Philadelphia Folklore Project Presents Elaine Hoffman Watts & Susan Watts

The Philadelphia Folklore Project Presents: Elaine Hoffman Watts & Susan Watts PLAY KLEZMER!

Sunday May 11, 2008, doors open at 6 pm
World Cafe Live (www.worldcafelive), 3025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA
Tickets $20, or special price of $16 for PFP members through PFP
www.folkloreproject.org; 215-726-1106.

This special concert promises an unforgettable Mother’s Day celebration, featuring the outstanding Elaine Hoffman Watts & Susan Watts mother-daughter team, and their band of klezmer stars from the east coast and Canada. The concert will feature never before heard songs from a book compiled in 1927 by Susan’s great-grandfather, Joseph Hoffman, including his compositions, songs by his son Jake Hoffman, and other rarely performed Philly tunes in brand-new arrangements by Susan Watts. The concert will be followed by a Q&A discussion with the artists.

PFP will be filming for its documentary on Elaine Watts at this event; come be a part of the project. Elaine was the first woman percussionist to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, and is a recent winner of a prestigious National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (one of just a handful of Pennsylvania artists to be so honored).

This project occurs with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Philadelphia Music Project (funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the University of the Arts), the PA Humanities Council, the PA Historical & Museum Commission, and Philadelphia Folklore Project Members.

For more info: Philadelphia Folklore Project, 735 S. 50th St., Phila., PA 19143. 215-726-1106. info@folkloreproject.org, www.folkloreproject.org. PFP is a 21-year-old independent public interest folklife agency committed to cultural equity: we work to sustain diverse Philadelphia vernacular traditions as real resources for vital local communities. Give a listen!

Holocaust Remembrance Day at Museum of Jewish Heritage

WHAT: "Different Trains" Featuring the Israeli Contemporary String Quartet
WHERE: Edmond J. Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan
WHEN: Sunday, May 4, 2008, 7 p.m.
COST: $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, $10 for members

Join the internationally acclaimed Israeli Contemporary String Quartet (ICSQ) for a moving performance of "Different Trains," distinguished American composer Steve Reich's commemorative Holocaust work, in honor of Yom HaShoah, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. "Different Trains," which The New York Times calls a "work of such astonishing originality that breakthrough seems the only possible description," will take place in Edmond J. Safra Hall at the Museum on Sunday, May 4 at 7 p.m. This Grammy Award-winning work consists of a live string quartet and collage of pre-recorded sounds. Josef Bardanashvili's String Quartet No. 1 and Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 3 in F (Op. 73) will complete the program.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 for members and are available online at www.mjhnyc.org or by calling the Museum box office at (646) 437-4202. This concert is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel.

The Israeli Contemporary String Quartet, one of Israel's most influential ensembles, is made up of Hadas Fabrikant, violin; Tali Goldberg, violin; Katya Polin, viola; and Hilla Epstein, cello. The ICSQ has performed in concerts and festivals across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Israel, including the Israeli premiere of "Different Trains" at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2002. The Quartet counts many artists among its collaborators, including choreographers, dancers, video artists, theater directors, composers, and performers. The ICSQ has received such honors as Grand Prix at the Eighth International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition, the Israel's Minister of Culture and Education's award, and the Alfred Ensor award.

The Museum's three-floor Core Exhibition educates people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century-before, during, and after the Holocaust. Current special exhibitions include Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust; Sosúa: A Refuge for Jews in the Dominican Republic; and "To Return to the Land..." Paul Goldman's Photographs of the Birth of Israel. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall. It is also home to Andy Goldsworthy's memorial Garden of Stones, as well as James Carpenter's Reflection Passage, Gift of The Gruss Lipper Foundation. The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and is a founding member of the Museums of Lower Manhattan.

Jazz artist Matt Savage

Jazz composer and Bösendorfer piano artist Matt Savage and his Trio will celebrate his 16th birthday at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, 30 W. 68th Street, NYC, on Saturday, May 10, 2008, at 8 pm with an electrifying performance of award winning original compositions and jazz standards. The concert is free of charge and open to the community. Suggested donations ($20 / $10 students) will benefit Kulanu, or “All of Us,” the innovative weekly course offered by Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, open to all Jewish children who have Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Diagnosed with autism at age three, Matt’s journey from the depths of the disorder to international Jazz artist at 16 is an extraordinary one. His young career has already led to appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brian,” NPR’s “Piano Jazz” with Marian McPartland, and performances at famed New York Jazz venues including the Blue Note, Birdland, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. Matt Savage brings new life to the music of jazz greats, past and present. His enormous respect for their legendary bodies of work inspires and fuels his own unique jazz compositions and interpretations. As People Magazine astutely wrote in 2002, “…jazz phenom Matt Savage unlocks a door to genius using 88 keys.” In 2008, Matt Savage and his trio won nation-wide recognition for their sixth album, Hot Ticket:Live in Boston, which reached #2 in live jazz album sales on Amazon.com and #11 on the Jazzweek charts.

Kulanu, a weekly Religious School class offered by Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, is open to all children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old who have Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The curriculum is designed to engage children in home and synagogue celebrations, and to gain knowledge of and comfort with Jewish traditions, rituals, and culture. The class incorporates behavioral principles including visual supports and positive reinforcement. Through hands-on, lively activities, students explore the themes of Jewish holidays, life-cycle events, and Jewish identity.

This concert will showcase the extraordinary artistry and accomplishments of Matt Savage and will highlight the latest innovations that address the social and educational needs of children with ASD and their families. For more information, contact: Symi Rom-Rymer at 212-877-4050 x 266, communications@swfs.org

Alicia at Riverdale Y

Thursday April 24, 2008

Klezmer Reimagined: Alicia Svigals with bassist Nicki Parrott and pianist Uli Geissendorfer
A forward-looking collaboration between the world’s greatest klezmer violinist and two top jazz players. Nicki and Uli’s imaginative responses to Alicia’s klezmer fiddling will offer a fresh perspective on this ancient and beautiful tradition.

Date: Thursday, April 24
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Riverdale Y, 5625 Arlington Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471,
(718) 548-8200
www.riverdaley.org
Tickets: $18 ($9 for children)
Pre-show kosher-for-Passover dinner available at the Unleavened Cafe.

Musicians of Lenox Hill to Perform Chamber Music of Jewish Composers

On Monday, April 28 at 8 PM, the Musicians of Lenox Hill, under the artistic direction of Soo-Kyung Park, will perform Chamber Music of Jewish Composers at Temple Israel of the City of New York, 112 East 75th Street, New York City. The concert will feature six extraordinary musicians presenting familiar as well as new or rarely heard music by composers of Jewish faith or heritage. The program includes Three Nocturnes for Violin, Cello and Piano by Ernest Bloch, Duo for Flute and Piano by Aaron Copland, Gershwin s Preludes for Piano, Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, No. 1, Op. 49 by Felix Mendelssohn, Window for Viola and Piano by David Ludwig, Sonata for Cello and Harp, Op. 208 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Arrowhead for Flute, Viola and Harp by Eric Zeizl. The audience is invited to attend a dessert reception with the artists following the concert.

TICKET INFORMATION Tickets are $15 or $10 for seniors and students and will be available at the door. Members of Temple Israel and their accompanying guests are admitted free. To reserve tickets or for more information, call 917-834-5399, or send an email to musiciansoflenoxhill@gmail.com. Temple Israel of the City of New York is located at 112 East 75th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues, and can be easily reached on the 6 train (77th Street station). Parking is available in nearby garages. Featured performers include Jae-Kyuck Cho, piano, Judy Kang, violin, Andy Lin, viola, Alberto Parrini, cello, Soo-Kyung Park, flute and Jessica Zhou, harp. Each of these musicians, who met as students at The Juilliard School, are young rising stars who perform with major orchestras and ensembles around the world and have won many of the most prestigious music competitions. The concert, which is an annual event now in its 10th year, is a living tribute to the memory of Dr.Hyman Levy and his son, Jerrold Levy, made possible by a gift to Temple Israel by Mrs. Muriel Levy.

In endowing the annual concert, Mrs. Levy sought to promote the outstanding talents of the Musicians of Lenox Hill and to feature the work of a living Jewish composer. This year s featured composer is David Ludwig, whose arrangement of his work Window for Viola and Piano will be premiered at this event. Mr. Ludwig serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute. His Concertino was one of the top ten most frequently performed orchestral works by a living composer in 2007. The Philadelphia Inquirer has called his music "entrancing...promising to speak for the sorrows of this generation , and The New York Times praised his work for its expressive directness . Says Artistic Director Soo-Kyung Park I fell in love with every piece on this program. The number of great musicians and composers of Jewish faith or heritage is amazing, and I hope that adults as well as children of all faiths will attend to enjoy the wonderful artistic gifts these composers have given us. *****