Klezmas Eve w/Ken Ulansey Ensemble, Philadelphia, PA
KLEZMAS EVE + CANTONESE
WHAT'S A JEW TO DO ON CHRISTMAS EVE?
IN A TWIST ON THE USUAL CHINESE-AND-A-MOVIE, TEMPLE BETH ZION-BETH ISRAEL INVITES THE ENTIRE PHILADELPHIA JEWISH COMMUNITY TO A NIGHT OF MUSIC AND MOO SHU...
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) For years the age-old question of what do Jewish people do on Christmas Eve has been perennially answered with, "Chinese food and a movie." This year, however, Temple Beth Zion Beth Israel (BZBI) in Center City, Philadelphia is putting a new spin and twirl on the old stereotype when they present KLEZMAS EVE + CANTONESE – a FREE Klezmer Music Concert a (no reservations required) and a kosher Chinese dinner (paid reservations required by December 16th) for the entire Jewish Community of Philadelphia December 24th at the synagogue at 18th & Spruce Sts.
KLEZMAS EVE
The FREE Klezmer concert, performed by the KEN ULANSEY ENSEMBLE will showcase the eclectic and ethereal strains of Klezmer Music – a style of music that is inherently Jewish in nature. The concert begins at 8:00pm in the Goldberg Sanctuary at BZBI. "Music has the universal ability to connect people from diverse backgrounds and ideologies," said BZBI's Cantor Sharon Grainer. "We wanted to create an all-ages event that would be bring together the entire Jewish Community in the Greater Philadelphia region," she said.
CANTONESE
Prior to the concert (and not to completely disregard that "age-old question") BZBI will host a kosher (meat) Cantonese Chinese food buffet. The dinner, catered by Lin's Glatt Kosher Chinese in Cherry Hill, NJ, will begin at 6:00pm and require advance reservations and payment by December 16th. Tickets are $18.00 per adult and $10 for children 10 and under. Tickets and reservations may be made visiting the website at www.bzbi.org and clicking on the KLEZMAS EVE + CANTONESE logo on the home page, or by calling the synagogue office at 215.735.5148. Directions and parking information may also be found on the website.
KEN ULANSEY
Penn Council for the Arts award-winner Ken Ulansey is a musical chameleon. He has performed contemporary classical music with Relache; jazz with his own award-winning band, The Ken Ulansey Ensemble; Latin music with Synthesis and Minas; and folk music with leading national and local songwriters. Ulansey has toured extensively in Europe and the United States, played on nearly 200 recordings, and collaborated with dancers, filmmakers, poets and storytellers. www.kenumusic.com
WHAT IS KLEZMER MUSIC?
In his book, Joys of Yiddish, author Leo Rosten explains the word klezmer comes from two Hebrew words: kley and zemer – meaning vessel of music or song.
The idea is that an instrument like a violin or clarinet, (often associated with Klezmer music), takes on human characteristics like laughing and crying - with a joyous exuberance or a soulful wailing.
Originating in the shtetls or villages and ghettos of Eastern Europe, Klezmer is a folk musical tradition that Jewish immigrants brought with them to the United States in the 1880s. Klezmer musicians, often itinerant Jewish troubadours, known as 'Klezmorim', performed at joyful
events particularly weddings, since the early middle age till the nazi and Stalinian prosecutions. They played traditional music, folk songs, folk dances and solemn hymns before prayers. A typical group contained three to six musicians. Their music was played on trumpets, bugles, flutes, clarinets, fifes, violins, cellos and drums – combining musical styles of the surrounding cultures from Central and Eastern Europe. In some ways Klezmer music was similar to Jazz – infused and informed by improvisation, unique harmonizations and creative solos. The Klezmorim earned very little money and traveled from town to town seeking out opportunities to play. As characters, the shabby Klezmorim were familiar to all Ashkenazi Jews. They were regarded as drifters, odd types and itinerant minstrels. They were a recurrent theme in the paintings of Marc Chagall and Chaim Gross.
TEMPLE BETH ZION-BETH ISRAEL
As it becomes more challenging to sustain Jewish identity and religious practices in an increasingly homogeneous culture, it becomes more important to find relevant connections between Jewish faith and modern life. By emphasizing the ethical underpinnings of the Mitzvot and the practical applications of our traditional beliefs, Beth Zion-Beth Israel (BZBI) helps its congregants not just to have faith, but to live it every day.
Established in 1946, just after the Holocaust and prior to the founding of the State of Israel, BZBI has served the community around Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square for more than 60 years. Formed by the union of three congregations, BZBI has been at home in the striking Neo-Gothic synagogue on 18th Street since 1954. Today, under the leadership of Rabbi Ira F. Stone and Cantor Sharon Grainer, BZBI practices conservative Judaism with an egalitarian worship service, bringing Torah, T'Fillah (prayer), and Gimilut Hasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness) to life in a vibrant urban community. Of course all are welcome any time at BZBI. Our building, Sanctuary and Bimah are wheelchair accessible, and we have large text Siddurim and listening devices for the hearing impaired. For more information call 215.735.5148 or visit www.bzbi.org