Nu, looking for a bissel of Yiddishe tam in your life?
If you’re a lover of the mamaloshen (mother tongue), you might want to drop by Pikesville’s Beth El Congregation on Tuesday, Mar. 1, at 7 p.m. for a performance of “Yiddishe Nightingale,” a special concert chronicling the history of the American Yiddish theater. Featured in the hour-long program is the repertoire of the Central European Ashkenazi musical tradition.
The performance will feature conductor and pianist Zalmen Mlotek, artistic director of the award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City, as the narrator; mezzo-soprano and Cantor Elizabeth Shammash; and baritone and Cantor Thom King, Beth El’s chazzan since 1997.
Among the selections will be the popular Yiddish song “Mayn Yiddishe Maydele,” poet Abraham Goldfaden’s “Rozhinkes mit Mandlen,” the classic “Bei Mir Bist Du Shein” popularized by the Andrew Sisters, and “If I Were a Rich Man” from the Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The concert — which is presented by the Philadelphia-based Lyric Fest art and music series — will feature supertitles with song translations and a video presentation.
Besides Beth El — which is located at 8101 Park Heights Ave. — “Yiddishe Nightingale” will be performed at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia on Mar. 2 and Adath Israel Synagogue in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, on Mar. 3.
“Lyric Fest is excited to return again to our shorter weekday concert offerings, designed to get a little music into the work week. This one is brimming with fun and history,” said Suzanne DuPlantis, artistic director of Lyric Fest. “Yiddish song for some is a part of their family traditions, and for others this world of song will be completely new. We’re expecting this concert to delight both these groups, with its old-world flair and modern twists!”
For information, visit lyricfest.org/tickets/.
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