Chicago Klezmer Ensemble Klezmer Band from Evanston, IL

The Chicago Klezmer Ensemble plays authentic klezmer music and modern music rooted in the klezmer tradition, like no other band anywhere. Their music is suitable for concerts, for dancing, as beautiful background music or exciting entertainment. If you are looking for an all-purpose party band that can play a bit of almost anything, should probably continue looking elsewhere. But if you want a band that can evoke the spirit and ethos of Yiddish culture with passion, conviction and subtle grace, here is a very good choice. BEYOND KLEZMER MUSIC: In addition to klezmer music, the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble can perform worthy examples of chamber music, jazz and swing, standard Israeli folk dances, and Greek, Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian dances. OUR HISTORY: The Chicago Klezmer Ensemble has been playing first-rate klezmer music since 1984 at private events, dances, and at festivals of folk, Jewish, and world music: * Ashkenaz Festival of New Yiddish Culture, Toronto, Canada (1997, 2008) * Cracow Jewish Culture Festival, Krakow, Poland (1999) * University of Chicago Folk Festival (1990, 1993, 2000, 2005, 2009) * Yiddish Summer Weimar, Weimar, Germany (2009) * Great Hall of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2009) * Teatro Manzoni, Milano, Italy (2000) * KlezKanada Summer Festival, Lantier, Quebec (1998) INSTRUMENTATION: Chicago Klezmer Ensemble normally performs with a group of five: Two Fiddles, Clarinet, Contrabass, and the Tsimbl. ("Tsimbl" is the Yiddish word for dulcimer. Rarely heard today, it was an integral part European Jewish music for centuries.) When the occasion or the budget demands, we can perform with a smaller group, or augment the basic quintet with a vocalist, drummer, dance-leader and/or other specialties.