A celebration of music at TBI
Melbourne’s Temple Beth Israel (TBI) will host the ‘Zimriya Concert’, a celebration of Jewish and Klezmer music at the end of May.
The Zimriya Concert features Australia’s foremost exponents of Klezmer music, Klezmania, the TBI Concert Choirs and cantorial soloists Galit Klas, Toby Glaser, Rhondda Hall, together with senior students from The King David School under the baton of Cantor Michel Laloum.
Temple Beth Israel has a rich musical history dating back 85 years in Australia, with roots extending to the Berlin Synagogue musical traditions. Throughout this period TBI has maintained its musical heritage while integrating new musical influences from Israel, North America and around the world.
The repertoire for the Zimriya Concert includes great classics such as the Lewandowski Psalm no.150 Halleluya, Danny Maseng’s Elohai N’tzor, Charles Osborne’s Samachti B’Omrim Li and folk songs such as Rozinkes Mit Mandlen, Oyfn Pripetchik and A Yiddishe Mame.
“In recent times musical concerts at TBI have attracted close to one thousand people”, says Cantor Michel Laloum. “The audience who attended the inaugural Zimriya Concert in 2013 were a combination of those who hold a deep emotional connection to the music together with newcomers who are delighted by the uplifting joyous sounds that emanate from traditional Jewish and Klezmer tunes.”
Today TBI’s music seeks to marry tradition with innovation, resulting in an eclectic blend of Lewandowski and traditional historic and Germanic composers contrasting with contemporary composers such as Debbie Friedman, Danny Maseng and Jeff Klepper.
Highlights from the Zimriya Concert repertoire include Klezmania’s whirling frenetic traditional dance tunes to foot tapping jazz songs. The concert will also be a farewell opportunity for award-winning opera soloist Toby Glaser who performs for the last time in Australia before leaving for Israel to pursue cantorial studies. Well-known entertainer Galit Klas will showcase her talent along with the pure voices of years 3 to 8 students from the King David School.
The concert will take place at 76-82 Alma Rd, St Kilda in Sunday 31 May at 5:30pm.
Tickets: $45 or $30 TBI members/cons. Bookings: tbi.org.au
