Upcoming Concerts

vocolot
legendary jewish a cappella ensemble reunites

​After a hiatus of five years, the women's a cappella group Vocolot is gathering together for a rare concert appearance featuring both original songs and songs of Jewish heritage from around the world in Hebrew, Yiddish, English and Arabic. Their music, rooted in universal heart, social conscience and Jewish soul, communicates a powerful vision of world peace and reconciliation. This performance features Linda Hirschhorn, Talia Cooper, Jennifer Karno and Liz Stuart.

Saturday, April 28, 7:30 pm

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Past Concerts​

​NINTH JAZZ & KLEZ SUMMIT

Two talented East Bay bands, the Netivot Shalom Jazzkleztet and the Albany Jazz Band, come together for a musical celebration of Jazz and Klezmer.

KAT PARRA
SEPHARDIC & LATIN JAZZ VOCALIST

​​The Kat Parra Latin World Ensemble will take you on a journey through the different stages of life in the Sephardic/Ladino traditions. Kat will take you from the birth of Abraham, to the trial and tribulations of growing up and leaving home, to the many varied experiences of love and loss. This concert is sure to captivate the audience as Kat seamlessly weaves these songs into stories to which all can relate. Kat will also present some of her Latin Jazz repertoire.

​MASSA
ISRAELI/AMERICAN ROCK BAND

​Massa is sometimes rocking, sometimes acoustic, with influences deep in Middle-Eastern culture. From traditional minor scales to the heart-beating sounds of  Arabic drums, Massa presents a fusion of sounds, beats, melodies and sharp lyrics to match. Massa provides a different perspective on life across oceans, far away from a loved homeland.

ARI & MIA
​SISTER FOLK DUO

Boston based folk duo Ari & Mia reference the styles of Southern and Northeastern fiddle music and the early American songbook to create a realm where their own compositions cross paths with older traditions. Their stylish and sophisticated music honors the sounds of Appalachian cottages, rural dance floors, and urban concert halls.

​ADRIENNE SHAMSZAD
​PERSIAN INFLUENCED ORIGINALS

Adrienne Shamszad brings American roots music together with classical Persian melodies, weaving the two cultures into one musical message. With a combination of exquisite vocals, evocative lyrics, and skillful use of  acoustic guitar and setar, Adrienne tells the story of our collective search for meaning and and makes sure you have fun while she's doing it. Schuyler Karr will be joining her on upright bass. ​

SHARON GOLDMAN
JEWISH INFLUENCED ORIGINALS

​​Sharon Goldman is a New York based singer-songwriter whose music features intense, insightful and vivid storytelling and heartfelt, soulful performances. It blends folk, pop, and blues sounds with traditional melodies, middle-eastern rhythms, Hebrew refrains and biblical texts. Sharon digs deep into memories of prayers and rituals; of roads not taken; and of voices not heard. She addresses universal issues of identity, family, and history, and also mines the stories of biblical and mythical women for creative inspiration.

​SAM PRIVEN & DANIELLE WERTZ
STANDARDS REIMAGINED: JAZZ SAXOPHONE & VOCALS

Saxophonist Sam Priven and vocalist Danielle Wertz present “standards reimagined.” They will be taking well-known American Songbook standards like “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “But Not for Me” and “The Way You Look Tonight,” and putting them in new and unique musical settings to enhance the story and the lyrics. Sam and Danielle will be performing with Ian McArdle on piano.

​ALISA FINEMAN
INNOVATIVE JEWISH SACRED
AND FOLK MUSIC

​Cantorial soloist and singer-songwriter Alisa Fineman presents music from her album Closing the Distance, inspiring unity through sacred text and poetry, with innovative arrangements of traditional and original songs of the Jewish Diaspora. Alisa will also showcase the original secular folk music that she performs with Kimball Hurd. Renowned for her world-class alto voice with it's dusky tones and depth of emotion, Alisa is perfectly complimented by multi-instrumentalist Kimball.

​MARI BLACK TRIO
FIDDLING AROUND THE WORLD

Multistyle violinist and world champion fiddler Mari Black presents a special concert of energetic, eclectic fiddle music from around the world, with an emphasis on her love of klezmer! The show will feature Mari’s fresh dance-driven music that transcends any musical style, an innovative blend of Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddling, jazz, klezmer, tango, folk, original works, and more. ​

SUSAN MAZER &
DALLAS SMITH
JAZZ & JEWISH FOLK

A special evening is in store filled with jazz and Jewish folk music. Susan Mazer plays Electro-acoustic harp. Dallas Smith plays flute, bamboo flute (Bansuri), and soprano/alto/tenor saxophone. The harp is bigger than life and rich in sonority. Dallas and Susan have over 25 recordings and celebrate over 30 years together.

​OPERA STAR RHOSLYN JONES WITH SAM SIEGEL
OPERA & BROADWAY CLASSICS

​Join us for an evening of divine music. Hear acclaimed soprano Rhoslyn Jones and exciting young counter-tenor Sam Siegel perform Opera and Broadway classics. Ms. Jones appeared as Roxane opposite Placido Domingo's Cyrano de Bergerac at SF Opera.

​​8TH JAZZ & KLEZ SUMMIT

​The Netivot Shalom Jazzkleztet is a high-energy ensemble that performs klezmer and jazz. The Albany Jazz Band is a mighty 20-piece ensemble that plays classic jazz, with vocals from the Great American Songbook.​ The Jazzschool Big Band is a cutting edge contemporary Big Band, with original music and top soloists.

VERETSKI PASS
EASTERN EUROPEAN ROOTS MUSIC

Veretski Pass is a veritable Old World Klez supergroup, with some of the most accomplished musicians on the klezmer scene: Cookie Segelstein (violin), Joshua Horowitz (button accordion and cimbalom) and Stuart Brotman (cello, bass).

JENNIE CHABON & LISA ZEILER
JEWISH, FOLK & BLUES

This intimate evening of live music will showcase how Zeiler and Chabon blend their styles and genres: from traditional cantorial to ladino to contemporary Jewish music, interspersed with a generous helping of folk and blues.  

"SONGS FOR A WORLD TO COME"
WITH CANTOR
​RICHARD NEIL KAPLAN

An intimate house concert by Richard Neil Kaplan on this Winter's afternoon when two profound Holydays overlap, the Second Day of Hanukah - the Jewish Festival of Lights, and Christmas Day. This gathering will delve deep into the holiday of Hanukah with songs of exultation, participatory chants, and meditations.

LINDA HIRSCHHORN, BETSY ROSE & GARY LAPOW
SEASONED SINGERS, TIMELESS SONGS

Linda, Gary & Betsy bring a wealth of musical and personal experience to their collaborations as "boomers" with deep roots in the social justice movements of our times. Their songwriting explores the rich dimensions of such topics as lasting love (or not!) and the changes that the decades have brought. They bring timeless music for the seasons of our lives. ​

​​TALIA COOPER
MUSIC WITH MOXY

Talia Cooper presents her original folk music interwoven with creative covers. Talia's songs poke fun at cliches and expose realities, with tones ranging from full on sassy and humorous, to politically contemplative, to love songs with a twist.

​​SAUL KAYE
SOULFUL JEWISH BLUES

​Saul Kaye has created a new genre of music, Jewish Blues, consisting of the natural marriage of Jewish history, characters, and liturgy with the Blues. Saul not only explores the characters from the Torah, but he also embodies them. 

​7TH JAZZ & KLEZ SUMMIT
THREE BANDS, 50 MUSICIANS, GREAT MUSIC

​The Netivot Shalom Jazzkleztet is a high-energy ensemble that performs a fusion of klezmer and jazz. The Albany Jazz Band is a mighty 20-piece ensemble that plays classic jazz, with vocals from the Great American Songbook. The Jazzschool Big Band is a cutting edge contemporary big band, with original music and top soloists.

KAT PARRA
SEPHARDIC & LATIN JAZZ VOCALIST

Kat Parra will present a combination of Sephardic music and her varied Latin Jazz repertoire. In addition to singing fluently in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Parra has the rare ability to sing in the dying language of Ladino, or Judeo-Espanyol, which enables her to interpret Sephardic music (Music of the Spanish Jews) faithfully.

LYNDSEY ELM
SOULFUL SINGER/SONGWRITER

This "four chair turn" contestant on the most recent season of NBC's "The Voice" has over three million youtube views of her standout performances, including her stripped down version of Meghan Trainor's "Lips Are Movin." Lyndsey's originals and covers are sung with emotion, insight, and exceptional musicianship.

Lior Ben-Hur
Israeli Reggae and World Music

Lior Ben-Hur and his band perform uplifting, refreshing Reggae and World music, often involving contemporary interpretations of old Jewish texts, ideals and mysticism.
Born in Jerusalem, with Greek and Iraqi roots, Lior Ben-Hur now lives in San Francisco.

Honey of the heart
Folk Trio

This talented trio performs a fusion of Folk, Latin, Gypsy, Roots, and Americana. I first saw them at Worldfest 2015 and was blown away by their angelic harmonies and authentic performance.

Cantor Sharon Bernstein
Yiddish Melodies and Broadway Tunes

Bernstein is a leading performer of Yiddish music from the Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Italian, and Hasidic traditions. Her compositions include ditties on Jewish themes, and settings for Yiddish poems. Ms. Bernstein has been Cantor at Congregation Sha'ar Zahav in San Francisco since 2007.

OPERA STAR RHOSLYN JONES
Light Opera and Broadway

Join us for an evening of divine music and delicious food. Hear acclaimed opera singer Rhoslyn Jones perform light opera and broadway tunes. Enjoy cook Traci Siegel's Mediterranean small plate menu.