Klezmer in Charlottesville, VA

internationally acclaimed clarinetist Joel Rubin and tsimbalist Pete Rushefsky will be offering a rare evening of klezmer and hasidic duets Tues., Jan. 29, 2008, 7:00 pm, at the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville.

The duo will perform Eastern European Jewish instrumental klezmer music and hasidic nigunim (religious melodies of spiritual elevation), including material from Midnight Prayer, recorded in Budapest with the 8-piece international Joel Rubin Jewish Music Ensemble for the New York label, Traditional Crossroads (2007), the forthcoming Nign of Reb Mendel Futterfass, and other projects.

For more information, see http://www.gravity-lounge.com/

Ocala Cantorial Concert: Israel at 60 Melodies of Milk & Honey

The Fourth Annual Cantorial Concert is being held in Ocala, Florida. This year's exciting theme, "Israel at 60: Melodies of Milk & Honey," is part of a world-wide, year long celebration of Israel's 60th birthday. Presented by Temple Beth Shalom and starring Cantor/Rabbi Samuel Dov Berman, this community wide concert will be held at 4:00 pm on Sunday, March 9, 2008, at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 NE Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala.
,br /> This unforgettable musical event to benefit the programs and activities of Temple Beth Shalom, will highlight 60 years of Israel's musical gems. Featured performers include guest cantors & cantorial vocalists, Cantor Harold Orbach of Detroit, Cantor Deborah Jacobson and Joy Katzen-Guthrie, both of Palm Harbor, Dale Berman of Ocala and Steve Berman of Los Vegas and more special guests.

Tickets donations are $25 general admission, $22 seniors and may be purchased by calling Gary Green 352.347-2481. Preferred seating options include: "soprano" benefactor $310, 4 tickets; "tenor" patron $160, 2 tickets; "baritone" supporter" $85, 1 ticket. Donor, Greetings & ads opportunites are available by calling Steve Lande at 352.854-2747. http://www.jewishocala.org/

John Zorn and the Future of Jewish Music Lecture

The Judaica Sound Archives at Florida Atlantic University's S.E. Wimberly Library on the Boca Raton campus, invites you to join librarian Daniel Scheide, who will present a lecture titled "John Zorn and the Future of Jewish Music," on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 from 7 to 8 p.m.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 29, 2007, from 7 to 8 p.m.

WHERE: Paul C. Wimbish Wing of the S.E. Wimberly Library
Mildred & Abner Levine and Ruth & Saul Weinberger Jewish Life Center
Hillel Golden Pavilion
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431

COST:*Free and open to the public
CONTACT: Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries at 561-297-0080

World Premiere of Symphony 1 by Meira Warshauer in South Carolina

World Premiere Performance of Meira Warshauer Symphony No. 1 Living, Breathing Earth by South Carolina Philharmonic on March 24

The World Premiere performance of Meira Warshauer’s Symphony No. 1 – “Living, Breathing Earth” will be given by the South Carolina Philharmonic, Nicholas Smith, Music Director, at 7 PM on Saturday, March 24, 2007 as part of their Master Series 7 concert at the Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene Street in Columbia, South Carolina.

Tickets for the March 24 concert are $40, $32, $23, $16 and $13. For tickets and more concert information, please call the South Carolina Philharmonic box office at 803-254-7445 or visit them online at http://www.scphilharmonic.com/buynow.html.

This new work, commissioned by the South Carolina Philharmonic, Western Piedmont Symphony of North Carolina, and the Dayton Philharmonic of Ohio (their Premiere performances will be given on April 26 and 28), has been described by the composer: “the title, Living, Breathing Earth, came to me in contemplating the image of the rainforests as lungs of the earth. I felt our planet, alive with all variety of creatures and plants living in symbiosis with each other, breathing in and out, and the planet as a whole, pulsing with breath.” You can read Carson Cooman’s Music & Vision Daily interview with the composer about the new work at http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2007/01/meira-warshauer.htm.

Other works on the program include William Walton’s Façade, Sally Smith, Narrator and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Marina Lomazov, pianist.

Founded 42 years ago, the South Carolina Philharmonic has become one of the leading orchestras in the southeast. The South Carolina Philharmonic's mission is to continue providing quality symphonic music for their audiences, broaden public awareness and enjoyment of symphonic music, expand educational music programs for elementary, middle and high school students, support their Youth Orchestra program that serves more than 200 young instrumentalists and collaborate with other local arts groups to reach a more diverse audience. Maestro Nicholas Smith has been in charge of orchestras and opera companies for more than thirty years on both sides of the Atlantic. He has conducted orchestras in a dozen countries, making him adept at communicating with few words. Many concerts have been broadcast on radio and television and he has recorded CDs with Finnish, British and Czech orchestras. Much more about him and the orchestra at http://www.scphilharmonic.com/. For a list of season sponsors, visit http://www.scphilharmonic.com/sponsors.html.

Meira Warshauer’s compositions have been performed and recorded to critical acclaim throughout the United States and in Israel, Europe, and Asia. A graduate of Harvard, New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of South Carolina, Dr. Warshauer studied composition with Mario Davidovsky, Jacob Druckman, William Thomas McKinley, and Gordon Goodwin. She has received numerous awards from ASCAP as well as the America Music Center, Meet the Composer, and the South Carolina Arts Commission. In 2000, she received the first Art and Cultural Achievement Award from the Jewish Historical Society of S. Carolina.

Dr. Warshauer is a Visiting Lecturer at Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina . Her CDs include the soundtrack to the documentary Land of Promise: The Jews of South Carolina and Spirals of Light, chamber music and poetry (by Ani Tuzman) on themes of enlightenment, on the Kol Meira label and "Revelation" for orchestra, included on the MMC CD Robert Black Conducts. Her music is published by Oxford University Press, MMB Music, World Music Press and Kol Meira Publications. Her latest Bracha Newsletter, containing full program notes for Symphony No. 1, is online at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/jan07/MW_nws_010907.htm. You can find much more about her at http://home.sc.rr.com/meirawarshauer/.

Meira Warshauer Symphony No. 1 World Premiere

World Premiere Performance of Meira Warshauer Symphony No. 1 Living, Breathing Earth by Western Piedmont Symphony of North Carolina was a great success. The two other orchestras who helped commission the work will have first performances in March and April.
The Symphony was commissioned by the Western Piedmont Symphony, the South Carolina Philharmonic (their Premiere performance will be on March 24 - http://scphilharmonic.com/) and the Dayton Philharmonic (their Premiere performances will be given on April 26 and 28 - http://www.daytonphilharmonic.com/).

You can find much more about Meira Warshauer at http://home.sc.rr.com/meirawarshauer/.
The greatly successful World Premiere performance of Meira Warshauer’s Symphony No. 1 – “Living, Breathing Earth” was given by the Western Piedmont Symphony, John Gordon Ross, Conductor, on Saturday, February 3, 2007 as part of their Masterworks III concert at the First Baptist Church in Hickory, North Carolina.

Classical Voice North Carolina’s review of the premiere performance included this paragraph, “In the first movement, nature could not provide better sound effects of the cicadas, the orchestra buzzing and chirping throughout. The second movement recalls a nighttime canoe ride in the Peruvian rainforest, with the sparkling reflections of stars and fireflies in the dark, still water. This section is so gorgeous and emotional that it could bring tears to one's eyes. The third depicts the playful dance of the butterflies and sunlight at the river's edge. The fourth movement takes us into space, where we look onto the living, breathing, pulsating earth and its many changing colors.” The review also praised the Western Piedmont Symphony’s performance and concluded with, “"Living, Breathing Earth" deserves to be heard many, many more times, not only for its message that life on earth is in danger, and that we must be good stewards of the environment, but because it is such beautiful music.” Read the complete review at http://cvnc.org/reviews/2007/022007/WPiedmontS.html

Her latest Bracha Newsletter, containing full program notes for Symphony No. 1, is online at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/jan07/MW_nws_010907.htm You can also read Carson Cooman’s marvelous Three Questions Before the First Night interview in England’s Music & Vision daily at http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2007/01/meira-warshauer.htm.

Inaugural New Orleans International Jewish Music Festival

April 1 and April 2. Mark those dates on your calendars. Maybe even book a flight to New Orleans to attend the event! Out of towner tickets are only $50 for the entire two days. The first ever New Orleans International Jewish Music Festival is happening in only a few short weeks. And it's going to be a great line up: Neshama Carlebach, Rebbe Soul, Moshav Band, Sam Glasser, The New Orlenas Klezmer All Stars and much more. To learn all about it, read this flyer: http://www.hiddurmitzvah.org/neworleans/media/pressrelease.pdf Come support the Jewish community of New Orleans and at the same time bring some great music back to the city.

Varshavsky-Shapiro Piano Duo win Second Place in Miami

Israelis Stanislava Varshavsky and Diana Shapiro won Second place in Dec, 2005, at the 10th Dranoff International Two Piano Competition, held in Miami, Florida. Competing against the top piano duos in the world, the Israelis finished second with the pianists from Japan, Kuni Seo and Shin-ichiro Kato finishing first place Gold Medal. The Murray Dranoff Foundation was created in 1987 by Loretta Dranoff as a tribute to her late husband with whom she performed as an internationally recognized two piano team. The second prize, the Silver Medal comes with a $15,000 award. Another Israeli, Michael Tsalka from Tel Aviv finished 9th place with partner Katarzyna Marzec-Salwinski from Krakow, Poland.

Varshavski and Shapiro started playing together as a duo in 1998. In 2004 they won The Grand Prize at the 15th Piano Competition in Rome for duo piano and 1st prize for piano four hands. In 2004 they also won the first prize at the “Kol HaMusica” Young Artists Competition in Jerusalem. Between 1999 and 2003 they have won prizes in the Czech Republic, Miami, Jerusalem, Munich and Poland. The duo currently live in Cambridge, MA and study at the Longy School of Music in the class of American pianist Victor Rosenbaum. They maintain a website at http://www.piano-4-hands.com/

Miriam Sandler Sings for Girls in Boca

Miriam Sandler will be performing at the Boca Raton Synagogue on Sunday, January 8, 2006 at 1pm. Concert is for women and girls only. Boca Raton Synagogue address is: 7900 Montoya Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33433. Miriam Sandler is an orthodox singer. She has a website at miriamsandler.com where you can sample some of her music.

Shalom South Florida on Radio

Shalom South Florida - Since 1986, Jewish radio host, RONI, has been playing today's Jewish music with a taste of the past. "Shalom South Florida" is heard live every Sunday morning, from 9:00-10:00 AM, throughout South Florida on WLVJ (1040-AM). www.shalomsouthflorida.com.

Southern Jewish Composers

On Monday, March 7th at 7 p.m., Meira Warshauer�s "Spirals of Light" for flute, cello and piano, will be presented in concert Jewish Museum of Florida, 301 Washington Avenue, in Miami Beach. This concert will feature music by Southern Jewish composers and will be performed by an ensemble including pianist Harold Lewin, flutist Elissa Lakofsky and cellist Javier Arias. Also featured in the program will be Judith Shatin's "Janus Quartet", Stephen Dankner's "Trio for clarinet, cello and piano"; and Fredrick Kaufman's "Catalan Concertante for String Quartet." Audiences will be able to meet the composers and have a conversation after the concert. For contact information call 305-672-5044 or visit the Jewish Museum website at jewish museum Meira Warshauer is an Associate Music faculty at Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina. Her music has been performed and recorded throughout the US, Israel, Europe and Asia. She has received numerous awards from ASCAP, the America Music Center, Meet the Composer and the South Carolina Arts Commission. Stephen Dankner has composed over sixty works, including seven sympoinies, seven string quartets, five concerti, three major song cycles, sonatas, trios and a host of film scores and solo piano music. Dankner has been commissioned by major symphonys and is on the faculty of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.
Fredrick Kaufman is a composer of over 100 published compositions that have been performed in Europe, Israel and the US. His ballets have been danced by many international groups. He is former Director of the School of Music at Florida International University where he is currently Artist-in-Residence.
Judith Shatin is a composer whose music combines digital and acoustic media. She has composed for numerous acoustic ensembles, and dance pieces. She has received four National Endowment of the Arts fellowships, as well as numerous awards from US and foreign cities. She has been commissioned from many groups, including chamber and symphonies and has many recordings out. She is Professor and Director of the Viginia Center for Computer Music at the University of Virginia.

Duo 46 at Florida State University

Guitarist Matt Gould and violinist Beth Ilana Schneider, Duo 46 will be part of the annual Festival "7 Days of Opening Nights" at Florida State University Feb. 21-24. Highlights for this concert include the U.S. premieres of Jorge Liderman's Aires de Sefarad, a work comprised of 46 variations for violina nd guitar based on Sephardic music Spain, and Makam, a work influenced by traditional Turkish music by Karl Korte. The concert will take place at the Opperman Music Hall at Florida State University, Feb. 23 at 8pm. For information call 850-644-4774 or visit FSU at www.music.fsu.edu. For information about the artists and composers, vist Duo46 www.duo46.com

Meira Warshauer�s �We Are Dreamers�

Music by Meira Warshauer Featured in South Carolina Symphonic Chorale Concert on May 16 Meira Warshauer�s �We Are Dreamers� will be featured in a special concert, �Home Sweet Carolina�, presented by the South Carolina Symphonic Chorale, Timothy Koch, Music Director and Conductor, on Sunday, May 16, 2004, 3 PM at Washington Street Methodist Church, 1401 Washington Street, Columbia South Carolina. Tickets for the May 16 concert are $10, $8(seniors) and $6(children). For reservations and more concert information, please call the CCS at (803) 933-9060.

This concert will present sacred and secular choral music of four of the Carolina�s finest composers, including Dan Locklair of Winston-Salem, N.C., Ms. Warshauer of Columbia, S.C., Trevor Weston of Charleston, S.C. and Larry Shackley of Columbia. The South Carolina Symphonic Chorale, formerly the Columbia Choral Society, is a nonprofit organization that performs a variety of concert material, from Broadway Favorites to the Brahms Requiem and their "Messiah" sing-a-long. Learn more about them at their website - http://www.geocities.com/columbiachoral/. Meira Warshauer�s �We Are Dreamers�, for SATB chorus, clarinet, percussion and piano, was commissioned in honor of the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel. The text is Psalm 126, whose theme is the return of exiles to Zion. This psalm, sung after festive meals on Sabbath and holidays, has sustained generations of Jews in exile. The work was commissioned by a consortium of Jewish choral ensembles led by Zamir Chorale of Boston, along with the Rottenberg Chorale of New York; Gratz College Choir of Pennsylvania; Zemer Chai of Washington, DC; and Kol Dodi of New Jersey. The melodies, from Yemen, Morocco, and Greece/Salonika were found at the National Sound Archives of the Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem, Israel. Ms. Warshauer�s compositions have been performed and recorded to critical acclaim throughout the United States and in Israel, Europe, and Asia. A graduate of Harvard, New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of South Carolina, Dr. Warshauer studied composition with Mario Davidovsky, Jacob Druckman, William Thomas McKinley, and Gordon Goodwin. She has received numerous awards from ASCAP as well as the America Music Center, Meet the Composer, and the South Carolina Arts Commission. In 2000, she received the first Art and Cultural Achievement Award from the Jewish Historical Society of S. Carolina. Ms. Warshauer is an Associate Music Faculty member at Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina. Her CDs include the soundtrack to the documentary �Land of Promise: The Jews of South Carolina� and "Spirals of Light", chamber music and poetry (by Ani Tuzman) on themes of enlightenment, on the Kol Meira label and "Revelation" for orchestra, included on the MMC CD �Robert Black Conducts�. Her music is published by Oxford University Press, MMB Music and Transcontinental. Her latest Bracha Newsletter is online at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/march04/MW_nws_030904.htm. You can find much more about her at - http://home.sc.rr.com/meirawarshauer/ For more information about Meira Warshauer, please contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-797-9166 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.

The Chassidic Jazz Project

The Chassidic Jazz Project will be having their season finale. Performance features Carlos Averhoff, Tom Lippincott, Debbie Spring, Barbara Corcillo, Dave Wertman and Reuben Hoch.
Sunday May 2, 2004, 2-4pm
Live at Greynolds Park
Mosaic Music Series
17530 W. Dixie Hwy.
North Miami Beach
305 480-1717/ 305 755-5455
Admission is Free
www.chassidicjazz.com

Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys

Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys
Sunday, May 2 3pm Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, 37-06 77th St. Jackson Heights, NY 718-429-1150

Thursday, May 6 Benefit concert for The Dwelling Place, Homeless shelter in Norfolk VA with Tim O'Brien. www.thedwellingplaceva.org

Friday, May 7 The Prism Coffehouse, 214 Rugby Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903, (434) 97-PRISM www.theprism.org

Saturday, May 15 8 pm The Arden Club, 2126 The Highway, Arden, DE. Tickets and information: (302) 475-3126 www.ardenclub.com/concerts.htm

Sunday, May 30 6 & 7:30pm Satalla, 37 West 26th St. (6th/Broadway)NYC, 212.576.1155 www.Satalla.com

"Ketubah" at the Houston Ballet

The San Francisco-based choreographer, Julia Adam, has created a ballet entitled "Ketubah" for the Houston Ballet which will have its world premiere tonight, February 26th at the Wortham Center in Houston. For more info...

Included are a mikvah scene and a joyous wedding celebration. The music is performed by "The Best Little Klezmer Band in Texas", led by violinist/vocalist Marcia Sterling. Isabelle Ganz is featured vocalist for a Russian song during the Mikvah scene. Performances are February 26, 28, 29 and March 5,6, & 7.
http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/cef/wortham/boxoffice.htm

Boca Raton Jewish Music Festival

The Boca Raton Jewish Music Festival will take place on January 31, 2004 at the FAU University Center Auditorium at 7:30pm

Tickets for the Boca Raton Jewish Music Festival are on sale at the FAU box office, 561-297-3737. For information about the show contact Irv Rosenthal 561-347-2242 (not for the general public, please)
There will be three bands, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, Golem and Soulfarm performing during a three hour show. This program is being present to the community by Congregation Beth Tikvah of West Boca Raton, 561-852-6555. Ticket prices range from $18 - $50 with a limited number of VIP tickets which include an after show desert reception with the artists.