Monthly Archives: July 2007

Yiddish Cup Brims Over

The folks of the Yiddishe Cup Band send their SCHEDULE:

July 29 Little Mountain Folk Festival, Kirtland, Ohio. 12
p.m. www.lakehistory.org

Aug. 2 Orange Village, Orange Village, Ohio. 7:30
p.m. www.orangevillage.com

Aug. 3 International Ass’n of Yiddish Clubs conference, Cleveland. 8:30
p.m. www.derbay.org

Aug. 16 Wiley Middle School, University Hts., Ohio. 7:30 p.m.
www.universityheights.com

Sept. 8 Congregation Bethanyu, Pepper Pike, Ohio. 7:30
p.m. www.bethanyu.org

Oct 3 Fairmount Temple, Beachwood, Ohio. 8:15 p.m. www.fairmounttemple.org

Oct 4 Park Synagogue. Cleveland Hts., Ohio. 7:30 p.m. www.parksyn.org

Oct. 14 Cincinnati Art Museum, 2:30 p.m. 513-792-5661 www.jcc-cinci.com

Siddur Audio

A new website called “Siddur Audio” comes from Atlanta with the work of Rabbi Mark Zimmerman. http://www.sidduraudio.com
You can use the site to learn the Tefillot, and it is completely free. Most of the Siddur has
already been recorded in mp3 format. Rabbi Zimmerman has updated the site and increased the server capacity to accommodate the growing number of downloads that it has been generating lately. He has also
recently added audio of the weekday davening and the Passover Seder as well.

Eastern Tradition CD from The Jewish Music Heritage Project

The Jewish Music Heritage Project is the ambitious undertaking of Cantor Sholom Kalib and The Jewish Music Heritage Project Boys’ and Men’s Choir. The purpose of the Jewish Music Heritage Project is to “document, catalog, and disseminate one of the great sacred musical traditions of the world, namely that of the Eastern European Synagogue, which is now in real danger of being lost forever.” So far, 2 vols of a 5 vol. set consisting of 20 books is being published by Syracuse University Press, and a 75 CD set of the music is envisioned. To find out more and order a CD:
http://www.jmhp.org/jmhp_CDs.html

It’s Always Closer Than You Think

The deadline for submissions to the Shalshelet liturgical music competition is November 1, 2007, which is closer than you think, if you are preparing to compose a musical composition. The composition can be by a professional, or a student over 18 (or under 18 with parental signature), and can be a musical choral work, a simple melody or melody with instruments. The purpose is for a composition for a sacred Jewish text, must be original, and not previously published. All the rules of the competition are available at their website. For those who may have a curiousity about American-based Jewish liturgical music, or those who have a serious interest in entering, click here:
http://www.shalshelet.org/Submission.html.

The 2008 Shalshelet International Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music will be held June 15, 2008 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.…
CONTINUE READING >

5 If By Sea– the Dave Grisman Quintet on a Hudson Cruis

NYC ROCKIN’ THE RIVER CRUISES
THURSDAY JULY 19
NYC, NY 212-630-8888
42nd St. & the Hudson River at Circle Line Pier 83
7.00PM & 9.30PM
www.rtrcruises.com

David Grisman Quintet featuring guitarist Frank Vignola, will perform his unique
variety of bluegrass and gypsy music referred to as “dawg music” as part of the NYC
Rockin’ the River Cruises (www.rtrcruises.com) and will be the first East Coast
performance with the new line-up.

NYC RTR Cruise is a scenic tour and live music event in an intimate and friendly
concert setting. Sail past the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge
and the world’s greatest skyline – with Grisman and VIgnola.

Also, a chance to see them in VT…
SATURDAY JULY 21
THE GREEN AT SHELBURNE MUSEUM
SHELBURNE, VT 802-652-0777
4.30PM
highergroundmusic.com
CONTINUE READING >

Elaine Hoffman Watts 2007 winner of a National Heritage Fellowship

Elaine Hoffman Watts wins National Endowment for the Arts, National Heritage Fellowship
The Jewish Music WebCenter already knew how great Elaine is, having conducted an extensive interview with her at KlezKanada a few years ago, not to mention hearing all those concerts with her. Now she’s getting a national honor… nice!
http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/NHFIntro.php?year=2007

The NEA writes about Elaine:

“Elaine Hoffman Watts’ family came to the United States from a town near Odessa in the former Soviet Union. Her father, Jacob Hoffman, was a prominent member of a klezmer band that was recorded in the 1920s. Elaine received training from her father and uncles in the family’s repertoire of polkas, freilachs, mazurkas, shers, and other tunes of Eastern European Jewish musical tradition. She became the first woman graduate in percussion from the Curtis Institute of Music.…
CONTINUE READING >

Laura Wetzler – “A World of Jewish Music plus Great Classics of American Song”

Sunday, July 22nd – Concert
Laura Wetzler – “A World of Jewish Music plus Great Classics of American Song”

Singer, songwriter and folklorist Laura Wetzler performs with Robin Burdulis on percussion and Wes Brown on bass. Take a musical journey to Jewish communities in Uganda, Morocco, Tunisia, Poland, Ethiopia, Spain, Yemen, Greece, and Italy in a high-energy celebration of Jewish culture. “Laura is one of the very best,” says Pete Seeger.

at the National Yiddish Book Center
on the campus of Hampshire College, Route 116, Amherst, Massachusetts.
Reservations suggested.
2 P.M. Cost: $10
For additional information, an application or reservations, please phone us at 413-256-4900.

Svigals-Rushefsky in “Mahler’s World: Jewish Music in the Hapsburg Empire”

Klezmer violin superstar Alicia Svigals
returns to the Maverick on July 14 at 8:00 p.m. with tsimblist Pete
Rushefsky
.

Ms. Svigals and Mr. Rushefsky brought down the house last summer at
Maverick, and this year¹s concert is called “Mahler¹s World: Jewish Music in
the Hapsburg Empire.” The concert is part of Maverick¹s season-long
celebration of the centenary of Gustav Mahler¹s arrival in America to lead
the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.

Classical concerts are Saturday evenings at 6:00 and Sunday afternoons at
3:00, with jazz, world music, and klezmer on selected Saturday nights at
8:00. Young people¹s concerts are Saturday mornings at 11:00.

The box office opens an hour before each concert; the hall opens half an
hour before curtain time. Except for the last weekend of the season, ticket
prices are $20 for adults and $5 for students.…
CONTINUE READING >

Molly Picon: Yiddish Star, American Star

Molly Picon: Yiddish Star, American Star
From June 26, 2007 through September 22, 2007
Vincent Astor Gallery
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts,
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Hours: Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat: 12 to 6; Thurs: 12 to 8
Learn more:
http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/exhib/lpa/lpaexhibdesc.cfm?id=446

Look at the NYPL brochure on Molly Picon (pdf)
http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/imagesexhib/mollybro.pdf

Yuval Ron with LA Jewish Symphony

See the Yuval Ron Ensemble performing with a FULL SYMPHONY and
dancers in a spectacular production under the stars!
East meets West: A Special Concert of The Yuval Ron Ensemble with
the LA Jewish Symphony

Conductor: Dr. Noreen Green

The Ensemble will perform (in the second half of the program only!)
traditional songs of the Middle East and Andalusia with new symphonic
arrangements by Yuval Ron plus Canciones Sefardi – a symphonic work
by Yuval Ron based on Andalusi songs of Morocco and…… the first
public performance of a symphonic medley from the Oscar winner film
“West Bank Story”.

featuring:

singers Maya Haddi and Barak Marshall, guitarist Kenton Youngstrom
and dancers Maya Karasso and Melanie Kareem

Please note: the concert at the Ford will be taped for future
broadcast on TV channel 36!…
CONTINUE READING >

Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity

Musicians should be aware of the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity. According to their mission statement, the Center is:
“A non-profit educational institution in both the United States and Israel, the Center functions as a global fellowship of creative and performing artists, scholars and benefactors committed to evolving the dynamic national Jewish culture envisioned by Zionist philosopher Ahad Ha’am. To preclude the fossilization of Jewish culture, the Center stimulates and facilitates the creation of serious new cultural works from a Jewish perspective and the dissemination of the resulting artistic expression in respected public venues, thereby broadening the horizons of Jewish culture and ensuring an ongoing Jewish contribution to universal civilization.”
Lots of artists are participating in Israel and the US. For more information see:
http://www.jewishcreativity.org/home.htm
CONTINUE READING >

New Musical Next Spring at Theater J in DC

Playbill carries an article about a new Jewish musical scheduled for this season’s Spring event in DC. Called David in Shadow and Light, it’s based on the life of King David, with libretto by Yehuda Hyman, music by Daniel Hoffman, choreography by Peter DiMuro and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and direction by Nick Olcott.The musical, commissioned by Theater J together with the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, will be presented next Spring in May 6-June 22, 2008.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109190.html

Podcast from TWISTING TRADITION: MUSIC, HISTORY AND CULTURAL CHANGE

Musicians Jewlia Eisenberg and Frank London chat with writer Josh Kun about
Jewish music, and perform live from last April in LA. Hear Josh Kun ask the perenniel question about “what is Jewish music?” At least the Q is updated. Kun’s list questions are worth hearing as well as the dicussion.

WATCH: http://nextbook.org/festivals/video.twistingtradition.html

LISTEN:
http://audio.nextbook.org/2007lafestivalaudio/Twisting%20Tradition.mp3

http://nextbook.org/festivals/video.twistingtradition.html

Yiddish Summer Weimer

The largest Yiddish festival in Germany is taking place now, July 9, through August 9, 2007.
The festival, in operation since the year 2000, invited musicians to teach Klezmer in several
workshops to hundreds of interested fans or amateur-musicians. The slogan of this
year;s Yiddish Summer Weimar is “Tradition an new Impulses”. For that reason, many
well-known artists from Germany, Argentina, USA, the Netherlands etc. will
teach Klezmer as well as the crossover between Klezmer and Jazz or Tango.
For more information, visit the website at:
http://yiddish-summer-weimar.de/

New York Film Premiere in NY about Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman

The League for Yiddish and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research are pleased to Invite you to
An Evening In Honor of Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman
Poet, songwriter, singer
Featuring the NEW YORK PREMIERE of the second film in the series
Worlds within a World: Conversations with Yiddish Writers
BEYLE SCHAECHTER-GOTTESMAN
SONG OF AUTUMN
Yiddish (with English subtitles)

A film by Josh Waletzky produced by the League for Yiddish
Musical Program: Janet Leuchter, Esther Gottesman
and Binyumen Schaechter,
Refreshments
Admission $10.00, Wednesday, July 11th 2007, 6:30 P.M.
at the Center for JewishHistory, 15 West 16 St, NYC.
Please reserve your tickets 917-606-8200