YIVO Presents: Joel Engel: Jewish Folksongs Volume III

(New York, NY) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is pleased to announce its upcoming program, Joel Engel: Jewish Folksongs Volume III. This is a performance of Joel Engel's Jewish Folksongs Volume III (c. 1920) including 10 Jewish folksongs, dances, and Hasidic nigunim in virtuosic piano arrangements. The event will premiere on Facebook and YouTube on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, 1:00pm (ET). This collection of 10 pieces will be performed by pianist Thomas Kotcheff.

Together with volumes I and II (featured by YIVO in November 2020), Engel's arrangements were the first classical compositions to feature Yiddish folksongs. His use of Yiddish folk music in his compositions proved to be influential and inspired the Society for Jewish Folk Music and affiliated composers to create a vast oeuvre of similar work. Engel's work also inspired a variety of other composers who used Yiddish folksongs in their music, including Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes, whose second theme is taken from the second song of Volume I from this collection.

When:            Tuesday, June 8, 2021, 1:00pm (ET)
Where:          Premiering on Facebook and YouTube
Reservations Available at:  yivo.org/Engel-Volume-III

This program is part of the Sidney Krum Young Artists Concert Series. The Sidney Krum Young Artists Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from the Estate of Sidney Krum. This program is also supported by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

For more information contact:
Alex Weiser
Director of Public Programs

THE PERFORMER

Thomas Kotcheff (b. 1988) is a Los Angeles based composer and pianist. His music has been described as “truly beautiful and inspired” (icareifyoulisten.com) and “explosive” (Gramophone magazine). His compositions have been performed internationally by The Riot Ensemble, New York Youth Symphony, wild Up, Sandbox Percussion, Trio Appassionata, Argus Quartet, Lyris Quartet, Alinde Quartett, USC Thornton Edge, The Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, HOCKET, Peabody Percussion Group, Latitude 49, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble amongst others.

As a new music pianist, Thomas has dedicated himself to commissioning and premiering new piano works. His playing has been described as “dazzling” by Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times and “outstanding” by Steve Smith of Night after Night. In 2020, Thomas released the world premiere recording of Frederic Rzewski’s 75-minute solo piano work Songs of Insurrection in which Rzewski hailed his performance as “magnificent.” He is the pianist and founding member of the Los Angeles based piano duo HOCKET.

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story