A Joyous Evening of Klezmer with the Seth Kibel Trio

Have you ever danced the HORA? If you’ve ever attended a reception for a bar or bat mitzvah or danced at a Jewish wedding, you probably have. This popular dance is perhaps the best known example of klezmer music, a style of instrumental music that dates back centuries and took hold in America in the twentieth century.

The Seth Kibel Trio will entertain and delight with a program of klezmer music (Eastern-European Jewish folk music) which is sure to get your toes tapping.  The trio will also take some musical detours into Yiddish theater, Yiddish folksong, as well as a smattering of jazz and swing. Historical commentary and anecdotes from Kibel will provide an insightful context for their selections.  A pre-concert lecture presentation from Kibel will make this a true evening of "edutainment." This program is presented as part of the Susan and Barry Koh Music Series.

Klezmer, which literally means “tool of song” in Yiddish, is the secular folk music of the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. In the first decades of the 1900s, this music flourished not only in the Old World but also in the New, in the immigrant community of New York City. There, the sounds of the European “fiddler on the roof” mixed with the sounds of early jazz and Tin Pan Alley. The result was a quintessentially American sound. 

Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic's premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in Klezmer, Jazz, Swing, and more. Wowing audiences on clarinet, flute, and saxophone, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region, and beyond.  He is the featured performer with The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux, and more.  Winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including "Best World Music Instrumentalist" (2003-11) and "Best Jazz Instrumentalist" (2005, 2007-8, 2011-14).  His most recent recording, "Clown With A Stick," was released in May 2023 on the Azalea City Recordings record label. 

EVENT IS FREE, but please register in advance.