The Sholem Aleichem Community Inc.
Klezmer Kids
The Sholem Aleichem Community is thrilled to announce that the Klezmer Kids first full length CD, The Turkisher and Other Delights is now available. You can listen to one of the tracks from the CD: Terkisher Yale V'Yove (WMA file). Once you’ve done that, you will want a copy of the full CD. These are available from Mark Golden m.golden@uwinnipeg.ca
Arrive at a Sholem Aleichem Community holiday event, say Hanukkah or Purim, and you might hear the notes of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" being played. While you might not find that surprising, what you might find surprising is that the klezmer music and songs you associate with Jewish elders are being played by a group of teenagers!
Under the direction of Daniel Koulack, well-known Winnipeg jazz and klezmer musician, these teenagers have been playing klezmer music since 2004 when they were pre-teens; hence the name "Klezmer Kids". What started out as an idea for a one-time performance has evolved into a major undertaking for the Klezmer Kids. Under the direction of Daniel and with the production help of Don Benedictson they recorded a demo CD in 2006 and in 2007 they produced a full-length CD, the terkisher and other delights... A very sucessful CD release party was held on March 15, 2008.
The Klezmer Kids were conceived when Gloria Rathwell, mother of the Klezmer Kids pianist Michael Etkin, thought some of the kids enrolled in the B'nai Mitzvah project for that year, who were all musically inclined, might like to play at the ceremony. The Sholem Aleichem Community facilitates a secular B'nai Mitzvah program where kids create, and deliver, a project related to their Jewish identity. One of the kids in the program that year was Daniel Koulack's daughter, Ameena Bajer-Koulack. Mark Golden, Sholem Aleichem Community Board member, and father of “Klezmer Kids" clarinet player Max Becker-Golden, approached Daniel to see if he might be interested in directing the kids, and he agreed. Since then, Daniel has done much more than simply directing the group.
The enthusiastically received June 2005 debut performance for the Klezmer Kids included musicians Ameena Bajer-Koulack (violin), Max Becker-Golden (clarinet), Leah Ehrenberg (flute), Michael Etkin (piano), George Bajer-Koulack (drums) and Daniel Koulack (violin). The kids (and Daniel) enjoyed the experience so much, that they continued to rehearse regularly and play at Sholem Aleichem events. According to Daniel, who volunteers time from his busy performance and teaching schedule, the Kids have captured the spirit of klezmer both in rehearsal and in performance. "You know, when we rehearse they don't stop talking! They're very funny and annoying - they are spicy people. This is very klezmerish. At times I've heard them express both humour and soul in the music. There have been moments, where they're playing, that have sent shivers down my spine." Eventually, the Sholem Aleichem Community decided to charge a tuition fee, in order to cover expenses such as the commissioning of new musical arrangements.
The Klezmer Kids now have several paid and volunteer gigs under their belts besides playing to their beaming families and Sholem Aleichem Community members at holiday events. These include two performances at the Sharon Home, at Judy Wasylicia-Leis's North-End fund-raising social, at the Rady Centre for the Jewish Foundation's Donor Event, the May Day banquet and at the AGM of the Manitoba International Folk Dance Association. They also played at the bar-mitzvah ceremony for Zach Johnson and Mischa Decter, two current Kids members, at the Rady Centre in June 2006. Mischa's project was on klezmer music with Daniel Koulack as his mentor The current members of the band are: Ameena Bajer-Koulack (violin), George Bajer-Koulack (drums), Max Becker-Golden (clarinet, bass clarinet), Anna Blankstein (clarinet), Mischa Decter (violin), Michael Etkin (piano), Max Fraser (electric bass), Zach Johnson (flute), and Daniel Koulack (violin).
This project has been enthusiastically embraced and financially supported by the members of the Sholem Aleichem Community, whose holiday events have been greatly enriched by the addition of the Klezmer Kids' performances. We are also most grateful for the funding support received from the Frances Arnold Fund, the United Jewish People's Organization and the Joseph Zuken Memorial Association. These donations have been invaluable. With this funding Daniel has been able to obtain newly commissioned arrangements of klezmer music by local Winnipeg composers Sid Robinovich, Glenn Buhr, Jeff Presslaff and former Winnipeg resident Marilyn Lerner. As Mark Golden, Klezmer Kids Board Co-ordinator, says "Not only are we preserving and passing on a tradition, but we are adding to it and transforming it."
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