MEDIA CONTACT: Terri Berns
561-297-1164, tberns@fau.edu

The Klezmer Company Breaks New Ground with Orchestral Klezmer Production "Jewish Broadway with Orchestra and Chorus" at FAU

BOCA RATON, FL (February 8, 2005) - Florida's innovative, critically acclaimed Klezmer ensemble and Florida Atlantic University Libraries' professional ensemble-in-residence, The Klezmer Company, directed by Aaron Kula, continues to break new musical ground by way of "Jewish Broadway with Orchestra and Chorus." The production is on the cutting edge of musical programming as it presents diverse sources of creative inspiration to celebrate the musical connections of Klezmer, orchestra, Broadway, Yiddish theater and choral traditions. The single performance will be on Sunday, March 6, at 3 p.m., at FAU's Performing Arts Auditorium, Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. Early ticket purchases are recommended.

This collaborative event will consist of over 70 Klezmer, orchestral and choral musicians and will feature the debut of the 50-voice FAU Libraries Judaica Choral Society with a string orchestra made up of principle players from major local ensembles. These include former members of the Florida Philharmonic as well as members of the Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, Palm Beach Opera and Florida Grand Opera.

The event is the eighth annual concert to benefit the FAU Libraries' Molly S. Fraiberg Judaica Collections. The majority of the music selected for the performance comes from the collections' Jewish music archives, with several songs on the program from Mrs. Fraiberg's own piano bench. Special Guest of Honor, Ms. Bess Myerson, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from FAU Libraries in recognition of her commitment and contributions to the international Jewish community. Popular FAU professor and intellectual humorist, Dr. Henry Abramson, will serve as host.

"Aaron Kula continues to expand the range and depth of the Klezmer Company concerts, adding new elements that challenge our comfort levels and enrich our understanding both of what Jewish music entails, and how it relates to music in general," said Dr. William Miller, director of FAU Libraries.

This program is a direct result of Kula's interdisciplinary career in music as an orchestral conductor, a Klezmer musician and a composer. The first half of the concert, "Klezmer on Broadway," features several new orchestral arrangements including a recently discovered 1927 edition of the Dybbuk Suite for Klezmer Orchestra by Joseph Engel and a Klezmer Hora by Saint Saens from Samson and Delilah. The chorus and soloist will sing a variety of selections in three languages: Yiddish, Hebrew and English. The second half of the concert, "Jewish Composers on Broadway," features music more in the American tradition with songs from Bernstein's Candide and West Side Story, a Broadway medley from musicals by Jewish composers, including Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Jerry Herman, Jerry Boch, Sondheim and Styne, and a Freylach based on music by Gustav Mahler.

"I believe the Jewish experience has always been best expressed by music, and Broadway has always been an integral part of the Jewish-American experience," said Kula. "The difference is that one can expand the definition of "Jewish Broadway" to include an interdisciplinary roadway with a wide range of artistic activities packed onto one avenue--theatre, opera, symphony, ballet, publishing companies, choirs, synagogues and more. This vibrant landscape reflects the life, times and creative output of the Jewish-American artist."

The Klezmer Company has a reputation for high-energy performances and eclectic programming of traditional and non-traditional music. The popular ensemble has performed before thousands at sold out concerts and has received critical acclaim for their innovative style. Maestro Kula arranges many of the original orchestrations for the performances--passionate in his approach to Klezmer music, creating productions that are culturally and musically innovative. His orchestrations and compositions combine swing, classical and folk traditions that form a hybrid of Jewish music influenced by American jazz, blues, Yiddish theater, Sephardic, Yemenite, Russian, Eastern European and Arabic music.

Kula joined the FAU faculty in 1997 and in the fall of 2003 was appointed Resident Scholar in Music at the FAU Wimberly Library, where his activities involve archiving, lecturing and performing. He has also served on the faculty at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he has been conducting orchestras since 1986. Kula served as principle guest conductor of the Boston Ballet from 1991-2003. He has been teaching, arranging and performing Jewish music for more than 28 years and as a conductor has toured nationally and internationally with renowned artists.

The Klezmer Company was founded in 1997 under the direction of Aaron Kula and includes a roster of distinguished musicians with classical, jazz and pop backgrounds. The band members are committed to entertaining audiences while being a part of an ensemble of the highest caliber that blends traditional Klezmer music with creative ideas and improvisation. The ensemble is composed of eight members, playing electric and acoustic violin, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, flügelhorn, trombone, bass, drums, ethnic percussion, piano and accordion. "A traditional Klezmer band is composed of solo-quality musicians. The Klezmer Company musicians represent some of the best players in the region," said Kula.

Members of the group include: Randi Fishenfeld, violinist; Dan Salmasian, saxophonist; Chaim Rubinov, on trumpet; Steve Sigmund, trombonist; Jacqueline De Los Santos, double bassist; Tony Lavender, drummer/percussionist; Michael Moses, ethnic percussionist; and Aaron Kula, on accordion and piano. These musicians have performed with nationally and internationally renowned artists such as: Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Dave Valentine, B.B. King, Clarence Clemons, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, the Bee Gees, Dionne Warrick, Natalie Cole, Arturo Sandoval, Peabo Bryson, Quincy Jones, Marvin Hamlisch, Nestor Torres, Tito Puente, Jr., David Sanchez, Melton Mustafa, Miguel Cruz, Andrea Bocelli, Neil Sedaka, Vikki Carr, The Moody Blues, Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, Randy Brecker, Burt Bacharach, Aaron Neville and Dion.

The concert will also feature the talented soloist Betty Silberman, an accomplished Yiddish and French vocalist from Montreal, Canada. She has performed internationally as a featured vocalist and theater actress and has recorded several CDs. Her credits include touring with Joel Grey's Broadway show "Borscht Capades," with return engagements at the Smithsonian Institution and, Montreal Jazz Festival. Betty also starred in Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in "Songs of Paradise." She resides in Sarasota, Florida.

Tickets for the concert range from $19-$31 with $36 premiere seating, which includes a special 2 p.m. pre-concert lecture. Group discounts are available. For tickets, call the FAU Performing Arts Auditorium Box office at 561.297.3737. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling at 561.966.3306. Visit www.fau.edu/student/univctr/arts.html.

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