edition and New Sounds. Her solo album Fidl is the world's first klezmer violin CD. She loves to play weddings and bat/bar mitzvahs and can be reached at her website: www.aliciasvigals.com. "...violin playing with depth and urgency..." L.A. Times
Tantshoyz - Yiddish Dance Party, NYC, May 20
The Center for Traditional Music and Dance, the JCC in Manhattan and the Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring present...
The Fourth Tantshoyz (Yiddish Dance House)—Dance Party/Workshop at the Manhattan JCC
Sunday, May 20 6:00PM - 9:00 PM at the JCC led by Deborah Strauss!
In the Theater
The Center for Traditional Music and Dance and the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan present a Tantshoyz (Dance House). Lace up your dancing shoes for an evening of traditional East European Jewish dancing led by master dance leader Deborah Strauss. Live klezmer music will be provided by some of New York's hottest musicians: Jake Shulman-Ment (violin), Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer) and Nick Cudahy (bass).
And mark your calendars: Upcoming Tantshoys:
Wednesday, June 6 7:00PM – 10:00PM at the JCC led by Michael Alpert!
Cost is $10 ($8 for JCC and Workman’s Circle Members), pay at the door. Questions call Pete at 917-326-9659
Support for the Yiddish Dance Project was provided to the Center for Traditional Music & Dance by the Forward Association, the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Program, a State agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Yiddish Choir Hejmisj Zain, Soest, the Netherlands, May 20, 2007
June 10nd 2007
Concert of Yiddish Choir Hejmisj Zain (Amsterdam, Holland,
with Bart Lelivelt (accordeon) and Joris van Beek (violin)
in the "Amstelkerk", Amstelveld 1, Amsterdam.
Entree: € 9,00, € 8,00 and € 5,00(children till 12 years old).
For information or reservations: email Yiddish Choir Hejmisj Zain, or tel. 0031-35-6940618.
Yiddish Choir Hejmisj Zain, Soest, the Netherlands, May 20, 2007
Yiddish Choir Hejmisj Zain
May 20th 2007:
Location: Rembrandtkapel, Rembrandtlaan 10, Soest.
Entree: € 4,00.
For information or reservations: email Yiddish Choir Hejmisj Zain, or tel. 0031-35-6940618.
Hy Wolfe, NYC, May 20, 2007
Friends of Yiddish Present!
Hy Wolfe & Maddy Simon at the piano
May 20, 2007 @ 2 PM
$7.00 per person
Marseilles Hotel, 230 West 103 Street Reserve by May 12, 2007
with Jo Abrams 1-646-602-2007
Please join us for "A Memorable Yiddish Afternoon" in Yiddish & English with actor/singer Hy Wolfe, musical direction by Maddy Simon, at the piano.
"Remarkable Performer!"—YIDDISH FORWARD
"Hy Wolfe has a rich baritone!"—THE JEWISH WEEK.
May 21, 2007
I.B. Singer's "Gimpl Tam", NYC, May 21
A NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF I. B. SINGER'S "GIMPL TAM"
The National Yiddish Theatre—Folksbiene presents a staged reading of "Gimpl Tam" (Gimpl the Fool), a new musical adaptation of Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s classic story of man who’s faith is tested by an abusive community.
In Yiddish with English and Russian translation supertitles.
Written and Directed by Moshe Yasur
Original music by Radu Captari
Starring
Ashley Adler, Shane Baker, Menachem Yankl Ejdelman, Itzy Firestone, Susanne Nancy Kobb, Stuart Marshall, Naomi Miller, Harry Peerce, Eyal Sherf and Yelena Shmulenson-Rickman
With Stephen Borsuk and Motl Didner
This event is free. Sponsored by The City University of New York
Monday, May 21st at 7 PM
Hunter College, Lang Recital Hall
E. 69th St. between Park & Lexington Aves.
For tickets or information please call 212-772-4448
Sid Beckerman Memorial, NYC, May 21, 2007
Sid Beckerman Memorial event
Sid Beckerman, klezmer clarinetist, beloved teacher and mentor to a generation of klezmorim, passed away on April 4, 2007. A tribute to him will be held Monday, May 21 at 8pm at the Congress for Jewish Culture, 25 E. 21st St. ground floor, Manhattan. Musicians and friends are invited to share a tune or story. Sid's musical partner of many years, Peter Sokolow and his protege Margot Leverett will lead an evening of musical memories. For more information contact Margot Leverett by email, or by phone: 718-545-9404.
May 22, 2007
Summer klezmer jam, SOAS, London, UK, May 22, 2007
Klezmer summer drop-in lessons
Twice a month on Tuesdays from 7-8.30pm at SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1. Dates: May 22, 29, June 5, 12. Call me for room numbers on 020 8985 3724 or \email for venue and further details.
There’s sheet music for tunes at www.ilanacravitz.com/jams.html.
Gilad Barkan CD Release Party, Boston, MA, May 22, 2007
Join Boston-based pianist Gilad Barkan as he celebrates the release of Live Sessions, just out on New Step Music, in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22nd at the Regattabar, One Bennett Street at the Charles Hotel, Cambridge. Joining Barkan are flutist Amir Milstein, bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa and drummer Steve Langone. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 day of show. For tickets, call 617.395.7757 or log on to getshowtix.com/regattabar/
Barkan's music forms a bridge between cultures. His compositions are poignant and enchanting, harmonically sophisticated yet accessible, linking his love for popular musics from around the world - notably Africa, Brazil, and his Israeli homeland - with a joyous rhythmic and melodic freedom as an improviser, and a distinctly warm and lyrical sound.
Live Sessions finds the Boston-area keyboardist working in two different settings. The double CD, recorded live on WGBH Radio in Boston by Emmy award winning engineer Antonio Oliart, features the trio (with drummer Wirht and bassist Dan Greenspan) heard on his debut recording on one disc, and a quartet (with flutist Amir Milstein, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Wirht) on the other. Both bands bear the unmistakable stamp of a pianist whom the Boston Phoenix said is "enamored of the piano's beautiful tonal qualities and its vast potential for rapturous melody."
Barkan's previous release, Modulation (New Step), is "a welcome example of what a piano trio is still capable of creating... whilst... acknowledging some of the usual influences," said Paul Donnelly in ejazznews.com. As the new album shows, Barkan's economical and nuanced lyricism has only grown more refined.
Born in England and raised in Israel, Barkan grew up in a musical family and took up the piano as a teenager. By the time he was 18, he was performing in a Tel-Aviv nightclub. While enrolled at Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, he won the Jazz Musician of the Year competition, and represented the school at an international conference of jazz schools in Sienna, Italy. Shortly after, he moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. While studying, he performed with the Berklee Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble and was awarded a Special Citation for Outstanding Musicianship from the International Association of Jazz Educators for his work with the band. Barkan's group has been invited to perform nationally and internationally, as well as on radio and network television. He recorded and performed extensively with guitarist Issi Rozen and appears regularly as a pianist and bassist with Sergio and Fernando Brandão, and other prominent musicians on Boston's jazz and world music scenes.
Yuval Ron, Santa Barbara, May 22, 2007
May 22 at 8 pm - University of Santa Barbara - Yuval Ron talk about his film music, screening of West Bank Story, Q&A and performance of the Yuval Ron Trio.
Flying Bulgars, Toronto, Canada, May 22, 2007
The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
Thursday, May 22 @ 10:00PM
@ the TRANZAC:
292 Brunswick Avenue
Toronto
(416) 923-8137
Pay-what-you-can
May 24, 2007
Maya Beiser CD Release, NYC, May 24, 2007
MAYA BEISER CD RELEASE PARTY & CONCERT
at JOE'S PUB on MAY 24, 2007, 7:30PM
Koch released the captivating cellist's new album "Almost Human" on 4/20/07
Maya performs works by:
Eve Beglarian
Osvaldo Golijov
Michael Gordon
Mark O'Connor
Joby Talbot
With special guest performer, Grammy-winning fiddler Mark O'Connor
Admission: $20 (212/967-7555 or www.joespub.com)
Table reservations: 212-539-8778
Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St (between East 4th and Astor Place)
"Forget the traditional offerings of Bach and Brahms. Maya Beiser, the hot cello diva of the avant-garde, puts together hip global programs of purely 21st-century music, pushing her instrument to its limits. She embraces amplification, revels in multimedia and likes to punch up the bland stage of the recital hall with visual drama. Her musical appetite is voracious, and top composers from Steve Reich to Osvaldo Golijov have lined up to write for her. In short, she's out to shake the classical world by its neck, to which we can only respond with loud and heartfelt cheers."—THE WASHINGTON POST, October 23, 2006
Thursday, May 24, 7:30p.m. at Joe's Pub, the Israeli-American cellist MAYA BEISER makes her only solo New York appearance of the 2007 season (she'll be back on October 30, 2008, when she debuts her next major global project, Provenance, at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall). Maya's Joe's Pub show offers a rare chance to see her perform live in an intimate club; on this occasion she celebrates the release of her new album ALMOST HUMAN, which was just released by Koch on Friday, April 20, 2007.
Maya Beiser has been described by The New Yorker as "a cello goddess," The San Francisco Chronicle as "the queen of post-minimalist cello," The Los Angeles Times as "a striking virtuoso," and The Philadelphia Inquirer as having "rock-star magnetism." At Joe's Pub, playing selections from her new album, Maya will perform the haunting and surreal I am writing to you from a far off country with music by Eve Beglarian and text by poet Henri Michaux; and the whimsical Motion Detector by the young British composer Joby Talbot. The program also features music by Michael Gordon and Osvaldo Golijov, video by Bill Morrison, and a guest appearance by fiddle virtuoso Mark O'Connor.
Maya premiered the live multimedia version of "Almost Human" at Zankel Hall in March 2006, which included video by the award-winning Iranian artist Shirin Neshat. The New York Times called Maya's performance "Deep and rich, with a lush vibrato...Ms. Beiser's rich-hued tone singing out from within a bed of sound loops ranged from the insistently rhythmic to the meltingly lyrical." For this project, she asked Beglarian, Talbot, and others to write music inspired by ancient vocal traditions they felt connected to. The resultant works give the cello, an instrument said to be "almost human," a powerful and haunting opportunity to "sing."
MAYA BEISER MAY 24 JOE'S PUB PROGRAM:
I am writing to you from a far-off country by Eve Beglarian (excerpts)
Motion Detector by Joby Talbot
Light is Calling by Michael Gordon (with video by Bill Morrison)
Mariel by Osvaldo Golijov
Double Concerto by Mark O'Connor (with Mark O'Connor, violin)
"ALMOST HUMAN" CD (released by Koch International, April 20, 2007):
EVE BEGLARIAN, b. 1958: From a Far-Off Country (commissioned by Meet The Composer) (2006)
With Alexandra Montano, mezzo-soprano
Text by Belgian surrealist poet Henri Michaux
Music based on traditional Armenian chants and folk songs.
JOBY TALBOT, b. 1971: Motion Detector for cello, sampled chorus, and live electronics (2006)
Based on the "Pasiputput" singing of the Bunun tribe of Taiwan.
JOBY TALBOT: Falling for electric cello (1998)
ABOUT MAYA BEISER (www.mayabeiser.com):
Cellist Maya Beiser has captivated audiences worldwide with her virtuosity, eclectic repertoire, and relentless quest to redefine her instrument's boundaries. Over the past decade, she has created a new repertoire for cello, commissioning and performing many works written for her by today's leading composers. Most recently, Maya has collaborated with composers Louis Andriessen, Tan Dun, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Osvaldo Golijov, Michael Gordon, Steve Reich, and Simon Shaheen, among many others. Maya recently toured as the featured soloist of Philip Glass's Naqoygatsi with the Philip Glass ensemble, and appeared at the Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, the World Expo in Nagoya, Japan, and in Barcelona, Paris, and San Francisco.
Maya's critically acclaimed multimedia concert "World To Come" premiered in October 2003 as part of the inaugural season of Carnegie Hall's new venue, Zankel Hall. Highlights of her 2005 "World To Come" tour included performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, UCLA's Royce Hall, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. Maya's performance of Steve Reich's Cello Counterpoint is featured on the Nonesuch CD "You Are," chosen by The New York Times as one of the top albums of 2005. She is also the soloist on the Sony Classical CD release of Tan Dun's "Water Passion," and has performed his Academy Award-winning score Crouching Tiger Concerto with orchestras around the globe.
Raised on a kibbutz in Israel by her French mother and Argentinean father, Maya Beiser is a graduate of Yale University. Her major teachers were Aldo Parisot, Uzi Weizel, Alexander Schneider, and Isaac Stern. Maya was the founding cellist of the legendary new music ensemble, the Bang on a Can All-Stars.
"Exceptional...Gorgeous...Haunting...Not only does her warm, golden sound permeate even the most searing and challenging passages of music she plays, but she appears to have the ease of a hip-hop turntable spin-meister when it comes to interacting with technology, so the music consistently remains the most crucial message...For despite Beiser's lavish use of video, sampled and live voices, and electronic multitracks, she never loses touch with the all-important human element of live music."—THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, December 4, 2006
"Intense... rich... powerful... Beiser is not the sort of musician who zigzags around the planet playing catalog music for polite and sleepy audiences. She throws down a gauntlet in every program."—NEWSDAY, March 11, 2006
Fishtank Ensemble, Berkeley, CA, May 24
The Fishtank Ensemble
Thursday, May 24, 7:30 pm
La Peña Cultural Center
After romping their way into our hearts during Community Music Day, the Fishtank Ensemble relocated to LA last month. Luckily for us, they're making their way back to the Bay to play at La Pena. Don't miss out on what LA Weekly describes as "one of the most thrilling live acts on the planet." Visit the Fishtank Ensemble website for more info, www.fishtankensemble.com.
Valley Klezmer Band open rehearsal, Northampton, MA, May 24
The Valley Klezmer Band has ongoing rehearsal on Thursday nights from 7:30–9pm at the Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA, and occasionally in Amherst!!! Bring your instrument and play!!! Join the VKB and play klezmer and Israeli party music! Learn klezmer dance-forms such as khosidls, freylekhs and horas. You'll also learn the basics of making band arrangements.
The VKB is a performing ensemble open to the community. You should have at least intermediate competency on your instrument, and be able to read music or learn quickly by ear. Sheet music and CDs will be provided. The fee is $50 - $100, sliding scale, for around 10 sessions.
Scholarships are available.
Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831.
The VKO is directed by Amy Rose, flutist, pianist and accordionist. In 1987, Amy founded Klezamir, one of New England's premier klezmer bands. Klezamir recorded four CDs and has performed at hundreds of concerts and parties around New England. Amy also teaches piano and flute. Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831. The VKO is supported by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation
May 26, 2007
David Buchbinder Jazz Ensemble, Toronto, Canada, May 26, 2007
David Buchbinder Jazz Ensemble
Saturday, May 26 @ The Rex
194 Queen St. W.
$8 Cover
9:30PM
Spring JazzIn line with the current developments of David's other ensembles, his jazz group is currently working towards their second record.
Building upon their first JUNO and National Jazz Award nominated album Shurum Burum Jazz Circus, the group will be presenting brand spankin' new original compositions by DB in a series of intimate shows around town.
Featuring David (trumpet), Peter Lutek (saxophones & clarinets), Perry White (saxophones & clarinets), Greg de Denus (piano), Matt Brubeck (cello), Rob Clutton (bass) and Barry Romberg (drums), this group, live in action is not to be missed.
May 27, 2007
Duo Galay, Cleveland, OH, May 27, 2007
The Annual Helen and Irving Sunshine Memorial Concert
Duo Galay
Jewish Music ~ Yiddish Texts
Sunday, May 27, 2007, 2:30 p.m.
The Workmen's Circle / Arbeter Ring
1980 South Green Road, Cleveland, Ohio
Composer and pianist Daniel Galay, music director at the Beit-Frankfurt
Conservatory in Tel-Aviv, and cellist Rachel Galay perform Jewish music
set to Yiddish texts, original compositions, and works by Bloch and
Stutschevsky.
Tickets $10; seating is limited.
For reservations call (216) 381-4515
Dessert reception and discussion with Daniel Galay
(in English and Yiddish) following program.
Sponsored By
National Yiddish Book Center
www.yiddishbookcenter.org
Klezmer Dance, Santa Rosa, CA, May 27, 2007
Co-sponsored by KlezCalifornia, The Red Hot Chachkas and Bruce Bierman (Yiddish dance teacher) will be presenting their program, "Klezmer, Music with Soul" in Santa Rosa.
Led by Julie Egger and comprised of multi-talented performers on violin, clarinet, mandolin, accordion, bass, and drums, the group plays traditional Eastern European dance tunes, ranging from frenzied to tranquil tantsn (dances), plus original compositions and improvisions building on the klezmer tradition.
Absolute Music at the Friedman Center brings master musicians and presents classical, jazz, folk and klezmer music to the Jewish Community Center of Sonoma County.
The Friedman Center
4676 Mayette, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
May 27th, 2:00 - 4:00pm ~ Tickets: $15
Di Grine Kuzine, Deidesheim, Germany, May 27, 2007
Di Grine Kuzine
So., 27.05.
DEIDESHEIM, Schloss (mittags)
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Amsterdam Synagogue Choir, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, May 27, 2007
The Amsterdam Synagogue Choir will be in concert, with a special selection
from our new Rosh Hashanah, Pesach and Chanukah repertoire.
Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, Amsterdam (Holland)
Sunday 27 may 2007, 20.30
Tickets cost €10 and may be ordered through
our website www.ask-choir.org
May 29, 2007
Summer klezmer jam, SOAS, London, UK, May 29, 2007
Klezmer summer drop-in lessons
Twice a month on Tuesdays from 7-8.30pm at SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1. Dates: May 22, 29, June 5, 12. Call me for room numbers on 020 8985 3724 or \email for venue and further details.
There’s sheet music for tunes at www.ilanacravitz.com/jams.html.
"John Zorn and the Future of Jewish Music," Boca Raton, FL, May 29, 2007
Flying Bulgars, Toronto, Canada, May 29, 2007
The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
Thursday, May 29 @ 7:30PM
@ the TRANZAC:
292 Brunswick Avenue
Toronto
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Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival w/Brave Old World, Pittsburgh, PA, May 29, 2007
Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival presents
Klezfest '07
"Song of the Lodz Ghetto"
featuring Brave Old World
Tuesday, May 29 7:30pm
Katz Theatre, JCC of Greater Pittsburgh 5738 Forbes Ave.
Song of the Lodz Ghetto is a song cycle in which memory and imagination freely interact to create a journey between present and past. Brave Old World's new Yiddish songs and compositions are interwoven with arrangements of the rare music created between 1940-44 in the Nazi ghetto of Lodz, Poland. This is music on the cutting edge of tradition performed by the celebrated quartet of the klezmer scene. Michael Alpert is renowned for his soulful renderings in the Yiddish language. Music director Alan Bern is acclaimed for his prize-winning compositions. Clarinetist Kurt Bjorling is internationally recognized as one of the most inventive interpreters of Klezmer music. And Stuart Brotman provides multi-instrumental virtuosity. You don't have to be Jewish to love this world-class band.
TICKETS $20 general admission, $15 seniors, $10 students
TICKETS available at www.proartstickets.org
(412) 394-3353
The Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival is co-sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Rodef Shalom Congregation The Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival is made possible in part by Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the A.W. Mellon Fund and the Heinz Endowments Small Arts Arts Intiative
For more info on the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival, visit www.pjmf.net.
May 30, 2007
"Jewish Life and Memories Through Yiddish Song" with Janie Respitz, Montreal, Quebec, May 30, 2007
Three-part presentation with Janie Respitz on "Jewish Life and Memories Through Yiddish Song."
Part 1 on folk song writer Mark M. Warshawsky on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Part 2 on Mordecai Gebirtig, the Carpenter from Cracow on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Part 3 on The Jewish Life Cycle on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
All three presentations will be at FEDERATION CJA, 96 Roger Pilon, Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Cost $10 per lecture or $25 for all three. For information call the Jewish Public Library at (514) 345-2627 ext. 3033 or visit www.jewishpubliclibrary.org.
Warshawsky’s songs were so popular that even in his lifetime they were sung as if they had been around forever. We still sing his songs today, but as his friend Sholem Aleichem predicted: “we will remember the songs but not the man.” Learn about the man behind these favourite songs: Oyfyn Pripechik, Tayere Malke, Di Mezinke and Di Yontevdike Teg.
Janie Respitz is a performer of Yiddish songs and an experienced teacher of the Yiddish language and a variety of topics dealing with Yiddish literature, Eastern European Jewish history and Yiddish folklore.
Davka meets Klez-X, Berkeley, CA, May 30
Wednesday, May 30, 8:00pm
at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley
Two of the Bay Area's most prominent Jewish music ensembles come together for a rare collaborative performance with their now Israel-based founder Daniel Hoffman. Visit the Freight and Salvage website for ticket information.
May 31, 2007
Valley Klezmer Band open rehearsal, Northampton, MA, May 31
The Valley Klezmer Band has ongoing rehearsal on Thursday nights from 7:30–9pm at the Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA, and occasionally in Amherst!!! Bring your instrument and play!!! Join the VKB and play klezmer and Israeli party music! Learn klezmer dance-forms such as khosidls, freylekhs and horas. You'll also learn the basics of making band arrangements.
The VKB is a performing ensemble open to the community. You should have at least intermediate competency on your instrument, and be able to read music or learn quickly by ear. Sheet music and CDs will be provided. The fee is $50 - $100, sliding scale, for around 10 sessions.
Scholarships are available.
Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831.
The VKO is directed by Amy Rose, flutist, pianist and accordionist. In 1987, Amy founded Klezamir, one of New England's premier klezmer bands. Klezamir recorded four CDs and has performed at hundreds of concerts and parties around New England. Amy also teaches piano and flute. Please email Amy Rose (preferred) or call 413-253-3831. The VKO is supported by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation