Purdue Arts and Entertainment
Purdue Arts and Entertainment
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August 28, 1998
Purdue Jewish Studies presents 'What Is Klezmer?'NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Interviews with the members of the Lafayette Klezmorim may be arranged by contacting Michael Forman at (765) 494-1735, (765) 494-8114 or (765) 743-2559. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A free multimedia exploration of the various styles making up klezmer music will be presented Tuesday, Sept. 15, on the Purdue University campus. "What Is Klezmer?" will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. The performance will be presented by the Lafayette Klezmorim, and is sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program with assistance from the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and Purdue Convocations. Klezmer music dates back to the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe, when bands of itinerant Jewish musicians performed at festivals and weddings. The musicians melded the songs of the peoples they visited with traditional Jewish music. The resulting melodies incorporate musical styles from Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Spain and America. The performance will include traditional Jewish wedding music complete with lively dances, and a collection of Yiddish favorites and theater tunes. The Lafayette Klezmorim consists of Michael Forman on flute; Hershel Krushen on violin; Herb Moskowitz providing rhythm; Alan Niezabitowski on string bass; Cyrelle Simon on piano; Neil Zimmerman on clarinet; and Linda Forman providing sound and graphics.
The Lafayette Klezmorim has been performing around the Midwest since the early 1980s.
There are over 200 Klezmer groups currently around the world.
Brass ensemble fires up Convocations seriesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Burning River Brass will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, in Loeb Playhouse in Purdue University's Stewart Center. The 12-member ensemble based in Cleveland, Ohio, takes its name from Cleveland's infamous Cuyahoga River fire on June 22, 1969.The performance, presented by Purdue Convocations & Lectures, is the kickoff event of the 1998-99 Loeb Music Collection Series and will feature music by composers William Bird, John Bull, Guiseppe Verdi and Georges Bizet. Launched in 1996, Burning River Brass has garnered praise for its virtuosity and maturity. The Cleveland Plain Dealer described the group's music as "mellifluous, clear and colorful, without a hint of the forced quality apparent in too much of American brass playing. The musicians breathed and sang as if they had been collaborating for years." The ensemble members include Ryan Anthony, David Duro, Geoffrey Hardcastle and Heather Zweifel, trumpet; David Brockett and Bruce Hudson, horn; Andrew Hicks, trombone and bass trombone; David Mitchell and Hans Bohn, trombone; Craig Knox, tuba; and Feza Zweifel, timpani and percussion. Heather and Feza Zweifel started the ensemble to create an opportunity for their free-lancing brass musician friends to play together. Most brass ensembles are quartets or quintets, but Burning River started with 12 members and may increase its size in the future. Heather Zweifel remarked that the larger size made for a more diverse repertoire and a fuller sound. Upcoming tour dates include performances in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and New York. Members' performing credits include some of the nation's foremost orchestras, including Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Honolulu Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony. The ensemble has just signed to produce its first compact disc recording with Dorian Records.
Tickets for the Convocations concert are $12 for the public and $9 for Purdue students
at campus box offices, or by phone at (765) 494-3933 or 1-800-914-SHOW. The Convocations
Web site has more information about upcoming performances.
Compiled by J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; e-mail, mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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