Violinists Jake Shulman-Ment and Abigale Reisman are among the most highly regarded klezmer performers of their generation. They are united in their stunning virtuosity, deep backgrounds in klezmer and Yiddish musical idioms, fearless sense of exploratory improvisation, and dedication to helping uncover and revive previously unknown folk repertoire. Prepare to be led on a virtuosic and energetic journey through raucous dance tunes, meditative listening music, original compositions, and new settings of Yiddish poetry.

On the day following this special appearance, they will be heading into the studio to record a collaborative album. They are joined by klezmer legends Kurt Bjorling (clarinet) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl), and rising cello star Raffi Boden (cello).

About the Musicians

Born in New York City, violinist Jake Shulman-Ment is “considered one of the finest klezmer fiddlers on the planet” (Jon Kalish, NPR). He tours and records internationally as a soloist and with Midwood, Daniel Kahn, Frank London, Di Naye Kapelye, Joey Weisenberg, and Duncan Sheik. He was featured in Csaba Bereczki’s full-length documentary film Soul Exodus, and performed on screen in HBO’s Succession and Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman. A widely sought-out teacher of the klezmer fiddle tradition, Jake has been a faculty member of KlezKamp, KlezKanada, Klezmer Paris, the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, Yiddish Summer Weimar, Fiddle Tunes, Yiddish New York, and other festivals throughout the globe. He collected, studied, performed, and documented traditional music in Romania as a Fulbright scholar, and has lived and traveled in Hungary and Greece, learning traditional violin styles. In 2018 he received the prestigious NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts. Jake’s debut solo album, A Redele (A Wheel) (Oriente Musik, 2012) was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. His new group, Midwood, released its first album, Out of the Narrows, (Chant Records) in May 2018. Visit him online at https://www.jakeshulmanment.com.

With over 15 years of experience playing klezmer music, Abigale Reisman has established herself as an expressive and thoughtful fiddle player with a lot to say. She is particularly interested in creating a vocal sound through the violin and connecting her playing to the rhythms and accents of the Yiddish language. Abigale is a performer, composer, and arranger with the International Jewish Music Festival award winning band, Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band. She regularly performs in a duo with renowned klezmer scholar and performer Hankus Netsky. Abigale has been a faculty member of Yiddish Summer Weimar, Yiddish New York, and Klezkanada. In addition to playing klezmer music, Abigale is also a co-founder of Thread Ensemble, an experimental trio that creates music out of interactions with their audiences and a member of Tredici Bacci, which was featured in Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists You Need to Know: November 2016”. Abigale earned her Bachelor’s degree at The Manhattan School of Music in Classical Violin Performance and went on to receive her Master’s degree at The New England Conservatory in Contemporary Improvisation. She lives in Gloucester, MA with her husband and two cats and is the Music Director at Temple Ahavat Achim. Visit her online at https://www.abigalereisman.com