Events | CUKE | Schedule | Join Us! | About Klezmer | Photos
Upcoming Events
Tuesday March 27 from 7-9 pm in 149 Lincoln Hall. Master Class
with visiting clarinetist and ethnomusicologist Joel Rubin. All are welcome!
Thursday March 29 from 8-10 pm in the One World Room (basement, Anabel
Taylor Hall). Concert and nigun sing-along with Rabbi
Eli Silberstein of Chabad, clarinetist Joel Rubin of the University of Virginia,
and the ensemble directed by Ryan Zawel.
About CUKE
CUKE was formed in January 2004 by Joel Rubin while he was a visiting scholar
at Cornell. We have so far focused on several genres, based on Dr. Rubin's research:
American klezmer from New York and Philadelphia of the 1910s and 1920s; the
repertoire of New York clarinetist Dave Tarras from the late 1930s to mid-1940s;
Russian (Ukraine/Belarus) klezmer from pre-revolutionary times; and, most recently,
nigunim (melodies of spiritual elevation) of the Lubavitcher Hasidim. Besides
our biannual concerts in Barnes Auditorium and participation in other public
events, we are available to play at parties, weddings, b'nai mitzvah, and receptions;
email Ilana to arrange performances.
The ensemble is now led by Ryan Zawel, trombonist and member of the Joel Rubin Jewish Music Ensemble. We will give four major concerts during 2006-2007, featuring guest musicians and folk dance.
CUKE is a student organization of Cornell University, open to students, staff, and community members. Student officers are Ilana Goldowitz (president), Aaron Bloomfield (vice president), and Matt Applegate (treasurer); the faculty advisor is Dave Schwartz.
Rehearsal Schedule
We rehearse Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 in 149 Lincoln Hall during the
academic year.
During the summer and Cornell breaks, we meet off campus at times to be determined; email Rima for information.
Please Join Us!
New members are always welcome. We currently have violin, cello, bassoon,
trombone, piano, bass, percussion and vocals. No prior experience with klezmer
is necessary. Whatever your musical background, classical, jazz, or pop, you
will find the non-western scales and harmonies of klezmer an exciting and fun
challenge. Contact Ilana if you would
like more information.
Past Events (2006)
November 12, Cornell: klezmer dance workshop with dance instructor
Steve Weintraub, co-sponsored with International
Folk Dance at Cornell.
September 7, Cornell: performance at the inauguration ceremony for Cornell President
Skorton.
April 30 Concert at Robert Purcell Union Multipurpose Room, Cornell.
April 5 Barnes Hall, Cornell: Yiddish songs and music, co-sponsored by Chabad
February 26 Nigun sing-along at the Chabad Lubavitch Center of Rochester
Past Events (2005)
December 11 Opening concert in "Chamber Music for the Neighborhood,"
Jackson Heights Jewish Center, Queens.
December 10 Performance at McGraw House, Ithaca.
December 1 Workshop on Hasidic songs in Yiddish
September 21 Concert at Barnes Hall, Cornell
August 24 Cornell Night on the Arts Quad.
April 28 Holocaust Memorial at SUNY Cortland
April 21 International Week celebration at Alice Cook House, Cornell
April 5 Master Class with clarinetist and ethnomusicologist Joel Rubin
April 2 Dance set at Temple Beth-El, following concert by Joel Rubin and Pete
Rushefsky
February 27 Engineering Diversity Dinner, Cornell
February 23 Concert at Barnes Hall, Cornell
February 15 Master Class with Joel Rubin, co-sponsored by the Cornell Yiddish
Club
Past Events (2004)
November 21 Concert at Danby Town Hall, part of monthly concert series.
November 11 Johnson Art Museum Multicultural Night
November 4 Boynton Middle School International Night
October 14 Daniel Pearl Day celebration at Alice Cook House, Cornell
What is Klezmer?
Klezmer was originally the ritual and celebratory music of the Yiddish-speaking
Jews of Eastern Europe, where it developed over the course of many centuries.
Brought to North America with the Jewish immigration wave from Russia and other
Eastern European countries during the period 1881-1924, a modern klezmer tradition
developed in the urban centers, particularly in New York City, although it subsequently
went into a decline due to the forces of acculturation and assimilation. Since
the 1970s, a dynamic revival of this tradition has been taking place. It has
since become one of the most visible transnational music and culture movements
involving thousands of participants on five continents. The recent popularity
of klezmer music has brought it far from its roots in medieval minstrelsy and
Jewish ritual and into the sphere of mainstream culture, reaching as far as
"Sex and the City." It has inspired parallel developments in jazz/improvised
music, such as the Radical Jewish Culture movement in New York’s Downtown
Scene, as well as spawning a new genre of klezmer-influenced art music compositions
by composers such as Golijov and Schoenfield. For more information and links,
see Joel Rubin's web site.
 Inauguration 9/7/06 (Lindsay France/University Photography) |
 Inauguration 9/7/06 (from video clip) |
 Inauguration 9/7/06 (from video clip) |
 CUKE with Joel Rubin at Danby Town Hall, 11/21/04 |
Updated
March 12, 2007
