ENCOUNTERS: Jazz meets Israeli and Jewish Melodies

## About this event

For additional details and online tickets please use the link on Eventbrite:
[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/encounters-jazz-meets-israeli-and-jewish-melodies-tickets-374417963207 ](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/encounters-jazz-meets-israeli-and-jewish-melodies-tickets-374417963207)

### Concert featuring a quartet helmed by Israeli pianist and composer Moshe Elmakias, performing a program of jazz fused with Israeli, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Ladino melodies. With a virtuosic personal style, Moshe is one the most exciting pianists among the new generation of Israeli jazz musicians, and is joined by fellow NEC alums Joey Rosin and Chris Worden, and by Israeli drummer Ben Freidkin (full performer bios below).

For this performance, Moshe Elmakias has put together a lineup of his own unique jazz adaptations of beloved Israeli songs as well as different traditional Jewish spiritual-mystical melodies. Combining these ancient musical sources with the improvisational techniques of contemporary jazz and adding modern rhythmic and harmonic complexity creates an aesthetically novel fusion. Moshe draws on the traditions of Nigun, originating from Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, as well as Piyut, originating from North African Sephardic Jews, and Ladino songs from Spanish Sephardim seen through the lens of jazz.
This program is supported by the Consulate General of Israel to New England and presented by Congregation Kehillath Israel with the participation of Ballets Russes Arts Initiative.

NOTA BENES:
Doors Open at 7:00. Concert begins at 7:30.
All seating except FRONT ROW is unassigned.
Tickets cannot be refunded but can be transferred to a different attendee.
We recommend buying tickets online whenever possible. Tickets will be available at the door with payment in cash or check only, for $35.

For additional details and online tickets please use the link on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/encounters-jazz-meets-israeli-and-jewish-melodies-tickets-374417963207

The CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL is the official representative of the State of Israel to the New England region, serving the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut. The Consulate promotes knowledge and understanding of Israel through the fields of academia, culture, politics, community, economy, press, and public diplomacy.
CONGREGATION KEHILLATH ISRAEL is a traditional inclusive synagogue that actively embraces individuals, its community, and the world. An innovative and prominent voice in North American Jewish life since 1917, it is one of Brookline's oldest synagogues.
BALLETS RUSSES ARTS INITIATIVE is a non-profit organization that fosters international creative exchange in the visual and performing arts and film, with a special focus on the post-Soviet States. BRAI carries out public programs throughout Massachusetts, the East Coast and internationally, and BR360 Member programs in the Boston area.

MOSHE ELMAKIAS is an Israeli composer and pianist currently based in New York. With a virtuosic personal style, and in spite of his young age, Moshe Elmakias is one the most exciting pianists among the new generation of Israeli jazz musicians. He is a graduate of Israel’s Academy of Music and has played both throughout Israel and abroad.

BEN FREIDKIN is an award-winning drummer and composer from Israel, currently based in New York. He studied at both the “Rimon Jazz Institute” and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and he holds a Master of Music degree from Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.

Joey Rosin is a musician, educator, and interdisciplinary artist living and working in New York. His work aims to explore histories, liminal spaces, and create environments for introspection, celebration, and community.

Chris Worden is an upright and electric bassist currently based in Boston, MA. He has performed with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Ingrid Jensen, Wycliffe Gordon, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, and Peter Bernstein.

(see Eventbrite for full artists' biographies)