African American and Jewish Music Meet in Celebration of Two Cultures: SOUL TO SOUL — Presented by The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene

 

                    The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) production of Soul to Soul, the electrifying and emotionally captivating theatrical concert that explores the parallels between African American and Jewish music, will be presented virtually this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

This exhilarating and moving musical event, which previously played annually to sold-out houses in New York City and across the country (Los Angeles, Houston, Boca Raton, Denver, Baltimore, and Chattanooga) and internationally (Bucharest, Toronto, Montreal, and Winnipeg), will be presented for the first time online.

Amid the pandemic, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has ramped up its virtual offerings, presenting more than 70 broadcasts—concerts, readings, Yiddish lessons, and benefits—and reaching more than 200,000 people. In early December, the Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular—featuring close to 90 stars of Broadway and Yiddish theatre from across the globe—drew an international audience of more than 35,000 viewers.

Now in its tenth year, Soul to Soul features a star-studded cast of singers, including: Broadway veteran Elmore James (Disney’s Beauty and The Beast on Broadway; Big River); Cantor Magda Fishman (B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton); Tony Perry (NYTF’s Shpiel! Shpiel! Shpiel!); Lisa Fishman (Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish); and, Tatiana Wechsler (Oklahoma! at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; X: Or Betty Shabazz v. The Nation).

 Wechsler, who has starred in several hit online productions, including Folksbiene! LIVE – Anywhere I Wander, and the Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular, which drew tens of thousands of viewers from across the globe, and in Folksbiene’s production of The Golden Bride, is producing and directing Soul to Soul’s virtual presentation.

Motl Didner, NYTF Associate Artistic Director, wrote this year’s concert script and curated images for the performance, which will run approximately 80 minutes. Conceived in 2010 by Zalmen Mlotek, Soul to Soul has evolved to include updated multimedia imagery and video, curated by Motl Didner, that reflects the ongoing need for unity and healing in today’s socio-economic climate.

“What 2020 has taught us is that we all need to work together if we are to claim A SHENERE UN BESERE VELT (a more beautiful and better world). Soul to Soul is an artistic manifestation of the shared experiences through the music of two peoples—and a powerful statement of the necessity of building bridges if we are to become a more perfect union’,” said Zalmen Mlotek, NYTF Artistic Director, and Dominick Balletta, NYTF Executive Director.

The annual concert, a combination of English spirituals, civil rights songs, Yiddish folk songs, and theatre songs, will premiere on Monday, January 18 at www.nytf.org. All Yiddish songs will include English translation subtitles. The presentation will be available for viewing starting at 4:00 PM (ET).

Audiences must register in advance at www.nytf.org/soul; tickets are $12, plus service fees. Once viewers start to watch the show, they will have a 4-day window to complete viewing. For additional information, email info@nytf.org.

Audiences must register in advance at www.nytf.org/soul; tickets are $12, plus service fees. Once viewers start to watch the show, they will have a 4-day window to complete viewing. For additional information, email info@nytf.org.

New York Jewish Guide