Klezmer series coming to the Skirball Cultural Center

The Skirball Cultural Center presents two concerts as part of a new music series, Klezmer Across Borders, which aims to celebrate the growing popularity of klezmer throughout the Americas.

Skirball music director Yatrika Shah-Rais explains, “Klezmer has thrived in the U.S. over the last half-century, enjoying a revival that has brought us notably innovative klezmer acts. It is less known that both our neighbors to the north and south of us, in Canada and South America, have produced klezmer ensembles that have boldly reinterpreted the centuries-old Eastern European musical tradition.”

On Thursday, February 4, at 8:00 p.m., Toronto-based ensemble and world-music festival favorites Beyond the Pale takes the stage. Infusing klezmer, Balkan, and Romanian music with bluegrass, jazz, reggae, and funk, the band is beloved for its explosive acoustic sound and high-energy live show.

On Thursday, March 25, at 8:00 p.m., world-class Argentinean duo César Lerner and Marcelo Moguilevsky, also known as Klezmer en Buenos Aires, perform in their Los Angeles debut. Drawing inspiration from their Jewish heritage, the pair blends klezmer with elements of Argentinean folk, jazz, tango, and contemporary sounds. The concert by Klezmer en Buenos Aires is presented as part of the Skirball’s ongoing initiative VIVA! Celebrating the Americas, which explores the connections between Jewish and Latin American cultures through lectures, conversations, and performing, visual, and media arts.

For general Skirball information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049 (exit Skirball Ctr Dr off the 405). Parking is free. The Skirball is also accessible by Metro Rapid Bus 761. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday 12:00–5:00 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays. Museum admission: $10 General; $7 Seniors, Full-Time Students, and Children over 12; $5 Children 2–12. All exhibitions are free to Skirball Members and Children under 2. Exhibitions are free to the public on Thursdays. The Skirball is also home to Zeidler’s Café, which serves innovative California cuisine in an elegant setting and Audrey’s Museum Store, which sells books, contemporary art, music and more. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org.