The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Hevreh Ensemble to perform at White Gallery Aug. 28
LAKEVILLE >> The Hevreh Ensemble will present a gala fund-raising concert at the White Gallery on Sunday Aug. 28 at 4 p.m. The gallery is located at 342 Main Street. Proceeds from the concert will support the group’s upcoming trip to Germany.
The concert will be performed by Jeff Adler, composer, bass clarinet, Native American flutes, drone flutes balafon, kalimba; Judith Dansker, oboe, English Horn, Native American flute, log drum; Laurie Friedman, clarinet, Native American flute, ocean drum, shofar; and Adam Morrison, keyboards.
Tickets are $ 40, which include a reception. Reservations may be made by calling 860-435-2144 or emailing hevrehmusic@gmail. com
In September, The Hevreh Ensemble will travel to Europe to present concerts in Vienna and Prague. This tour will be the fourth trip to Europe by the group. Based in New York City, the ensemble performs Original World Chamber Music by group member and composer Jeff Adler in works that combine Classical, Jazz and World Music elements. Written for a wide and varied instrumentation that includes: Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Native American Flutes, World Percussion and Keyboard, the works often feature themes from Jewish Spirituality, Religious and Racial Tolerance and Environmental Sustainability.
The Hevreh Ensemble was formed in 2004, by Oboist Judith Dansker when Dansker was asked to organize a special Selichot concert for Hevreh of Southern Berkshire. Since that time, the ensemble has performed throughout the United States and Europe at such places as The Newport Chamber Music Festival, St. Gaudens National Historic Site, Northampton Center for the Arts, Harlem School of the Arts, The Hudson River Museum, Synagogue for The Arts- NYC, Hofstra University- Emily Lowe Art Gallery, The National Yiddish Book Center and St. Marks in the Bowery, NYC. They have performed concerts in Eastern Europe, where they presented concerts in the Czech Republic and Poland and were invited to perform in a Gala performance for the Spanish Synagogue in Prague. Their second CD: “Between Worlds” was released in July 2012.
The members of the group have been honored and affiliated with organizations including The Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Hofstra University, The Blossom Music Festival among many others and have performed with ensembles such as: The Galliard Woodwind Quintet, American Symphony Orchestra, New York Baroque Consort, Trio Sonata, New York Kammermusiker, and at such locations as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, the Library of Congress, the Frick Museum and the Philips Collection in Washington, DC. The ensemble has recorded for Opus One, CRI Records and Gasparo Records.
Hevreh Ensemble performances feature original contemporary American compositions by Adler, that combine classical, jazz and world music elements. The works often are inspired by themes from Jewish spirituality, religious and racial tolerance, and environmental sustainability. Their performances have been called: “spiritually uplifting” and “strikingly original.”
The ensemble was recently invited to participate in The American Society for Jewish Music’s annual “Music in Our Time” Festival to be held at the Center for Jewish History in New York City and was also awarded a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, to present a series of concerts in the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. Under the auspices of a grant from the D’Addario Foundation, they recently presented a concert for PS 19Q , as part of the El Sistema Corona Youth.
Members also have received numerous travel grants from Hofstra University. The Hevreh Ensemble traveled to Germany in August 2013, presenting concerts in Berlin, Bonn and Hamburg and the group recently performed for the prestigious Newport Chamber Music Festival in July 2014. They traveled to The Netherland and Germany in October 2014. Learn more at http://hevrehensemble. com, or email hevrehmusic@gmail.com
The Hevreh Ensemble is represented by Parker Artists, at http://www.parkerartists.com/