Chicago YIVO Summer Festival 2023
All events are in person across Chicago area libraries, and most are not accessible remotely.
The New Fidl Kapelye
with Jake Shulman-Ment, Abigale Reisman, and Kurt Bjorling
Friday, June 2nd at 2:00pm
at the Northbrook Public Library
Violinists Jake Shulman-Ment and Abigale Reisman, and multi-instrumentalist Kurt Bjorling, combine forces to present a virtuosic and energetic journey through raucous dance tunes, meditative listening music, original compositions, and new settings of Yiddish poetry
Angels, Demons, Rabbis & Fools: Tales From Jewish Tradition
with Susan Stone
Thursday, June 15th at 2:00pm
at the Morton Grove Public Library
Jewish tales from Midrash, folklore and Hasidic sources performed with grace, Yiddishkeit, and humor
Details and registration — accessible remotely!
Maxwell St. Klezmer Quintet
Thursday, July 6th at 2:00pm
at the Northbrook Public Library
For 40 years, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band has been spreading its special take on traditional klezmer to the Chicagoland area and the world, with a schmear of Jewish folk music, a dollop of jazz, and bissel brassy Broadway.
The Wheel Keeps Turning! / !דאָס רעדעלע דרײט זיך
with Stewart Figa, accompanied on keyboard by Ilya Levinson
Tuesday, July 11th at 3:00pm
at the Skokie Public Library
An afternoon of Yiddish song, humor, and lore
Details — no registration required
Ukrainian vs Jewish: Musical Borrowings as Means of Expression
with Cantor Pavel Roytman and Sofi Fraser
Wednesday, July 12th at 2:00pm
at the Prospect Heights Public Library
An interactive musical presentation featuring Ukrainian and Jewish songs
The KlezMeydlech: CANCELLED
with Shirlee Todd, Gail Mangurten, and Irina Kaufman
Thursday, July 20th at 2:00pm
at the Morton Grove Public Library
Klezmer and Yiddish favorites, pieces from Jewish Spain and the Middle East, and music inspired by Jewish American composers
An afternoon of Yiddish Nostalgia
with Bibi Marcell and Gail Mangurten
Thursday, August 3rd at 2:00pm
at the Northbrook Public Library
Bibi Marcell and Gail Mangurten will play Yiddish soul music that will warm your hearts and make you want to clap and sing along!
Duo Controverso Klezmer concert
with Kurt Bjorling and Annette Bjorling
Tuesday, August 8th at 2:00pm
at Northtown, Chicago Public Library
Annette Bjorling (harp) and Kurt Bjorling (clarinet, basset-horn) invite you to a musical journey through different eras and styles of klezmer
Vanishing Worlds: Music of Yiddish Anarchists and Activists
with Steve Gibons
Wednesday, August 9th at 2:00pm
at the Highland Park Public Library
An exploration of music that expressed what Yiddish anarchists were working for, as well as related material. Bring your singing chops, you'll know some of the songs, and you're invited to hum or sing along.
Details — no registration required
The Yiddish Film "American Matchmaker"
Tuesday, August 15 at 2:00pm
at the Skokie Public Library
Leo Fuchs, the "Yiddish Fred Astaire" stars in this musical comedy as Nat Silver, a debonair and wealthy Jewish-American businessman whose recent engagement (his eighth) goes awry. Ulmer's last Yiddish movie was also his most modern, an art deco romantic comedy about male ambivalence and Jewish assimilation. The film is in Yiddish and is restored with English subtitles.