Events › YIVO Summer Klezmer Concert featuring The KlezMeydlech

As part of the Chicago YIVO Summer Festival of Yiddish Culture, we welcome The KlezMeydlech!

The KlezMeydlech is a trio of women who vocally and instrumentally perform both traditional klezmer and Yiddish songs as well as Jewish music with a modern flare, incorporating creative arrangements with international and American influences.  This program will include klezmer and Yiddish favorites, pieces from Jewish Spain and the Middle East as well as music inspired by Jewish American composers.

Shirlee Todd is the vocalist and leader of The KlezMeydlech. For Shirlee music and language go hand in hand. She comes from a bilingual home where both English and Yiddish were spoken and she has been performing in those languages since childhood. She also performs in Spanish which she speaks fluently, in Ladino (judeo espanol) and Russian. She co-founded Jazmer, a Jewish-American band, in 1995 with Jazmer's clarinetist Don Jacobs and it has been a favorite of Yivo audiences. Shirley also enjoys singing the standards of some of our greatest American composers and the music of Broadway.

Irina Kaufman, the violinist of The KlezMeydlech, is from Belorussia and she received her MA from the Conservatory of Minsk. Irina toured with various Belorussian orchestras across Eastern and Western Europe. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1995 and performed with a number of bands here in the U.S. as well as forming her own, The Irina Kaufman Orchestra. In addition to performing, she teaches violin, piano and vocal education.

Gail Mangurten is the pianist of The KlezMeydlech and she has played in various bands and ensembles including Jazmer, which was led by Shirlee Todd, the vocalist of the KlezMeydlech. Gail is a versatile performer who is as comfortable playing Jewish music as she is playing American music in a variety of styles. Due to her versatility, she is in demand as an accompanist for both musical and theatrical productions. Gail also teaches privately and at Cappelli Institute of Music in Oak Park.

Accessibility
Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.