September 3 and 4, 2011
Next@19th
137 NE 19 Street
Miami FL 33132
Music, Dance and Poetry present Artistic Expression of Culture
Tickets per day are $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors and artists, or a special early bird price of $30 for both days; available for purchase at www.brownpapertickets.com.
For more information please call 305.542.7732 or visit the website at www.nextat19th.org.

Next@19th kicks-off the 4th annual Guava Rugelach Festival in celebration of arts, music and diversity. On September 3 and 4, 2011, the musical mezcla will welcome headliner local and international artists including Galeet Dardashti, Myriam Eli (Harmonic Motion) and Susana Behar. Moving performances, poetic interpretations and a special children’s event will cater to the whole family.

Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 9:00 p.m.
Monajat
The Foundation for Jewish Culture and The New Jewish Culture Network proudly hosts the world premiere of Monajat, a new six-city national commission dedicated to bringing poetry, music and other art forms to Miami, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Boston and Houston.

“It is so exciting to be presenting a world premiere at Guava Rugelach this year!” said Next@19th Director Jenni Person. “The performance of Monajat by Iranian-descended Sephardic artist Galeet Dardashti is an extraordinary centerpiece for our festival. It pushes forward both in form and content as a multidisciplinary work exploring traditional Middle Eastern musical and lyrical motifs in a contemporary aesthetic.”

Accompanied by dynamic video projections designed by Dmitry Kmelnitsky, Iranian composer and singer Galeet Dardashti will perform Monajat (Fervent Prayer) as a Middle Eastern musical. In this piece, Dardashti reinvents Persian melodies and Hebrew texts with electronic soundscapes, including recordings of her grandfather Yona Darsdashti, cantor and renowned master singer of Persian classical music.

Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.
Klezmer for Kids
The Guava Rugelach Festival welcomes families through Klezmer for Kids, a program specifically designed for youth ages 2 to 10. The Klezmer Company Orchestra will present a musical and multimedia presentation of the children’s book Kugel Valley Klezmer Band, a group dedicated to ensuring that education of Klezmer Music and Jewish culture is accessible to children. This cozy story-time piece will include a live orchestra performance accompanied by an oral narrative of the book by performer and Director of Next@19th Jenni Person.

September 4, 2011, 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Guava Jam Line-Up
The festivities continue on with five fast-paced, 20-minute, vibrant sets of music during an improvisational jam called The Guava Jam, featuring all participating artists, and including the following performances:
– Harmonic Motion & Yariv Ovadia – Middle Eastern Sephardic music and Ladino song integrated with Israeli music and Hebrew song
– Safeinu – a capella harmonies of Jewish song
– Hindu Kirtan & Jewish Nigun – a juxtaposition of meditative sound from Hindu and Jewish traditions
– Heebster CHAIku – spoken word centered on Jewish experience and identity
– JewJamm and Susana Behar – Jewish liturgy meets traditional jazz modalities and a Ladino-singing chanteuse
– The Guava Jam Finale – featuring a jam amongst all participating artists

The successful Guava Rugelach Festival annually celebrates tropical Jewish sound. Artists featured in the festival present music of the Jewish diaspora – a diverse sonic experience featuring something for everyone. Celebrated at the Festival is the vast array of musical genres that create the whole that is Miami’s diverse Jewish community. From the Ladino songs of the Sephardic Middle East to those of Spain and Cuba; from Klezmer for kids to Klezmer jamming with Latin beats; from Hebrew lyrics dancing over Mizrachi (middle eastern) melodies mixed with rock to spoken word.

Next@19th was founded in July 2010 to engage South Florida’s diverse community in fresh culture, learning and spiritual experience through a Jewish lens. Producing original programming, the organization will host a range of events and activities. This 2010 – 2011 season promises celebrations of music, literary arts, visual art, education and spirituality as well as dynamic projects in partnership with Miami Book Fair International, the Jewish Film Festival and University of Wynwood. Next@19th is located at 137 NE 19 Street, Miami FL 33132, on the campus of Temple Israel’s historic site in downtown Miami. For more information please call 305.542.7732 or visit the website at www.nextat19th.org.