Music from Ukraine: Refugee Benefit

Description

Three of the region’s top klezmer bands perform music from Ukraine to raise funds for charities assisting refugees form the war in Ukraine. All net proceeds from this concert will be split evenly between Doctors without Borders and GlobalGiving/Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Both charities are on the ground in Ukraine as well as in Romania, Moldova and Poland supporting refugees.

There are several ticket price levels (all plus fees): $35, $50 (recommended), and $75. Purchase a ticket at a level you feel comfortable with – 100% of profits go toward supporting our designated charities and the people of Ukraine. A livestream option is also available for those unable to attend in person. Tickets for the livestream are $20 (plus fees) per screen.

The ensembles include Kesselgarden, Shpilkis, and The Klein Party. All three will feature music from Ukraine in their programs.

Kesselgarden Klezmer Duo is Carl Shutoff (clarinet) and Laurie Andres (accordion), where they have been playing together for the last 20 years. Their name comes from the way Yiddish-speaking Jews pronounced “Castle Garden,” the facility on the southern tip of Manhattan where Jewish immigrants entered this country prior to the opening of Ellis Island in 1892. Among first- and second-generation Jews, the term “Kesselgarden” was eventually generalized to mean any situation that was noisy, confusing and chaotic. Kesselgarden is a traditional band, playing Eastern European instrumental Jewish music of the 19th and 20th centuries, with original, sweet and joyful arrangements which are neither noisy nor confusing.

Founded in 2017, Shpilkis is a 7-piece Seattle-based Klezmer brass band bringing you old-school Yiddish grooves with tuchus-shaking energy.
https://www.shpilkisseattle.com/
FB/IG: @ShpilkisSeattle

The Klein Party is a klezmer-ish band playing music from All the Old Countries. Rooted in several traditions, this quintet with vocalists explores klezmer freylachs and bulgars, Yiddish theatre music, gypsy dance music, sentimental Italian tunes, heart-rending fados, novelty Americana, Duke Ellington classics, Japanese folksongs, and anything else deemed appropriate. The Klein Party currently includes Sabrina Pope (clarinet), Brandon Campbell (saxophones), Eric Ray Anderson (ukulele & vocals), Joseph J. Casalini (contrabass), Mark Lutwak (accordion & commentary), Amber Wolfe (vocals), and David Gassner (vocals).

This event will run appx. 90 minutes with no intermission.