Through archives and old recordings, Grammy-winning vocalists Susan McKeown and Lorin Sklamberg and their band have gathered a rich mix of songs from Jewish and Irish traditions on love, death, betrothal, betrayal and the demon drink. Be prepared to laugh, cry, mourn, and rejoice as these masterful musicians perform songs from the Yiddish and Irish traditions.

Susan and Lorin first discovered how well their voices blended when Susan sang on the 2006 Grammy award-winning Klezmatics CD, Wonder Wheel; their recent collaboration, Saints & Tzadiks (World Village), further explores the connections between the Yiddish and Irish vocal traditions. The bulk of the Jewish material is drawn from the legendary collector and performer Ruth Rubin, specifically from her field recordings held at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Irish songs come from both the popular and the ancient Gaelic sean nós tradition (the "old style" of highly ornamented, unaccompanied song).

Susan is widely acknowledged to be one of the most powerful and innovative voices in Irish music. Since the mid-1990's, she has built an impressive career through her many releases, extensive touring, and performances on programs such as A Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, and Mountain Stage, among others.

Lorin grew up in a culturally supportive Conservative Jewish community and began playing klezmer at 16. He has been the lead singer of the Grammy-winning Jewish American roots band the Klezmatics since its founding in 1986. His work as vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist can be heard on some 50 recordings, solo and in collaboration with such diverse artists as Itzhak Perlman, Don Byron, Jane Siberry, and Tony Kushner. He has also performed and taught Yiddish song from Buenos Aires to Kiev.

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Visit the Jewish Music Festival's website