2012 Guava Rugelach Festival
Saturday, September 1-2, 2012
Next@19th
137 NE 19th St.
campus of Temple Israel and Bridgepoint Academy
COST: $10 – $45 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006

The sixth annual Guava Rugelach Festival is back to celebrate the vibrant presence of tropical Jewish sound, Saturday, September 1 and Sunday, September 2 at Next@19th, located at 137 NE 19th Street at the campus of Temple Israel and Bridgepoint Academy in Miami. Bearing witness to the age-old concept that music crosses all boundaries, the festival will allow attendees to experience Jewish culture through an array of geographically-influenced musical genres as artists harmoniously intersect their divergent styles to reflect the Jewish Diaspora.

The melodic mixture includes the Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) songs of Spain mingled with Flamenco; pop songs of the 1920s; Klezmer for kids and Klezmer jamming with Latin beats; unearthed classical gems; and the influence of Jewish biblical history on Spirituals of the south. A new, improved two-stage format will keep the music flowing throughout, with several entertainers gracing the stages including, Shir Ami Ensemble, Second Avenue Jewish Chorale with local jazz favorite Reuben Hoch of the Hassidic Jazz Project and other celebrated jazz ensembles known for regular gigs around town, Lloyd Reshard, Klezmer Company Orchestra, Susana Behar and Jose Luis Rodriguez with Niurca Marquez, Alejandra Czarny and many others.

The Festival kicks off Saturday night, September 1 at 9pm with the premiere of Of Essence & Time/De La Esencia & El Tiempo a collaboration of Sephardic singer Susana Behar, Flamenco guitarist Jose Luis Rodriguez and Nu Flamenco dancer Niurca Marquez. The piece explores the mutual Andalusian roots of both Sephardic tradition and Flamenco music, and how each has influenced the other in origin as well as in the artists’ collaborative fusions.

The cultural festivities continue on Sunday, September 2 at 1 p.m. as Klezmer For Kids offers families a rich dip into Yiddish culture through the animated presentation of the children’s book Mendel’s Accordion. The performance features projections of the picture book, while accordionist Aaron Kula, the Klezmer Company Orchestra, and award-winning performer Deborah Sherman, who lends her talent as reader, bring the story to life.

Sunday afternoon is then filled with a line-up of exciting acts that touch on a variety of connections to Jewish experience:

· 2 p.m. – Accordionist Aaron Kula and the Klezmer Company Orchestra present the Latin Klezmer.

· 2:30 p.m. – Classical singer and Director of Arts at St. John’s, Lloyd Reshard, sings the connections between African American spirituals and Jewish history.

· 3 p.m. – Next@19th’s own 2nd Avenue Jewish Chorale recaps its celebrated 1920s jazz program showcasing Jewish cultural influences in the jazz era alongside local jazz favorite Reuben Hoch of the Hassidic Jazz Project and other celebrated jazz ensembles known for regular gigs around town.

· 3:30 p.m. – The Shir Ami Ensemble featuring the acclaimed musicians of the Amernet String Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at Florida International University, gives voice to the music of composers whose work has been suppressed, neglected or silenced in the tumultuous 20th century due to their Jewish heritage.

· 4 p.m. – Vocalists Susana Behar and Alejandra Czarny present a program of lullabies in Ladino and Yiddish. In this program, they join voices and share languages to explore the sounds of bedtime nurturing throughout the Jewish Diaspora.

· 4:30 p.m. – As a majestic finale, all Guava Rugelach participants take the stage in the Guava Jam fusing all the diverse sounds of their musical practices and globally-influenced Jewish culture.

The Guava Rugelach Festival will take place at Next@19th located at 137 NE 19th Street on the campus of Temple Israel and Bridgepoint Academy. Plenty of free parking available onsite. Early Bird Tickets can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com or by phone at 800.838.3006. Ticket prices are as follows: Early Bird Full Festival – $36, Regular Full Festival – $45, Saturday Night – $25 ($18 SSA), Klezmer For Kids ONLY – $10, Sunday – $25 ($18 SSA), Lap sitters under two-years old- Free. The program is subject to change without notice; please visit www.nextat19th.org for event updates.

Also, just added to the line-up as an auxiliary event, on Thursday, August 30 at 6:30pm at the Books & Books at Bal Harbour Shops, at 9700 Collins Avenue, Susana Behar will discuss the collaborative process of exploring juxtaposed Sephardic and Flamenco traditions through the creation of a new work.

Area synagogues including Temple Israel, Temple Beth Sholom, Beth Torah and Bet Shira Congregation will be hosting special Guava Rugelach Shabbat services on Friday, August 31. The services start at varying times and each feature different Festival performers.

Programs of Next@19th are presented with the support and partnership of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, The Greater Miami Jewish Federation, The CAJE-Miami Jewish Film Festival, the Florida Center for Literary Arts, Arts at St. Johns, the New Jewish Culture Network of the Foundation for Jewish Culture, Dacra, Shalom Israel Radio, Miami Jewish Culture Initiative, The Betsy Hotel, L’Chaim Vodka , the Miami Foundation, Books & Books, Temple Israel, Temple Beth Sholom, Beth Torah, Bet Shira Congregation and many generous individual donors.