"Music is the pen of the soul," said Shneur Zalman. His thought has been carried through all of music's history, from blues to country to the Grounds of the University. With the addition of internationally acclaimed Klezmer musician Prof. Joel Rubin, the breadth of musical interest and collaboration has continued to grow.
Klezmer is a form of Jewish folk music with roots from Eastern Europe. Comprised of traditional instruments such as the clarinet, violin, trumpet and cimbalom, this form of musical expression has evolved into a mixture of the celebratory Yiddish music combined with elements from classical, jazz and symphonic styles of expression. Interest in this unique form of music has steadily increased across the world and has found its own niche here at the University.
To further the education and awareness of Klezmer, the McIntire Department of Music, along with the Jewish Studies Program, has invited the Joel Rubin Ensemble to celebrate the revival of this archaic yet oddly modern form of music.
"Klezmer has a real directness about it," Director of Music Performance Joel Rubin said. "It speaks to people's emotional, aesthetic, and philosophical state."
Rubin, a recent addition to the music department, is a critically acclaimed Klezmer musician. Called one of the forerunners of the revival of Klezmer, Rubin has worked as a performer and educator all his life.
"I felt an affinity from the beginning with the music," Rubin said. "It felt really natural to play. There were very few people involved with the music and I wasn't happy with the level. I felt culturally obligated [to perform], I felt I could make a contribution. I thought it was something of substance -- that's why I'm here."
After becoming involved in teaching while living in Berlin, Rubin became even more immersed with the world of music, curating concert series, writing musical programs for the German public radio and eventually receiving his doctorate in Ethnomusicology from the City University of London.
While performing various styles of music, in 1994 Rubin founded the Joel Rubin Ensemble, a group solely dedicated to the playing of Klezmer. With seven other members from diverse backgrounds, the group has been a major international force in the shaping of modern Klezmer music.
"The ensemble as a whole has a lot to offer to the students and community because of the variety of backgrounds," Rubin said.
Many of the members, including the three who will perform and teach during the residency, have had backgrounds in symphonic, Rom and jazz -- all of which contribute to the modernization of Klezmer.
Following an initial concert of Klezmer music on Feb. 4, the Ensemble will conduct several classroom visits, master classes and workshops over the following two days.
"Teaching has been a big part of what I've been doing over the past 20 years," Rubin said. "This music is not well-known and it's important that when you present unfamiliar music to an audience that they become educated about it so that they will be able to appreciate what went into it."
Though Klezmer is only the second style of world music to be offered as an ensemble at the University, Rubin hopes to one day bring a more diverse offering of world music to the University.
"We're having this residency to increase awareness of Klezmer music on campus, to let students know that this music is going on here," Rubin said. "This is a form of expression from a bygone era, and in an age of digital technology, Klezmer presents an alternate form of communication."
The Joel Rubin Ensemble Residency runs from Feb. 4 through Feb. 6.
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