survey

[Rhoda Bernard <Rhoda_Bernard...>]

I am a Yiddish-speaking singer of Jewish music in Yiddish and Hebrew, and a
full-time musician. Most of my current work in Jewish music is with my
band, Klezamir, based in Western MA. We play klezmer, Israeli, Yiddish
folksongs, Yiddish theatre songs, and original Jewish music, as well as a
substantial repertoire of popular music if clients for private parties
request it. We are 5 people who all play more than one instrument, and we
get a lot of interesting combinations of instruments in our performances.
We are finishing up our second CD, which is due out this March, and which
will contain several original instrumental pieces. We play private parties,
give concerts, and present educational programs at schools. We have a fair
amount of travel on our docket: Birmingham, Alabama next weekend and Grand
Rapids, Michigan in March.  Our web site (shameless self promotion is
www.klezamir.com.

In addition, I perform as a soloist in a variety of contexts, from concerts
for Jewish elders to black-tie concert events for Jewish organizations all
along the East Coast. I have several long-term relationships with Yiddish
cultural organizations around the country, as I am a Yiddishist as well as
a singer, and I perform for them regularly. I teach Yiddish classes at
local Jewish elderly institutions, and lead sing alongs for groups of all
kinds.

In Boston, I also free-lance and appear with other groups. I have been a
regular sub for Betty Silberman in the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra since 1994.
In fact, I will be working with them tomorrow morning in an educational
program north of Boston. I appear regularly with the Barry Shapiro
Orchestra, led by former KCB member Barry Shapiro.

I have appeared as a cantorial soloist at several reform congregations and
at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged. While cantorial singing is
not my main focus, I really enjoy singing traditional cantorial repertoire
as well as more contemporary liturgical music.

I think that about sums things up!
Rhoda (Rokhl)Bernard