KLEZKANADA PRESENTS
Der Groyser Kontsert: A Tribute to Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
FEATURING
THE KLEZMATICS (New York)
JOSH DOLGIN/AKA SOCALLED (Montreal) THE TARRAS BAND (New York)
SHURA LIPOVSKY (The Netherlands) EFIM CHORNEY & SUZANNE GHERGUS (Moldova)
MC: MICHAEL WEX (Toronto)
Sunday, August 23 at 7:30 pm Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, Montreal
For Immediate Release, July 23, 2015, Montreal, QC . KlezKanada presents Der Groyser Kontsert – A Tribute to Theodore Bikel on Sunday, August 23 at 7:30 pm at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in Montreal. A masterful performer, singer, actor, raconteur and author, Mr. Bikel died in Los Angeles on July 21st at the age of 91. The concert will celebrate his life and career, presenting the most highly acclaimed musicians on the international Jewish music scene.
Born in May of 1924, the legendary Theodore Bikel led a unique career spanning over seven decades. An Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner, he is perhaps best known as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, a role he performed on stage over 2,000 times. As a folksinger and storyteller he recorded over 30 albums and captivated audiences on virtually every continent. A true Renaissance Man, he viewed his work and life in terms of survival, saying, “You must explore your roots in the past in order to pinpoint your place in the present or to be entitled to a future.” KlezKanada founder and Board Chairman Hy Goldman says “Endlessly inspired by his life and work, and his kindness and generosity of spirit, we are honoured that Theodore Bikel considered himself part of the KlezKanada family. It is appropriate that the Groyser Kontsert benefit the KlezKanada Scholarship Fund.”
The extraordinary, one night only, line up includes Grammy award-winning klezmer supergroup The Klezmatics; Montreal’s own Yiddish hip-hop sensation Josh Dolgin (aka Socalled); New York’s finest post-war klezmer tribute band The Tarras Band; the golden-voiced Shura Lipovsky from The Netherlands; pioneers of the post-Soviet klezmer renaissance, Efim Chorney and Suzanne Ghergus of Moldova; and Yiddish author and bon vivantMichael Wex as MC.
KlezKanada was founded in 1996 to teach, nurture and present to a broad public the best of Jewish traditional arts and culture. With Artistic Director Frank London, KlezKanada is one of the leading Jewish cultural organizations in the world. “A place of learning, a place of teaching, a place of listening, of playing, of singing, of giving and receiving – that is what KlezKanada has come to mean to me. More important, it is a place of Yiddish song, poetry, and humor and a place of unforced Yiddishkayt. KlezKanada may be only one week out of the year but one takes away from it a sense of belonging, a sense of family with a song that lasts through winter and spring.” – Theodore Bikel
Der Groyser Kontsert – A Tribute to Theodore Bikel
Sunday, August 23 at 7:30 pm
Oscar Peterson Hall 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC
TICKETS: $50 orchestra and balcony / $36 mezzanine + taxes; service charges may apply
Available through Admission.com at 1-855-790-1245; or at the door
