Events | CUKE | Schedule | Join Us! | About Klezmer | Photos

Upcoming Events
November 18-20: Yiddish Dance Weekend with dance instructor Steve Weintraub. Watch for details...

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 2011-2012, featuring guest musicians and a dance instructor.

CUKE is a student organization of Cornell University, open to students, staff, and community members. Student officers are Lillian Aoki (president), Noah Kantros (vice president), Sara Lasage (treasurer), and Trevor Ertel (secretary); 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, tuba, flutes, saxophone, mandolin, and voice. 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 (2011)
November 2011: Provided music for the 75th anniversary celebration of Purity Ice Cream.
September 2011: Provided music for the Theatre Arts Department performances of Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard.
April 10, 2011: Concert with Chai Notes vocal ensemble.
March 20, 2011: Chabad Purim celebration.
Past Events (2010)
October 20, 2010: Concert at Kendal House, with special guest Max Buckholtz leading us in Jewish tunes of Moldavia.
June 9 2010: Kiplinger Theater (Schwartz Center, Cornell). Concert of CUKE, the Temple Rockers, and special guests.
May 2, 2010: Concert at Temple Beth-El with guest clarinetist Joel Rubin and nigun singer Rabbi Eli Silberstein
April 4, 2010: Joint concert with the Chinese Music Ensemble, playing new works composed by Keir Neuringer for the two groups.
March 28, 2010: Music for Purim party at Chabad House of Ithaca.
Past Events (2009)
November 8 2009: Johnson Art Museum. Concert with a new work by saxophonist/composer Keir Neuringer, commissioned for us.
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.

Photos

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 8, 2011