News Highlights Showcasing Vibrant Jewish Music Traditions
Hebrew College hosts Soul Sounds spring concert series
Greater Boston is home to some of the most dynamic and soulful Jewish musicians. They come from varied Jewish traditions and musical backgrounds, creating in the prayer space as well as in concert halls and clubs around the world. This spring, Hebrew College will welcome four such ensembles to the Musicant Center for Performing Arts, each rooted in old sounds, and interpreting and improvising in new ways.
“I want to explicitly blur the lines between concert and prayer space,” says Hebrew College Artist-in-Residence and Rosh Tefilla Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer ‘14 (right), who created the series.
Over March, April, May, and June, the Soul Sounds series will showcase four distinct performances, each offering a unique Jewish musical language.
In March, audiences will be treated to spiritual Jewish melodies passed down through generations, lovingly presented by Hankus Netsky (right) and Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer, who draw from the repertoire of Morris Hollender z”l, a survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp who eventually traveled to Boston, where his position as Ba’al Tefile of Temple Beth Israel in Waltham made him a steward of Eastern European Jewish musical culture. Read more and purchase tickets here.
In April, Yoni Battat, Anat Halevy Hochberg, and Jessica Kate Meyer, excavate the power and beauty of Mizrahi Jewish expression through ancient poetry and song. They will invite listeners into the lush sounds of piyyutim from Pesah and the Song of Songs.
Read more and purchase tickets here.
In May, Jerusalem-born guitarist and composer Ira Klein will captivate audiences with an innovative performance inspired by the mysterious 13th-century Catalan Mahzor manuscript. Through a fusion of Judeo-Spanish and Middle-Eastern music with contemporary jazz and folk influences, Klein’s compositions breathe new life into this obscure Jewish cultural treasure. Accompanied by a performance from Boston choreographer and dancer Rachel Linsky, and live projections of images from the Mahzor, The Catalan Mahzor Suite performance is a singular art experience.
The Hare Chase from The Catalan Mahzor Suite.
Read more and purchase tickets here.
June will feature The Rabbi’s Family Band– Rabbi Sruli Dresdner, Lisa Mayer, and Zachary Mayer. With deep roots in Jewish tradition and a modern, inclusive approach, their performances blend Hebrew, Yiddish, Klezmer, and jazz with poignancy and joy. From Cracow to California, their captivating nigunim have enchanted audiences worldwide. Join for a soul-stirring experience as this family trio brings breathes new life into timeless melodies. Read more and purchase tickets here.
“I want the Hebrew College community and the greater Boston community to hear this music, to fall in love with nigunim and piyyutim we may have never heard before,” says Rabbi Meyer, who hopes “to initiate an intimate musical conversation, where everyone is part of the song.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to journey through the ages by celebrating the vibrancy and resilience of Jewish musical traditions. Join us at Hebrew College this spring for this unique concert series, where the past meets the present in music of soulful expression.
Learn more and purchase tickets on our events website.
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