Monthly Archives: March 2005

Concerts

Z’vi

Wednesday, April 13, 8 p.m. At the Center for Jewish History, 15 West
16th Street, New York City. ‘Avant-premiere’ of Z’vi, an opera-in-progress by Richard Teitelbaum. It is based on the true story of Shabbetai Z’vi, a 17th-century rabbi in the Ottoman Empire who was widely hailed throughout Europe and the Middle East as the Messiah. After adopting Islam in addition to Judaism, he went on to develop a syncretic faith and practice incorporating elements of both religions. The opera explores issues of cross-cultural engagement, tolerance, dialog, and understanding. Performers include: Cantor Jacob Ben-Zion Mendelson (tenor), Omar Faruk Tekbilek (ney,
voice, zurna, percussion), David Krakauer (clarinet, bass clarinet),
Richard Teitelbaum (sampling keyboard) and others. More information is available at (917)606-8200 (phone).

Classical or Jewish art music, Concerts, WHERE: USA_NewEngland

Harold Shapero Honored by Lydian String Quartet and friends

Friday, April 29, 2005, 8:00 P.M.
The Center for Arts in Natick, MA, invites you to join the Lydian String
Quartet, Edwin Barker, double bass, and Marvin Wolfthal, piano, as they
honor composer Harold Shapero on his 85th birthday. The evening will
feature his Serenade in D for String Quintet, String Quartet, and String
Trio. Harold Shapero was a founding member of the Brandeis University music
department in 1951. He was director of the electronic music studio and
taught at Brandeis for 37 years. A birthday reception will follow the performance. Tickets are $25. Those connected to Brandeis get a discount when ordering tickets: (508) 647-0097. Visiting the Nartick Arts website:
www.natickarts.org The Center for Arts in Natick is located at 14 Summer St.

Classical or Jewish art music, Concerts, WHERE: USA_NY

American Society for Jewish Music Concert

American Society for Jewish Music
American Jewish Historical Society

Present
Contemporary American Composers

Works by
Bruce Adolphe
Victoria Bond
Tzipora Jochsberger
Steven L. Rosenhaus
Faye Ellen Silverman
Judith Lang Zaimont

In cooperation with the Mannes College of Music

April 10, 2005
12:30 PM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York City
Concert to be preceded by a continental breakfast at 11:45 AM
For tickets call (917) 606-8200

CD Releases, Concerts, WHERE: USA_California

The Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson

Yiddishkayt Los Angeles & Spaceland Productions
present
The Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson
Monday, April 4 at 8:00 PM (doors open at 7:00 PM)
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
4800 Hollywood Blvd. (between Vermont and Edgemont)
Hollywood, CA 90027
General Admission: $25

Only in America could Jewish slaves in Egypt inspire White
Southern Christians who in turn stirred Black Christians to sing
about emancipation who in turn inspired an African-American
Jewish gospel singer named Joshua Nelson.

The Klezmatics, known for their unique blend of
melodic mysticism and improvisational activism, have once again
turned their music inside out, exposing the complexity of
Jewish identity, Black identity, and human identity.
Brother Moses Smote the Water, their March 2005
release on Piranha Musik (distributed by Harmonia Mundi),
teams them with Nelson and jazz singer/organist Kathryn
Farmer.…
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Lectures, Sephardic, Ladino or Mizrachi, WHERE: USA_NY

The Jewish Music Forum and The Center for Jewish History Lecture

The Jewish Music Forum and The Center for Jewish History
are pleased to present

Professor Mark Kligman
(Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion)

Friday, April 8, 10 AM
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street

“Beyond Yiddishland: New Studies from the Jewish Musical Mediterranean”

The music of Sephardi Jewish communities is a diverse and complex
cultural phenomenon. Spanning the Mediterranean from the Western
Sephardic communities of Spain and Portugal to North Africa, the Ottoman
Empire and the Levant, the Sephardi world encompasses a vast geographic,
cultural and linguistic space. This presentation will offer a broad
overview of the development of academic scholarship on Western and
Middle Eastern Sephardi musical traditions. Using extensive audio
examples, Professor Kligman will demonstrate the stylistic and cultural
diversity across Mediterranean Jewish communities, past and present.…
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Articles

European Association for Jewish Culture Online

Review of the performances of new compositions commissioned by the
European Association for Jewish Culture are in the latest edition of their Review bulletin available in pdf format. It includes ‘Destination Unknown’ by Adam Heidemann in Krakow, ‘Stenclmusic’ by Rachel Stott in London, ‘Alphabet Music’ by Giovanni Mancuso in Venice and others, as well as reports of new drama and films. A 16-page illustrated Review is available at:
http://www.jewishcultureineurope.org/newsletter.htm

Concerts

Art Bailey’s Orkestra Popilar in NY

Art Bailey’s Orkestra Popilar is a quartet consisting of accordion, violin(Yaeko Miranda), mandolin (Brandon Seabrook) and bass (Nick Cudahy) that explores music made by Eastern European Jews in the early 20th century. The next concert will be Tuesday, April 26th from 7:30 – 9:30pm. Drawing inspiration and material from a variety of early recorded sources, the quartet focuses especially on the repertoire and performances of Belf’s Romanian Orchestra and Romanian born cymbolm master Joseph Moskowitz. Call or check the website for upcoming spring dates. The admission fee is $5. Delicious desserts and coffee will also be available. ACI is a short
five-minute walk from the 30th Avenue stop on the N or W line. Walk west on 30th Avenue (towards Athens Square Park) for about 4 blocks, then turn right on Crescent.…
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Holiday

Golem at Brooklyn Purim Carnival

Brooklyn Jews Presents A Purim Carnival
@ the Brooklyn Lyceum
Sunday, March 27th
3pm-7pm
227 4th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: 1-866-gowanus
R to Union Street
Corner of President Street
Golem scheduled to hit at 4:30pm…

Workshops

Klezmer Workshop with Jeff Warschauer!

Free Open House Tuesday, March 15, 2005 from 7-9 PM
5-week session – Tuesdays – 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19
Members $115; per session $25
Non-members $140; per session $30
Hands-On Workshop
– Study with an internationally recognized master instructor Jeff Warshauer
– Learn tunes from the diverse klezmer tradition
– Work in ensembles with other instrumentalists
– Develop tools for improvisation
– Guest instructors from the cutting edge of the contemporary klezmer scene
– Open to players of any instrument who play and read music at least an intermediate level.
The open house and all sessions will take place at the Workmen’s Circle, 45
East 33rd Street (between Park and Madison), Manhattan.
For more information contact:
Lisa Stein
New York Regional Director
Workmen’s Circle
45 E.

Classical or Jewish art music, Concerts, WHERE: USA_NY

Israeli Cellist At Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall

Israeli cellist Benjamin Shapira returns to NY to celebrate his new CD “Romantic Music for Cello”. He will be performing an all-romantic program at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall on April 30th, 8:30 pm.

Shapira’s international career was launched after his celebrated Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall performance of the Complete Bach Suites for Cello Solo. This CD features selections from Mendelssohn, Schumann, Saint-Saens and and Dvorak. He performs with his mother, pianist Shulamith Shapira, a graduate of the State Conservatory of Music in Bucharest under the supervision of legendary teacher Florica Musicescu. More information about the concert at:
http://www.taltalproductions.com/about_the_concert.htm For ticket information call (888)43-CELLO or CarnegieCharge at (212)247-7800.
CD’s available at selected Tower Records and on the web at:
amazon.com,
towerrecords.com,
cdbaby.com and
taltalproductions.com …
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Theater, WHERE: USA_NY, Yiddish or Folk

ON SECOND AVENUE at Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre

The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre in NYC,
with Zalmen Mlotek, Artistic Director,
presents an excellent show in Yiddish and English
definitely worth seeing
whether you know Yiddish or not:

ON SECOND AVENUE
The cast of 7 includes Broadway star
MIKE BURSTYN
and, off her recent starring role in the wonderful new film,
Pripetshik Sings Yiddish!,
REYNA SCHAECHTER
Performances run only till April 10th
and tickets are going fast, so order yours ASAP

For tickets: Folksbiene, 45 East 33 St, NYC, 212-213-2120
www.folksbiene.org
Performances @ the JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave @ W 76 St

Musicals

MARILYN SOKOL in Me and My Fanny

MARILYN SOKOL in Me and My Fanny
From Marilyn Sokol, the Emmy, Obie, and Bistro Award-Winning Actress/Singer/Comedienne who brought you the smash hit Guilt Without Sex comes Me and My Fanny, a jubilant tribute to Fanny Brice – the late, great Star of Stage, Screen, Radio, and TV, the original funny girl about whom the Broadway musical was written. Sokol performs seldom-sung Brice – musical gems from Burlesque and Vaudeville to The Ziegfeld Follies and Film – and poignantly reinvents familiar favorites. Fun ensues as Marilyn intertwines little-known Brice stories with her own personal anecdotes. Her distinctive voice and hilarious delivery, combined with a book written by Sokol and Scott Margolin, and Musical Direction by MAC Award-Winner Ian Herman make Me and My Fanny a joyful celebration.…
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Clubs, Concerts, Klezmer, WHERE: USA_NewEngland, Yiddish or Folk

Di bostoner klezmer Plus Kaplan and Rushefsky

–Boston–
Shed those winter blues at a lively concert on the first day of spring, Sunday, March 20, 2:30 P.M. at the intimate concert space at the Zeitgeist Gallery, 1353 Cambridge St. in Inman Square, Cambridge, MA (617-876-6060)

In a double bill of dynamic klezmer music and Yiddish song, two
up-and-coming groups will present material from their new CDs.
Di bostoner klezmer is the dynamic trio which plays rarely-heard and newly composed music, including a suite for melodica written by Brian Bender. Their accordionist, Christina Crowder is a former member of the world-famous di naye kapelye. Hankus (Klezmer Conservatory Band) Netsky says the group “breathes new life into traditional, old-country klezmer!”

The acclaimed duo Kaplan and Rushefsky bring to life rarely heard gems of traditional and original Yiddish song accompanied by the tsimbl and balaban.…
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Festivals, Klezmer, Sephardic, Ladino or Mizrachi, WHERE: USA_California

20th Annual Jewish Music Festival Berkeley California

March 19- April 3, 2005
The largest festival of Jewish music in the US celebrates its landmark
anniversary in Berkeley, San Francisco and Marin. Highlights include
members of Israel’s East West Ensemble with the Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Ensemble, Theodore Bikel with Hankus Netsky, the Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson, Community Music Day with an Instrument Petting Zoo, Hebrew hip-hop, and workshops for all ages; Judith Cohen, a leading scholar of Sephardic music, and Emil Zrihan, an extraordinary Israeli counter-tenor and cantor of the Moroccan tradition in a sneak preview of a new work with America’s leading, San Francisco based new music string quartet.
Tickets and Info: 415-276-1511 or www.brjcc.org
15% discount for groups of 10 and more.
A project of the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center…
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Archive & Library News, CD Releases

Jewish Music Available through Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways music available for download online… The complete catalog of Jewish recordings on the Folkways label, seems to be available through:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/search/SearchResults.aspx?BrowseBy=genre&Param=Judaica

The site allows you to listen to small excerpts of most
tracks, and to order the material on cassette or cd. These samples will allow people to know what they may wish to purchase and get a taste for the sound of the music… also to see “what’s in the catalog” in the way of Jewish music

Uncategorized

EPYC: Educational Program on Yiddish Culture

Internet Librarian reports: A companion tool for an educational package that “aims to familiarize the student with the Yiddish Ashkenazi culture that flourished in East Europe in the last 500 years.” Explore Eastern European Jewish history, occupations, youth culture, politics,food, Yiddish language and culture, music, and religious life, through portraits, maps, musical recordings, blueprints, essays, and slide shows. Visit Eastern European locations such as Odessa, Lublin, and Warsaw. From the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. http://epyc.yivo.org/home.php

CD Releases

Hodu: Jewish Rhythms from Baghdad to India

�Hodu,� in Hebrew, means both �India� and �Praise God!�–an appropriate double entendre for a community that thrived in the most benevolent of diasporas. This compilation of songs for Shabbat and holidays features a blend of ancient texts, authentic melodies and contemporary rhythms. Hebrew texts and English translations included.

The cost of the CD is $15 plus $4 shipping, available through Ms. Musleah’s website, www.rahelsjewishindia.com, or by calling 516-
829-2358.
.

CD Releases, WHERE: Israel, Women

Oh, Lovely Parrot! – Jewish Women’s Songs from Kerala

A New CD was released by The Jewish Music Research Centre in Jerusalem on the music of the Jewish women of Cochin, India. For centuries, the Jewish women of Cochin have been singing Jewish songs in the Malayalam language of Kerala, their ancient homeland on the tropical southwest coast of India.
Here’s the info to buy it and more descriptions below:
Title: Oh, Lovely Parrot! – Jewish Women’s Songs from Kerala
Editor(s): Barbara C. Johnson
Publisher: The Jewish Music Research Centre, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Place: Jerusalem
First Edition Year: 2004
Language: Malayalam
Tradition: Cochin
Country: India
Category: Folk Songs
Price: NIS 60 / $ 20
for more info….

Classes & Courses

Second Annual Clarinet and Klezmer in Safed, Israel

The Old City of Safed will host an international group of musicians, for the Second Annual Clarinet and Klezmer in the Galilee program of Clarinet Master Classes and Performances, Aug 15-22, 2005. This year’s program will be under the Artistic Directorship of Giora Feidman, Master Klezmer and Classical Clarinetist. The ever-popular Safed Klezmer Festival will follow, from Aug 23-25.
The Program includes a week of Master Classes in Classical and Jazz Clarinet, and in the Klezmer style for all instruments. Classes will take place in historical synagogues and sites in the Old City of Safed. http://www.safedfound.org.il/cont.asp?id=30407
For more information, and to receive a registration form, please contact:
Hanan Bar-Sela at Tel: +972-52-335-2797,or
Michal Beit-Halachmi at Tel: +972-54-443-2234 or
by email at: barsela1@bezeqint.net…
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Concerts

KlezmerShack 10th Anniversary Concerts

The first collection of KlezmerShack 10th Anniversary concerts here in the Boston Area start soon. Here’s the immediate summary:
* Mar 17: Khevre and Divahn at Club Passim, Cambridge
* Sun, Mar 20: di bostoner klezmer and Kaplan-Rushefsky at Zeitgeist, Cambridge, 2pm
* Fri, Apr 1: Charming Hostess, at Center for New Words, Cambridge, 8:30pm
* Sat, Sun, Apr 2-3: On My Grandmother’s Knee, Featuring The National Spiritual Ensemble and A Besere Velt: Yiddish Community Chorus of the Workmen’s Circle, with special guests Hankus Netsky and Adrienne Cooper at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC, Newton, 8pm/2pm
For more information, see the Klezmershack at http://www.klezmershack.com

Classes & Courses

JEWISH MUSIC SCHOOL Amsterdam

The JEWISH MUSIC SCHOOL in Amsterdam is looking for funds, sponsors and other financial sources and/or support.
The Jewish Music School
c/o Muziekschool Amsterdam
Bachstraat 5, Amsterdam-zuid
is the first music school in the Netherlands/Europe, to concentrate uniquely on Jewish musical education and training. The music school offers a wide variety of classes and courses, both practical and/or theoretical. In addition it offers facilities for studying and practicing Jewish music under expert guidance. Besides providing the necessary facilities for our present teaching needs, this location will also enable us to expand and cooperate with other Jewish (cultural) organizations, which will also be able to make use of the premises.
For more information:

Jewish Music School
P.o.b. 15894 ~ 1001 NJ
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
E-mail: school@jewishmusic.nl
Phone/Fax: +31 (0)20 771 58 81…
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Articles

DONA FEST-2005 success in February

Polina Shepherd writes to us about the Dona-Fest just held in Moscow:

February 17-20 The Shalom Theater hosted a gala concert of the first Moscow International Festival-Seminar of Jewish music DONA FEST-2005.

The leading Jewish bands from Russia and the CIS countries, as well as European stars, clarinetist Merlin Shepherd, composer and choir leader Polina Achkinazi-Shepherd and violinist Mark Kovnatsky, took part in the festival.

European Klezmer stars and Russian and CIS leading Jewish bands, folk quartet Askenazim, The Kharkov Klezmer Band, Dona, Klezmasters, Arkady Gendler, Alina Ivakh, Psoi Korolenko, and many others took part in the gala concert. The book “The Yiddishkait Music” book was presented at the concert. The East European Jewish wedding music, Klezmer, was forgotten for a long time. It comes back to Russia today.…
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Festivals

KLEZFEST ST. PETERSBURG 2005

The Center for Jewish Music of the Jewish Community Center of St.
Petersburg is proud to announce “KlezFest St. Petersburg 2005,” an
international seminar on the traditional music of Eastern European
Jewry, to be held June 18-22, 2005 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Holiday

Hard Rockin’ Hamentashen, KFAR Jewish Arts Center’s Purim

Purim is the Jewish Mardi Gras, where people get decked out in costumes, throw parties and get absolutely smashed. And while you won’t find people flashing for beads on this holiday (Orthodox Girls Gone Wild! Show us your ELBOWS!), traditional celebrations take literally the instruction to celebrate until one can’t tell the difference between Mordechai, the hero of the Purim story, and evil Haman.

Two Jewish rock bands, the Ari Ben Moses Band and The Moshe Skier Band and will be presented at Subterranean, a well-known, three story Wicker Park lounge and music venue.
9pm – 1am Saturday March 26th
Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave.
$12 in advance (ticketweb.com) $15 at the door
more info at http://www.kfarcenter.com
call 773.550.1543 or email jewishfringe@kfarcenter.com

Choral, Concerts, WHERE: USA_MidWest

The Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale

Tikkuun V’Tikvah
A Benefit Choral Concert
Sunday, March 6, 2005
2:30-4:30 P.M
Congregation Sinai
8223 N. Port Washington Rd
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217
Donation: $10.00 General Admission
$8.00 Seniors and Students
$5.00 Children

Featuring: The Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale
Directed by Enid Bootzin
Cantors, Cantorial Solosits and Children’s Choirs from area synagogues
Tickets available at The Door or
by contacting Donna Neubauer: 414-352-5961