KLEZMER RETURNS TO OLD BROADWAY! January 24, 2026

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

KLEZMER RETURNS TO OLD BROADWAY!

Featuring music by Margot Leverett (clarinet), Aaron Alexander (poyk-drum, fiddle) & Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer)

Saturday Night, January 24, 8:15PM
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 - featuring the return to the Old Broadway Synagogue of acclaimed klezmer clarinetist Margot Leverett, percussionist Aaron Alexander and tsimbl (cimbalom/hammered dulcimer) player Pete Rushefsky. This program is presented by the Old Broadway Synagogue in partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, Yiddish New York and the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center.

Biographies of performers:

Margot Leverett: Clarinetist Margot Leverett was a founding member of the Klezmatics in 1985 before moving on to start her own band "Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys", an all-star band combining the best of Klezmer and Bluegrass. They toured widely and their  music was choreographed by the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Margot has been featured as a guest soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, has toured Japan twice with The New York Ragtime Orchestra, and has been featured in several Off-Broadway productions. She was a staff instructor at KlezKamp for over 10 years and has also taught at Yiddish New York, KlezKanada, Klezkamp West, Klezmerquerque, and at colleges, music festivals, and Jewish organizations across the country and Europe. Margot lives in Kingston, NY.

Aaron Alexander is a drummer and fiddle player, has been playing klezmer music for 36 years and has been fortunate to be associated with many of the finest musicians in the klezmer and Jewish music field. He has been on Faculty at Yiddish New York, Trip to Yiddishland, Klez Kamp, Klez Kanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar, and in 2010 co-founded the NY Klezmer Series – a weekly concert, workshop, dance party and jam session series that features many wonderful klezmorim from around the world. Look for upcoming events by the NY Klezmer Series soon. Alexander has performed and recorded with Theo Bikel, Pete Sokolow, The Mazeltones, Greg Wall, Klezmerfest!, Alicia Svigals, Strauss/Warschauer Duo, The Klezmatics, Michael Winograd, Pete Rushefsky, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, and has released several recordings as a leader – The Klez Messengers, Midrash Mish Mosh, Blues for Sparky and more.

Pete Rushefsky - 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, Jake Shulman-Ment, Adrianne Greenbaum, Eleonore Biezunski, Steven Greenman, Joel Rubin, Michael Alpert, Madeline Solomon, Zhenya Lopatnik, Zoe Aqua, Aaron Alexander, Margot Leverett, Alicia Svigals, 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.

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.

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.

KLEZMER´S BOYZ OF SUMMER! June 16, 2024

KLEZMER´S BOYZ OF SUMMER!

Featuring music by Alex Parke (clarinet), Raffi Boden (cello)

 & Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer)

Sunday night, June 16, 7:30pm

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 - featuring the Old Broadway debut of São Paulo-based clarinetist Alex Parke, well-regarded for a performance style that captures the nuances of old-time 20th century European and New York klezmer clarinetists such as Titunshneyder, Belf, Brandwein and Tarras. Parke is accompanied by Raffi Boden (cello) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer). 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:

Alex Parke is a clarinetist, ethnomusicologist, and composer working in NYC and São Paulo who specializes in Klezmer and Brazilian music. He has performed with leading figures in the contemporary klezmer scene such as Frank London, Michael Winograd, Jake Shulman-Ment, Christina Crowder, Ilya Shneyveys, Pete Rushefsky. Parke is well-regarded for a performance style that captures the nuances of old-time 20th century European and New York klezmer clarinetists such as Titunshneyder, Belf, Brandwein and Tarras. He works as a freelancer in NYC and São Paulo and has been part of various musical projects, gaining renown for his musicality and musical intention.

Raffi Boden has forged his own expansive style on the cello, combining his fluency on the instrument with a reverence for folk traditions and a flair for experimentation and improvisation. Since graduating from the Juilliard School, Raffi has cultivated a multi-dimensional career as a NY-based freelance musician, performing in ensembles from experimental chamber trios to raucous klezmer big bands and in venues ranging from intimate neighborhood haunts to Carnegie Hall. He's active in the klezmer scene in NY, where he plays with the acclaimed band Mamaliga – their debut album of original klezmer music was hailed as "virtuosic and vibrant." He's also part of chamber jazz group Arco Belo, with whom he's toured internationally and performed at the Kennedy Center; of Ensemble Phoenicia, a group dedicated to middle eastern contemporary classical music; and Levyosn, a yiddish song quartet. Raffi holds a Master’s from the Juilliard School and a B.M./B.A. from Oberlin College & Conservatory.

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.

KLEZMER on OL' BROADWAY!

 

KLEZMER on OL' BROADWAY!

Featuring music by Andy Statman (clarinet), Dan Blacksberg (trombone) & Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer)

Sunday night, April 7, 7:30pm

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.

Klezmer Concert, March 3 at 7:30pm

 

The Old Broadway Synagogue, 

Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Yiddish New York present:

KLEZMER RETURNS TO OL' BROADWAY

Abigale Reisman (violin), Jake Shulman-Ment (violin) 

& Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer)

Sunday, March 3, 7:30pm at the Old Broadway Synagogue

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

Suggested donation: $10

Join us as klezmer music returns to the Old Broadway Synagogue (15 Old Broadway between 125th & 126th Streets in Manhattan) at 7:30pm on Sunday, March 3, 2024. We'll be featuring three of the contemporary klezmer scene's leading performers - Abigale Reisman (violin), Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer) and Jake Shulman-Ment (violin). A rare opportunity to see three of klezmer's leading string musicians performing together in a special program of klezmer melodies new and old. 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:

One of the Boston area's leading klezmer musicians, Abigale Reisman (violin) has established herself as an expressive and thoughtful fidl player with a lot to say. She is particularly interested in mimicking the human voice through the violin and connecting her playing to the rhythms and accents of the Yiddish language. Abigale is a performer, composer, and arranger with the International Jewish Music Festival award winning band, Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band. She regularly performs in a duo with renowned klezmer scholar and performer Hankus Netsky. Abigale is also a co-founder of Thread Ensemble, an experimental trio that creates music out of interactions with their audiences. She recently received The Iguana Grant from Club Passim to create a series of videos showcasing the klezmer violin. Abigale earned her Bachelor’s degree at The Manhattan School of Music in Classical Violin Performance and went on to receive her Master’s degree at The New England Conservatory in Contemporary Improvisation. Abigale lives by the sea with her two Hemingway cats and her husband Charles.

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, 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.

Jake Shulman-Ment (violin) is at the helm of a new generation of Klezmer and Yiddish music performers. He tours and records internationally in addition to being a widely sought-out teacher of the klezmer fiddle tradition at festivals around the globe. He collected, studied, performed, and documented traditional music in Romania as a Fulbright scholar, and has lived and traveled in Hungary and Greece, learning traditional violin styles. In 2018 he received the prestigious NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts. He was a featured subject of Csaba Bereczki’s full-length documentary film Soul Exodus, and appears on HBO’s Succession, Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman, and a host of other film and theater productions. Jake’s debut solo album, A Redele (A Wheel) (Oriente Musik, 2012) was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. His new group, Midwood, released its first album, Out of the Narrows, (Chant Records) in May 2018

KLEZMER NIGHT on OL' BROADWAY

 

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

TURN UP THE HEAT with KLEZMER!

Jake Shulman-Ment (violin), Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer) & Raffi Boden (cello)
Saturday, February 11, 8pm
at the Old Broadway Synagogue
(15 Old Broadway between 125th & 126th Streets in Manhattan)
Suggested donation: $10

Join us for the new klezmer music series at the Old Broadway Synagogue (15 Old Broadway between 125th & 126th Streets in Manhattan) at 8pm on Saturday night, February 11, 2022. We'll be featuring three of the contemporary klezmer scene's leading performers - Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl/hammered dulcimer), Jake Shulman-Ment (violin) & Raffi Boden (cello). Join the trio for a night of rediscovered melodies, newly-composed Jewish melodies, Hasidic spirituals and rollicking dance tunes. This program is presented by the Old Broadway Synagogue in partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Yiddish New York.

Please stay after the concert for nosh and an opportunity to meet others!

Biographies of performers:

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, 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.

Jake Shulman-Ment (violin) is at the helm of a new generation of Klezmer and Yiddish music performers. He tours and records internationally in addition to being a widely sought-out teacher of the klezmer fiddle tradition at festivals around the globe. He collected, studied, performed, and documented traditional music in Romania as a Fulbright scholar, and has lived and traveled in Hungary and Greece, learning traditional violin styles. In 2018 he received the prestigious NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts. He was a featured subject of Csaba Bereczki’s full-length documentary film Soul Exodus, and appears on HBO’s Succession, Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman, and a host of other film and theater productions. Jake’s debut solo album, A Redele (A Wheel) (Oriente Musik, 2012) was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. His new group, Midwood, released its first album, Out of the Narrows, (Chant Records) in May 2018.

Raffi Boden (cello) is an innovative cellist and educator and a current graduate student at The Juilliard School. A member of the award-winning contemporary klezmer ensemble Mamaliga, Raffi was the winner of the 2018 Oberlin Concerto Competition and performed as a soloist with both the Orchestra and the Contemporary Music Ensemble. In 2016, he spent a month teaching and studying the El Sistema method in Venezuela, and he has performed internationally in France, Venezuela, and around the U.S. Raffi holds a B.M. in Cello Performance and a B.A. in French Language from the Oberlin College & Conservatory.