The Yiddish Celluloid Closet and the Isle of Klezbos

Music Program in Celebration of Pride Month Hosted by American Jewish Historical Society, in partnership with YIVO and American Society for Jewish Music Admission: $25 AJHS and YIVO members, seniors & students: $15 All tickets at the door: $36 Watch the video

Isle of Klezbos sextet performs in concert with a panoply of neo-traditional and original repertoire, including highlights from vintage cinema research focused on both musical reverence and unexpected research finds. Despite the taboo surrounding homosexuality, the topic was too intriguing to be left entirely out of the Yiddish picture. The Yiddish Celluloid Closet program presents Yiddish cinema as you’ve never seen it, plus Isle of Klezbos’ loving and live reinterpretations of movie music from the revelatory soundtracks. Drummer/leader Eve Sicular’s six-piece all-gal band—touring from Vienna to Vancouver—features multimedia retro treats in a fully 21st century approach. Screen excerpts and lush new arrangements include classics and lesser-known gems from Americaner Shadkhn, Der Vilner Shtot Khazn, and more. Enjoy klezmer, Yiddish swing and tango, in addition to genre-expanding pieces by these adventurous alumnae of Juilliard, Eastman, Berklee and Manhattan Schools of Music as well as Harvard's Russian History & Literature Department (Sicular, an erstwhile curator of YIVO's Film & Photo Archives, also worked on landmark retrospective Bridge of Light: Yiddish Film Between Two Worlds at MoMA).