Welcome to our 2026–2027 concert season!

Alba Challah so much more than a klezmer band

KLEZMER

Klezmer (Yiddish: קלעזמער) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these would have been played at weddings and other social functions. The musical genre incorporated elements of many other musical genres including Ottoman (especially Greek and Romanian) music, Baroque music, German and Slavic folk dances, and religious Jewish music. As the music arrived in the United States, it lost some of its traditional ritual elements and adopted elements of American big band and popular music.

ALBA CHALLAH

While studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, clarinettist Ruaridh Bakke got a few friends together to play some klezmer music. They were invited to play at the Spire concert series on 14 May 2022, and six-piece band Alba Challah was formed. Not only do they play klezmer repertoire, there is so much more in the form of thrilling classical/operatic repertoire arranged specifically for the band.

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