In today’s Brooklyn, there is a remarkable music revival bubbling with life, hidden away from view of most music fans. It is located in communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park, and its key players are young Hasidic singers. In the Orthodox community, older forms of Jewish music have largely been displaced by pop-music that sounds a lot like what you would hear on the mainstream radio, but with lyrics in Yiddish or prayer book Hebrew, tailored to pious religious themes. A small but vibrant group of young singers have taken up the style of pre-World War Two cantorial music as their art form of choice, performing tracks recorded almost a century ago as their key repertoire. While some of these singers grew up in families with elder cantors they could learn from, other artists discovered the music directly from old records. In what might look to outsiders like an environment that discourages self-expression, these artists delve into the past to find their own expressive style. Produced by scholar and musician Jeremiah Lockwood, and featuring three leading cantors, Yanky Lemmer, Shimmy Miller and Yoel Kohn, this concert is a celebration of new sounds culled from the hidden sonic world of “golden age” cantorial music.
Contact Jeremiah Lockwood for booking information: jeremiahdaniellockwood@yahoo.com
From the Golden Ages record release celebration at the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, July 2022
Featuring the Airis String Quartet:
- Aleksandra Czajor - 1st violin
- Grażyna Zubik - 2nd violin
- Malwina Tkaczyk - viola
- Mateusz Mańka - cello
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Yaakov “Yanky” Lemmer began his singing career as the star soloist of the Young Israel of Bethel Choir, where world renowned Cantor Ben Zion Miller took him under his private tutelage. Yanky studied with cantorial legend Cantor Noach Schall and has won a scholarship for vocal training in N.Y.C. In addition to his work as a cantor, Yanky is a Licensed Special Education Therapist, working with special needs children in Brooklyn, NY. He currently serves as Cantor of Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City.
Shimmy Miller is the son of a multi-generational cantorial family. He began his career as the choir director for his father, the internationally renowned Cantor Benzion Miller, at Beth El Synagogue in Borough Park Brooklyn. Shimmy is in high demand as a choir leader and soloist, working with cantors and as the leader of his own choral group, The Zingers.
Yoel Kohn is a virtuoso singer and an expert on “Golden Age” cantorial music of the early 20th century. He is the son of a renowned Satmar Chassidic prayer leader and brings this cultural perspective to his pursuit of artistry while pursuing a path outside of his birth community. He frequently collaborates in concert with Jeremiah Lockwood, and recently began a performance project with klezmer musician Jake Shulman-Ment.
Jeremiah Lockwood is a scholar and musician, working in the fields of Jewish studies, performance studies and ethnomusicology. Jeremiah is a current Fellow at the Katz Center Fellow for Advanced Judaic Research at the University of Pennsylvania. His first book, Golden Ages: Hasidic singers and cantorial revival in the digital era, will be published by University of California Press in February 2024. Jeremiah is the founder of the band The Sway Machinery.