THE NEW KLEZMER QUINTET TO FIDDLE UNDER THE ROOF ON MARCH 9

There will be some bodacious fiddling and music making under the roof at Mishkan Torah on Saturday night, March 9, 2013 at 7:30 in the evening. On that night, the legendary New Klezmer Quintet will be coming to Mishkan Torah for a rare one night only appearance to celebrate Mishkan Torah’s paying off the mortgage taken out approximately five years ago to repair the then-leaky roof. Thereis no better way to celebrate such a joyous occasion in traditional Jewish style than with Klezmer, thedistinctive Jewish soul music of Eastern Europe.

The March 9 festivity will mark the New Klezmer Quintet’s first appearance at Mishkan Torah since October 22, 2011 when it performed at a special gala concert. The band is the inevitable choice to celebrate paying off the roof. The same New Klezmer Quintet literally raised the roof in 2007, when it played before a sold-out, enthusiastic house to help raise funds to replace the Synagogue’s then-leakingroof. This wonderful concert marks the completion of the roof financing project the New KlezmerQuintet was so instrumental in beginning in 2007

The concert will feature traditional Klezmer, Israeli ballads, and “Jewgrass.” “Jewgrass” is theband’s unique signature genre of music. “Jewgrass” takes the vocabulary of two traditions, Klezmer andBluegrass, and fuses them to create a unique sound which has audiences tapping along and cheering.

The band has several important familial ties to Mishkan Torah and Greenbelt. Founding member and drummer Brian Choper is the son of long-time Greenbelt residents and Mishkan Torah members Jordan and Eva Choper. Renowned violinist Alan Oresky, the son of beloved Mishkan Torah members of blessed memory Seymour and Estelle Oresky and the brother of Mishkan Torah member Saul Oresky, will be displaying his violin magic with the band, with emphasis on “Jewgrass”, a term he helped coin.The New Klezmer Quintet will also feature the celebrated and well-known clarinet wizardry of Fred Jacobowitz. You may hear samples of the band’s work from its website.  Just see the “Bands” tab at the top and click on “New Klezmer Quintet.”

The concert is expected to be a complete sell out, including many people from the community who are devotees of the band and its unique brand of music. Therefore, you are urged to avoiddisappointment and order your tickets in advance without further delay! Tickets are on sale at a priceof $25 per ticket if purchased in advance, and $28 in the unlikely event any seats will be available at thedoor, with a special price for teen-agers and children of $15. Tickets may be ordered and donations accepted directlyfrom the Synagogue or online at Mishkan Torah’s website.