Events | CUKE | Schedule | Join Us! | About Klezmer | Photos
Upcoming Events
November 8 2009, 1:30 pm Sunday, the Johnson Art Museum.
Concert with a new work by saxophonist/composer Keir Neuringer, commissioned
for us.
May 2, 2010. Concert at Temple Beth El (downtown Ithaca) with
guest clarinetist Joel Rubin. Check for more details as the date approaches.
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, more recently,
nigunim (melodies of spiritual elevation) of the Lubavitcher Hasidim.
The ensemble is now led by Ryan Zawel, trombonist and member of the Joel Rubin Jewish Music Ensemble. We will give two major concerts during 2009-2010, featuring guest musicians and composers.
CUKE is a student organization of Cornell University, open to students, staff, and community members. Student officers are Fiona Dooley (president), Ramya Tadipatri (vice president), Sara Lasage (treasurer), and Adam Shapiro (publicity officer); the faculty advisor is Lauren Monroe.
Rehearsal Schedule
We rehearse Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 in B21 Lincoln Hall during the
academic year.
During the summer and Cornell breaks, we meet off campus at times to be determined; email Ryan for information.
Please Join Us!
New members are always welcome. We currently have violins, clarinets,
cello, trombone, piano, flutes, saxophone, cornet, mandolin, voice, and percussion.
No prior experience with klezmer is necessary. Whether your musical background
is classical, jazz, or rock, you will find the non-western scales and harmonies
of klezmer an exciting and fun challenge. Contact Ryan
for more information.
Past Events (2009)
October 28 2009: Dinner Music at Bethe House
September 20, 2009: Judy's Day at Cornell Plantations. Outdoor
concert and teaching the Hasidic Bottle Dance. Guest artist: Keir Neuringer
April 29, 2009: Music for Bethe House Dinner. Guest violinist Joseph Prusch.
April 14, 2009: Music for Mediterranean Dinner at Bethe House
April 7, 2009: Opened for Adonai and I at Castaways
March 26, 2009: Gala Concert at Temple Beth-El, Ithaca, with guest artists Frank
London, trumpeter from the Klezmatics, and C.J. Glass, guitarist.
March 10, 2009: Provided music for Purim party at Chabad House of Ithaca. (Guest
artist Ryan Zawel)
Past Events (2008)
September 17, 2008: Dinner Music at Bethe House
November 16, 2008: Concert at Johnson Art Museum (Guest artist Ryan Zawel)
October 15, 2008: Concert at Kendal at Ithaca: Guest artist: Allen Lutins
April 24, 2008: Concert of Yiddish Nigunim with Rabbi Eli Silberstein at Willard
Straight Memorial Room
April 9, 2008: Music for Bethe House Dinner. Guest artist dance teacher Melissa
Kacalanos
March 30, 2008: Concert at Barnes Hall, with guest guitarist/vocalist C.J. Glass
and accordionist Bob Alexander
Feb 9, 2008: Concert at McGraw House with guest accordionist Bob Alexander
Past Events (2007)
November 27, 2007: Concert at Kendal at Ithaca
November 18, 2007: Concert at Johnson Art Museum with Cornell Middle Eastern
and Mediterranean Music Ensemble, and guest artist master clarinetist Joel Rubin.
November 7, 2007: Music for Bethe House Dinner
April 19, 2007: World Music Night, Ho Plaza at Cornell. CUKE was featured along
with the Cornell Steel Bands and the CU World Drum and Dance Ensemble.
March 29, Cornell: concert of nigunim (Yiddish songs) with Rabbi Eli Silberstein
and visiting clarinetist Joel Rubin.
March 27, Cornell: master class with visiting clarinetist and ethnomusicologist
Joel Rubin.
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 CU publicity video clip) |
 Inauguration 9/7/06 (from CU publicity video clip) |
 CUKE with Joel Rubin at Danby Town Hall, 11/21/04 |
Updated
November 10, 2009
