Faculty Concert Series Presents Hevreh Ensemble
Spiritually Uplifting Music Inspired by Judaism and Jewish Culture
The Hevreh Ensemble, an instrumental group dedicated to the performance of music that
reflects or was inspired by Judaism and Jewish culture, will perform a concert at
Bard College at Simon’s Rock in the Kellogg Music Center on Sunday, September 25,
at 3:00 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. For further information,
call 413-528-7212.
The Hevreh Ensemble was formed in 2004, by oboist Judith Dansker when Ms. Dansker was asked to organize a special Selichot concert for the Hevreh congregation of Southern Berkshire. Since that time, the ensemble has performed throughout the United States and Europe at such places as the Newport Chamber Music Festival, St. Gaudens National Historic Site, Northampton Center for the Arts, Harlem School of the Arts, the Hudson River Museum, Synagogue for The Arts-NYC, Hofstra University-Emily Lowe Art Gallery, The National Yiddish Book Center and St. Marks in the Bowery, NYC. They have performed concerts in Eastern Europe, where they presented concerts in the Czech Republic and Poland and were invited to perform in a Gala performance for the Spanish Synagogue in Prague. Their second CD: “Between Worlds” was released in July 2012.
The members of the group have been honored and affiliated with organizations such as: the Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Hofstra University, the Blossom Music Festival among many others and have performed with ensembles such as the Galliard Woodwind Quintet, American Symphony Orchestra, New York Baroque Consort, Trio Sonata, New York Kammermusiker, and at such locations as Alice Tully Hall, (Lincoln Center), Carnegie Recital Hall, the Library of Congress, the Frick Museum and the Philips Collection in Washington, DC. They have recorded for Opus One, CRI Records and Gasparo Records.
Hevreh Ensemble performances feature original contemporary American compositions by group member Jeff Adler, that combine classical, jazz, and world music elements. The works often are inspired by themes from Jewish spirituality, religious and racial tolerance, and environmental sustainability. Their performances have been called: “spiritually uplifting” and “strikingly original.”
Recent reviews include:
“World Chamber Music” captures the complex, satisfying mix of sounds that characterize
the Hevreh Ensemble’s work”—“a unique combination of sweetness and warmth and an unobtrusively
propulsive beat.” New York - The Jewish Week
“A new sort of aesthetic that defies description,” “Clean, Tight, Creative—moments
that are a kind of Jazz-meets-World; Jazz-meets-Classical; World-influenced-Classical.” Audiophile Audition
Bonner Rundschau 29.8.13
“The quartet, which with its unusual combinations, rhythmic Arabesques, melodious
Cantilenas and most importantly, with noticeable accord, left a lasting impression,
so that two hours of music from completely different cultures, but always understandable
human feelings went by in a flash.” Felicias Zink
General Anzeiger 30.8.2013
Friesdorf-Bonn Germany
“Whether elegiac, meditative sound painting or furiously rhythmic, the ensemble astounded
its audience with unusual, wonderful compositional tonal effects, which featured themes
from religious and racial tolerance and world peace.”
The group was recently invited to participate in The American Society for Jewish Music’s annual “Music in Our Time” Festival to be held at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, and was also awarded a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to present a series of concerts in the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. Under the auspices of a grant from the D’Addario Foundation, they recently presented a concert for PS 19Q, as part of the El Sistema Corona Youth.
They also have received numerous travel grants from Hofstra University. The Hevreh Ensemble traveled to Germany in August 2013, where they presented concerts in Berlin, Bonn, and Hamburg, and the group performed for the prestigious Newport Chamber Music Festival in July 2014. They traveled to the Netherland and Germany in October 2014. They have just completed a return tour to Europe in September 2016 with concerts in Vienna and Prague.
Learn more about the Hevreh Ensemble.