'Soul to Soul' Celebrates Intersection of African-American and Yiddish Folk Music Traditions

In recognition of the anniversary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the National Yiddish Theatre and the Queens College Center for Jewish Studies tonight presents Soul to Soul, an electrifying concert that explores the intersections between African-American and Yiddish folk music traditions.

The concert – conceived by Zalmen Mlotek, the internationally recognized authority on Yiddish folk and theatre music – will take place at the 2,000-seat Colden Auditorium in Queens College at 7 p.m. and is free!

“Presenting this material from the African-American experience and from the Jewish experience, we’re showing audiences how these two cultures have come together,” said Mlotek.   

“The common themes of struggle and of survival resonated very much for the performers in the material they were learning… Music is a bridge. Music has always been a bridge.”

Headlining the concert are Lisa Fishman, singer, actress, and songwriter, who has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe; Elmore James, a veteran of Broadway and opera productions; and singer, songwriter and recording artist, Tony Perry, who originated a role in the Folksbiene’s premiere production of Murray Schisgal’s “Shpiel! Shpiel! Shpiel!”

For additional information on this series or other programs contact Folksbiene at 212-213-2120.

WHAT: Soul to Soul: Yiddish and African-American music celebrate two cultures

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, April 4, 2012, at 7:00pm, The Colden Auditorium at Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing,  NY

HOW MUCH: Free