ENSEMBLE
M’CHAIYA

Ensemble M’chaiya as a quintet standing along a brick wall.

The band’s history in photos

Four musicians of the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) starting a sound check at the Skokie, IL Chabad festival standing in front of a large banner and next to the Master of Ceremony. © 2011 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Starting a sound check at the Chabad festival in Skokie, IL. It had just finished raining on everything, including us.
Circle of people dancing to the music of the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) at the City Winery in Chicago. © 2013 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Folks dancing to our music at the City Winery in Chicago while they still had a Klezmer Sunday Brunch in 2013.
Two musicians from the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) unloading equipment from a car’s trunk. The Sandia Mountains are in the background. © 2010 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Unloading the car for a gig in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2010.
A poster announcing a performance by the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) at the Santa Fe, New Mexico Chabad. © 2011 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Poster for a gig at the Santa Fe, New Mexico Chabad in 2011.
A poster announcing a performance by the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) at the Albuquerque, New Mexico J.C.C. © 2010 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Poster for a gig at the Albuquerque, New Mexico J.C.C. in 2010.
The Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) performing as a trio playing tupan, guitar, and Bulgarian flute in a screened-in porch. © 2013 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Playing for Caryl Thompson’s 100th birthday May 2013.
Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) performing on the same porch as a quartet with darabuka, guitar, clarinet, and Bulgarian flute. © 2013 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Caryl Thompson’s 90th birthday May 2003 – same porch. There is a slight size difference in our drummer’s height!
The Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) posing as a sextet at the Chicago Bulls pre-game. © Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved. Six musicians of the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) standing with their instruments (mandolin, trombone, tupan, flugel horn, tuba, and darabuka) in front of a wall at the Chicago Bulls pre-game. © Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
The Chicago Bulls had us play a bunch of times over the years for their pre-game entertainment around Chanukah.
Top photo, from left to right: Steve Hart, Lupcho Kacovski, Terran Doehrer, Zoï Doehrer, Velizar Shumanov, Jutta Distler.
Bottom photo, from left to right: Jutta Distler, Bryan Tipps, Zoï Doehrer, Peter Bartels, Steve Hart, Terran Doehrer.
Four musicians of the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) playing mandolin, accordion, guitar, and darabuka on stage at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, IL. © Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved. Four musicians of the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) posing with accordion, cornet, guitar, and mandolin in front of a large tree at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, IL. © Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Illinois State Fair has brought us to Springfield, IL to play there many, many times over the years.
Five musicians of the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) playing baglama, clarinet, acoustic bass, darabuka, and darabuka at the Evanston Ethnic Festival. © 2005 Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Evanston Ethnic Festival
Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) musician setting up the sound system for a private party in a barn in Galesburg, IL. © Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Setting up the sound system for a private party in Galesburg, IL.
Three actors standing in a row in front of two Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) musicians sitting and playing mandolin (partially seen) and guitar. ©copy; Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Zoï Doehrer playing a part in a staged reading of Joanne Koch’s “Celebrating Survival”, based on a true story of how a Jewish Greek family survived the Holocaust years. Terran Doehrer is playing the guitar and you can just see the head stock of Jutta’s Mandolin.
A poster announcing a concert by the Ensemble M’chaiya (tm) at Hyde Park’s Rodfei Zedek Synagogue on Chicago’s South Side. © Modal Music, Inc. (tm) All rights reserved.
Poster for a New Year’s concert in Hyde Park on Chicago’s South Side.

We’re ready to be a m’chaiya* for you!

* In Yiddish, “m’chaiya” means “A life-giving pleasure”