Klezmer Concert for Lag Ba'Omer

 

The Old Broadway Synagogue, Center for Traditional Music and Dance and the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center present:

KLEZMER CONCERT FOR LAG B´OMER
Concert featuring Andy Statman (clarinet, mandolin), Dan Blacksberg (trombone) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/cimbalom)

Thursday, May 15, 2025, 8:30pm
at the Old Broadway Synagogue
(15 Old Broadway between 125th & 126th Streets in Manhattan)
Suggested donation: $10

A concert featuring three of the contemporary Yiddish music scene’s leading performers – NEA National Heritage Fellow Andy Statman (clarinet), Dan Blacksberg (trombone) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer) exploring the repertoire of klezmer legends Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras, who was Statman’s teacher. This program is presented by the Old Broadway Synagogue in partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Yiddish New York.

Biographies of performers:

A virtuosic musician known for his pioneering work in Klezmer, bluegrass, jazz, and other disparate styles, Grammy-nominated Andy Statman rose out of New York’s folk and string band scene in the mid-’70s, first establishing himself as a mandolin master then helping to ignite the klezmer revival as a clarinetist. He learned the craft of klezmer through a long-term mentorship with the legendary clarinetist Dave Tarras, and continues to draw inspiration from the recordings of Bill Monroe, the sounds of New York City, and his wife Barbara. Statman was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2012. He tours nationally with the Andy Statman Trio (Larry Eagle – drums, Jim Whitney – bass) as well as with violinist Itzhak Perlman, and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry with bluegrass guitarist Jake Eddy.

Philadelphia native Dan Blacksberg (trombone) has created a singular musical voice as a trombonist, composer, and educator. One of the foremost practitioners of klezmer trombone and a respected voice in jazz and experimental music, Dan is known for a formidable virtuosity and versatility. This has led to performances with artists such klezmer masters as Frank London, Elaine Hoffman Watts and Adrienne Cooper, and experimentalists like Anthony Braxton and extreme doom metal band The Body. Dan composes music from danceable klezmer melodies on Radiant Others, to genre-busting projects like his Hasidic doom metal band Deveykus and Name Of the Sea, Dan forges music that “aims to infuse the fearless avant-garde with timeless sounds and techniques, and vice versa.” (WXPN’s The Key) Dan currently teaches jazz and klezmer at Temple University, and coordinates the Instrumental and Dance programs at Yiddish New York with Deb Strauss. He also makes the Radiant Others Klezmer Podcast.

Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl) A leading performer, composer and researcher of the Jewish tsimbl (cimbalom or hammered dulcimer), Rushefsky tours and records internationally with violinist Itzhak Perlman as part of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, and collaborates with a number of leading figures in the contemporary klezmer scene including Andy Statman, Adrianne Greenbaum, Steven Greenman, Joel Rubin, Eleonore Biezunski, Michael Alpert, Madeline Solomon, Zhenya Lopatnik, Zoe Aqua, Jake Shulman-Ment, Keryn Kleiman, Eleonore Weill, Alex Parke, Ira Temple, Lauren Brody, Avi Fox-Rosen and Michael Winograd. Since 2006 he has served as Executive Director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of diverse immigrant music traditions from around the world. He is a founder of the annual Yiddish New York festival, curated the Yiddish program at the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and has authored a number of articles on traditional music and culture.

We are grateful for the support of the Atran Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Magic of Klezmer Flute, March 23, 2025

The Old Broadway Synagogue, Center for Traditional Music and Dance and the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center present:

THE MAGIC OF KLEZMER FLUTE 

Concert featuring Adrianne Greenbaum (flute) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl)

Sunday, March 23, 2025, 7:30pm

at the Old Broadway Synagogue

(15 Old Broadway between 125th & 126th Streets in Manhattan)

Suggested donation: $10

A program of newly-discovered traditional klezmer repertoire alongside stunning original compositions. You'll also hear the stories behind this exciting music in a concert featuring two of the contemporary klezmer scene's leading artists.

Watch a sample here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10ZIDLrBCQo

Adrianne Greenbaum (flute) Professor of Flute at Mount Holyoke College, and recognized as the “Queen of Klezmer Flute,” Adrianne Greenbaum is the foremost purveyor of the klezmer flute tradition. Having reached International acclaim as both a klezmer and classical flutist, Adrianne performs on modern, traverso and 19th c. flutes. She has performed in many national and international festivals and conventions: as soloist with orchestra at the National Flute Convention, solo recitals at the British Flute Convention, full concerts in the KlezMore Festival in Vienna, tours in the U.S.A., Scotland and Poland. Having received her upper level degrees from the Oberlin College Conservatory and Yale University School of Music, she has held professorships at several colleges and universities - currently Mount Holyoke, and formerly Smith, Yale and Wesleyan. She began her career as a classical musician, maintaining her presence in the field performing recitals at universities, and conventions and as principal flutist of both the New Haven Symphony (recently retired) and Orchestra New England. Highlights of her presence in the classical arena included many years performing with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, performances with New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and as principal flutist with Berlin Ballet at the Met. She can be heard in recordings of her own classical solo album, Sounds of America, as well as several klezmer titles - Fleytmuzik, Farewell to the Homeland: Poyln, and Family Portrait, and final to be released summer of 2025 “Klezmer Flute Nisht Fargessen” 

Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl) A leading performer, composer and researcher of the Jewish tsimbl (cimbalom or hammered dulcimer), Pete Rushefsky tours and records internationally with violinist Itzhak Perlman as part of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, and collaborates with a number of leading figures in the contemporary klezmer scene including Andy Statman, Adrianne Greenbaum, Steven Greenman, Joel Rubin, Eleonore Biezunski, Michael Alpert, Madeline Solomon, Zhenya Lopatnik, Zoe Aqua, Jake Shulman-Ment, Keryn Kleiman, Eleonore Weill, Alex Parke, Ira Temple, Lauren Brody, Avi Fox-Rosen and Michael Winograd. Pete serves as Executive Director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, one of the nation’s leading organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of diverse immigrant music traditions from around the world. He is a founder of the annual Yiddish New York festival, curated the Yiddish program at the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and has authored a number of books and articles on traditional music and culture.

We are grateful for the support of the Atran Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Celebrate Purim at Old Broadway

Please Join us for Purim at Old Broadway!

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Minchah, 6:30, Maariv & Megillah, 7:30pm

and

Purim Party Hearty!

$15 suggested donation

The fun continues...

Friday, March 14, 2025

After 8:00 Shacharis and Megillah, 

Rabbi Avi Heller will give a shiur at breakfast

 on "Sleeping and Forgetfulness in the Megillah."

Please join us!

Please Join Us for Our Annual Chanukah Party, Saturday Night, December 28, 2024 at 7:30pm

 

Please join us for our Chanukah Simchah at the Old Broadway. We will have latkes and sufganiyot and the amazing music of Noah Solomon Chase.

Admission: $20 per person

Here is more info about Noah:

Noah Solomon Chase, an accomplished singer and musician, is based in the vibrant city of New York. Born in the USA, Noah's parents moved to Israel when he was very young. Noah was exposed to the rich sounds of Israeli and Jewish music from a young age, thanks to the influence of both his father and the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who was Noah's next door neighbor. Noah's father, an accomplished musician himself, founded the well-known Jewish group "The Diaspora Yeshiva Band" in the 1970s, which played a pivotal role in the emergence of Jewish music as a genre.

Noah's passion for music led him to collaborate with Carlebach himself, performing alongside him in both Israel and New York. Since then, Noah has continued to push the boundaries of musical genres, creating and leading two highly successful bands - Soulfarm, a Rock/Mediterranean/Folk band that has garnered acclaim both locally and internationally, and Citigrass, an urban Bluegrass band that has captivated audiences across the United States and beyond.

Noah's musical talents have taken him on numerous tours throughout Europe, Australia, and Israel, where he has performed in some of the most prestigious venues and festivals. Over the past few years, Noah has also established himself as a highly sought-after "cantor/musician in residence", bringing his unique blend of spirituality and musicianship to synagogues and temples across the US. With his infectious energy and song leading skills, Noah has infused these congregations with "Ruach", creating an unforgettable experience for all who attend.

As a consummate professional, Noah is dedicated to his craft, constantly striving to improve and innovate. He is a true visionary, and his love for music and its power to connect people is evident in every note he sings and plays. Noah Solomon Chase is an exceptional talent, and his contributions to the world of music are truly remarkable

The Seven Wonders of Klezmer, November 23, 2024 at 8:00pm

 The Old Broadway Synagogue, Center for Traditional Music and Dance, the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center and Yiddish New York present:

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF KLEZMER 

Concert featuring music by Lisa Gutkin (violin), Lauren Brody (accordion) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl). Saturday night, November 23, 8PM at the Old Broadway Synagogue (15 Old Broadway between 125th & 126th Streets in Manhattan). Suggested donation: $10

A concert featuring three of the contemporary Yiddish music scene's leading performers - violinist Lisa Gutkin (The Klezmatics), accordionist Lauren Brody and tsimbl (hammered dulcimer) player Pete Rushefsky. This program is presented by the Old Broadway Synagogue in partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Yiddish New York.

Biographies of performers:

Lisa Gutkin (violin) - Grammy Award-winning violinist/composer, singer, actor, and composer Lisa Gutkin is best known as a member of the acclaimed Klezmatics, and most recently for her musical score, performance, and music direction in the two time Tony award-winner, Indecent. Lisa has had a storied career that reflects the eclectic nature of her life, passion, and creativity. A cameo performance in Sex and the City, a seat in Sting’s Broadway band forThe Last Ship, a CD of original songs produced by John Lissauer, and scores for two of Pearl Gluck’s films have taken her a long way from her beginnings as back up musician to the Fast Folk songwriters’ collective. Praised for her “hauntingly emotional” vocals by the L.A. Times, she has co-authored songs with Anne Sexton, Maggie Dubris, and Woody Guthrie. A MacDowell and Norton Stevens Fellow, Lisa's song “Gonna Get Through This World”, co-written with Woody Guthrie, was described by Pete Seeger as “a piece of genius”

Lauren Brody (accordion) is an accordionist, singer, researcher, professional piano tuner/technician and Fulbright scholar from New York City. She is a pioneer of the klezmer music revival in the United States and a founding member of the groundbreaking band “Kapelye”, formed in 1979. She has toured, recorded and appeared on TV and film with Kapelye, and with the seminal all-female ensemble “Mikveh”. Lauren has played the with The Klezmatics, Andy Statman, Michael Winograd, David Krakauer, Alicia Svigals, Frank London, Merlin and Polina Shepherd and many other klezmer luminaries. She was a trailblazer in the domestic Balkan music scene and was the first female gadulka player in the United States. Lauren was an original member of the first Bulgarian traditional folk orchestra “Pitu Guli”, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1970 and has taught and performed at EEFC’s Balkan Camp, Klezkamp, KlezCalifornia, KlezKanada, Ashkenaz, Yidstock, Yiddish New York. Lauren was the recipient of a Bulgarian Government stipend to study Bulgarian folk music during the Communist period, from 1971-73, at the Bulgarian Conservatory of Music in Sofia. As a Fulbright scholar to Bulgaria in 1990 she conducted research on the commercial recording industry and folk music, and released two acclaimed reissues of 78 rpm recordings. Lauren continues to perform, with a particular accent on composing new music for her own Balkan/Klezmer-inspired solo project “Lauren Brody’s Accordion Bytes”, as “Tsoyber” with Yiddish singer Susan Leviton, and with the Bulgaria-based accordion duo Brody-Stoikov.

Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl) A leading performer, composer and researcher of the Jewish tsimbl (cimbalom or hammered dulcimer), Rushefsky tours and records internationally with violinist Itzhak Perlman as part of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, and collaborates with a number of leading figures in the contemporary klezmer scene including Andy Statman, Adrianne Greenbaum, Steven Greenman, Joel Rubin, Eleonore Biezunski, Michael Alpert, Madeline Solomon, Zhenya Lopatnik, Zoe Aqua, Jake Shulman-Ment, Keryn Kleiman, Eleonore Weill, Alex Parke, Ira Temple, Lauren Brody, Avi Fox-Rosen and Michael Winograd. Since 2006 he has served as Executive Director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of diverse immigrant music traditions from around the world. He is a founder of the annual Yiddish New York festival, curated the Yiddish program at the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and has authored a number of articles on traditional music and culture.

We are grateful for the support of the Atran Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.