KLEZMER, AMERICAN MUSIC

Taught by Seth Kibel
Tuesdays 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
6 Sessions, September 1 – October 13 (No class on September 15)
Registration deadline: August 29
$169 ($149 for JxJ Donors of certain levels*)

Klezmer, which literally means “tool of song” in Yiddish, is the secular folk music of the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. In the first decades of the 1900s, this music flourished not only in the Old World but also in the New, in the immigrant community of New York City. There, the sounds of the European “fiddler on the roof” mixed with the sounds of early jazz and Tin Pan Alley. The result was a quintessentially American sound.

This course traces the history and evolution of this music, from the Old World to the New, up until the present day and the modern klezmer revival. Audio, video, and “live” performances from the instructor will make this program as exciting as the music itself.  This is an appreciation class, designed for non-musicians and musicians alike!

Teacher: Winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards, Seth Kibel is a highly acclaimed clarinet, saxophone, and flute player (The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux). Kibel also lectures on music history at Johns Hopkins and Towson Universities.