Upshtat Zingerai play Jewish simhah dance music for a wedding at the South Shore Cultural Center. From left to right: Emma Blau, Jonah Lazarus, Qi Yang, Hannah Mira Friedland, and Ethan Aronson ...

Music is healing regardless, but Jewish musicians remind me that music from a shared identity can act as a mirror into my life, which is something I should take pride in.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite A community jam during the Jewish Community Center's regular Festo Festo night at the Mercury Cafe, a celebration of Klezmer music and culture. April 25, 2024.

“Getting access to them wasn’t easy. But the director, Yuri Marchenko, was a graduate of the Special Music School of the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk, as were Dr. Stepanskaya and I.

“We’re taking Jewish music to a scale and stage it has never reached before. Bethel Woods is the beginning of a new chapter. Yes, it’s still an Ishay Ribo concert, but with a broader canvas.