ENSEMBLE
M’CHAIYA

Sing in Ladino this Chanukah! (And in Yiddish, and Hebrew, and English, too!)

On Saturday, December 13th, the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley is throwing its second annual Chanukah Adults Only concert which features the eclectic klezmer band, Ensemble M’chaiya (tm). Doors open at 8:00 PM. Music starts at 8:30 PM.

With a repertoire which includes sing-a-longs of Balkan Sephardic Chanukah songs, original repertoire, as well as traditional Ashkenazic favorites, this energetic Chicago-based group will get you primed and ready for the holiday!

The Ensemble M’chaiya is celebrating its twentieth year as Chicagoland’s original revival klezmer band so it is safe to say they know something about tradition! All the same, their fresh approach to Jewish music makes the rich traditions come alive for today’s audiences. “We want to share the excitement we heard in those scratchy, dusty 78 rpm klezmer records,” says founder and leader, Terran Doehrer, “and to do that we have to take chances. We have to play the music as if we wrote it ourselves so we can get deep enough into the impulse which made this music live for its original listeners. We fan that central spark with our creativity and joy in playing.”

The core of the Ensemble M’chaiya is Terran Doehrer (guitar, percussion, flute, ocarina, and vocals); Don Jacobs (clarinet and saxophone); Jutta Distler (violin, mandolin, guitar, and baglama); and Zoi Doehrer (percussion). For this concert Jim Lemonides, a long-time member of the group, joins in on bouzouki. The band can be as large as nine pieces by adding bass, percussion, accordion, and drums.

For more information about the concert, contact the Jewish Federation at (574) 233-1164.