Matishayu as he came out at the Boulder Theater.

So, same long wait, same great reggae rock music.  “Jerusalem” sounds just as good without the hair.  Just for the record, Matisyahu still sports kippah and tzitzit under his long black coat, but with dark glasses instead of facial hair, he looks more mainstream.  Sort of.  In any case, he sold out the Boulder Theater Thursday night for what was undoubtedly his first public non-hirsute appearance anywhere besides Twitter.

Rabbi Marc Soloway at the concert -- and clean-shaven in solidarity with Matisyahu.

The Boulder Jewish community turned out in big numbers, but so did other fans of all colors, sizes and looks. And they were all swaying to the great beat Matisyahu lays down – heavy on the bass, and reggae and world rhythms at the same time.  “Miracle” was, well, just that… a miracle to behold.

"One Day"

Matisyahu ended his set with “One Day’, which was a beautiful thing, and had the crowd singing along.  He also brought up on stage most of the kids standing in the front row, and made a party of it.  After the song, and after the stage cleared, Matisyahu came back out for a series of long encores, apparently unusual at his concerts.

Full disclosure: I have not seen Matisyahu in concert before, nor have I listened to a great deal of his music. But I am definately a fan now, and it has nothing to do with whether or how frum he is or isn’t.  This guy just makes awesome music.  And that’s what it’s all about.

Check out concert coverage from JTA here.

Our slideshow from the show:

Matisyahu Tuesday morning, via Twitter and YFrog

BREAKING: Singer Matisyahu, known heretofore as a “chasidic reggae superstar,” posted pictures of his now naked face on Twitter and announced that “all you get is me… no alias.”

Matisyahu, who appears Thursday night here at the Boulder Theater, has been known for years for being the most visible chasidic Jew in the world: full beard, payos, black kippah, black hat and black coat.  Now he has decided the next step in his spiritual journey requires him to shed that appearance.

From his blog Tuesday morning:

This morning I posted a photo of myself on Twitter.

No more Chassidic reggae superstar.

Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias.  When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process.  It was my choice.  My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life.  At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth.  I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart.  I am reclaiming myself.  Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.

Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth.  And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair.

- Matisyahu”

Meanwhile, Boulder gets to be one of the first, if not the first concert of the now-unbearded one.  If you haven’t gotten tickets yet, here is the Boulder Theater concert link.

JTA covered the story here:

NEW YORK (JTA) – The world’s most famous Chasidic Jew has shaved his beard.

With a declaration Tuesday morning that he was “reclaiming” himself, Jewish music star Matisyahu — aka Matthew Miller — shaved his signature beard and wrote, “No more Chassidic reggae superstar.”

The musician posted two photos of his newly beardless face to the social networking site Twitter and added an explanation on his website a few hours later.

“When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process,” he wrote. “I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules — lots of them — or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself.”

Read the rest of the story here.

Matisyahu

Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 hit “King Without a Crown“: Here was a true original, the song announced — a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu’s Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard’s reggae albums chart. That album, as well as Matisahu’s previous recording Live at Stubb’s, went Gold. True originals, though, don’t stay put for long, and on his bold new album, Light, 29-year-old Matisyahu proves that there’s much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye.

As my musical tastes have grown I have been re-discovering my sound and my voice,” he says.

Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory. “Being an artist is about being sensitive to how the world resonates inside you and then being able to express it,” he says. “This process is an ever-changing one.”

Despite the lengthy and varied guest list, Light remains a work traceable only to Matisyahu’s unique creative sensibility, an album that reflects more than two years’ worth of religious study, particularly the story of the seven beggars by Reb Nachman. This is the driving spiritual force behind Light. The story is about two children who get lost in a dark forest after fleeing an invasion of their kingdom. Each night a different beggar, each of which suffers from a different ailment, approaches them with food and water.

I feel this theme, though written as a fairytale in the 1800′s, is very relevant to many of the struggles that we face today,” Matisyahu says. “From child soldiers to child sex slaves to everyday people trying to awaken their broken hearts.”

Don’t miss Matisyahu perform “Light“ and many of his other number 1 hits live at the Boulder Theater on December 15^th. Tickets available at the Boulder Theater Box Office or click here to purchase online.  Doors open at 7:30pm and show starts at 8:30 pm.

The word “opa” is the Greek equivalent of L’Chaim, used as a celebratory salutation. Unlike, “L’Chaim, which means “to life,” opa doesn’t really ‘mean’ anything. It’s an exclamation of joy, like “whoopee” or “hooray.” It is frequently used in conjunction with dancing and drinking.

OPA! Celebrating the Jews of Greece, which takes place  Saturday, December 3 starting at 6:00 pm at the Boulder JCC, is an opportunity to use both affirmations of joy. There will be dancing. There will be drinking. There will be an abundance of great food.

The Jewish presence in Greece goes back at least to the times of Alexander the Great – come experience their rich culture, cuisine and history.

The highlight of the evening will be a concert of Greek music by the band Sherefe. The evening will also include a short film about the Romaniote Jews, who have 2,000 years of history, and their own language, customs and traditions. Carlos Zarur, Menorah’s favorite teacher, will lead a discussion following the film.

Come enjoy baklava and ouzo, spanakopita and dolmas, Greek wine and Greek salad. Learn Greek dances from Jean Hertzberg. (Yes, she’s Jewish and a great dancer, but not Greek.)

Pre-registration is strongly recommended as this event fills the Boulder JCC. Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the door.

Jessica Gabrielle Hayoun:
Jessica was born in France and lived the first 12 years of her life between Paris and Annecy (Alpes). A talented singer, Jessica blends blues/soul/pop/jazz and includes her strong love of Musical Theatre within her creations. She dedicates all of her time to mastering the art and creatively developing her passion. Graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver, Jessica studied Music Business and performance. During her time at the University, she received first place in the Musical Theatre category of the National Association of Teachers of Music and performed among professors and professionals for a PBS fundraiser. Currently Jessica is working on several projects in the Denver area. She sings in a cover band called Snap quintet and recording in the studio. Within the next year, Jessica will be releasing an EP and hitting the road!

Stephen Thurston:
Stephen began studying Jazz on piano at a young age. He gained experience playing in the outstanding jazz program at Fairview High School in Boulder, and in the local jazz scene. While still in high school he studied piano with music theory professor/pianist Keith Waters, and the world renowned jazz pianist Art Lande. He also joined the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA) and played in the Colorado All-State jazz band. At age 18 Stephen participated in his first commercially released recording session with CCJA that featured one of his compositions.

The St. Julien Hotel is located at 900 Walnut St., Boulder, 720-406-9696.

Kurt Gerron

Michael Christie’s interest in “Rediscovered Masters” began with Felix Mendelssohn, and the discovery that this musical giant had suffered a long period of denigration due to anti-Semitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A little research on the internet led Christie to the realization that many musical artists had similarly suffered because they were Jewish. The Colorado Music Festival Director’s growing fascination led him to a treasure trove of music by Jewish composers who were persecuted and whose work was suppressed. Some died in the Holocaust and some survived the Holocaust. Others simply never achieved recognition. There are works that have never been published, never mind performed.

Christie explained his desire to resurrect such lost or under-appreciated music at a private reception prior to the “Rediscovered Masters” concert July 8 at Chautauqua. The concert featured Soprano Jessica Rivera, and performances of works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Mieczyslaw Weinberg and Henryk Gorecki.

 For those who missed the two “Rediscovered Masters” concerts, there’s good news. Christie announced that he plans to continue his presentation of material by rediscovered masters next year.

And on Wednesday, July 27 at Rembrandt Yard, the CMF chamber music series concludes with “Different Trains,” its title taken from Steve Reich’s Grammy-winning piece. Reich rode a train across the US during WW II and realized that as a Jew, had he lived in Europe, his train rides would have been dramatically different. His composition for string quartet and tape is in three movements: America Before the War, Europe During the War, and After the War. Tickets are $22 and include wine, dessert and a chance to meet the musicians.

As Christie looks ahead to next summer’s season, one of the ideas he’s considering is a performance of “Brundibar,” the children’s opera performed in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. There was such strong interest following the announcement that the CMF is meeting with local organizations such as the Boulder JCC to explore the possibilities.

Brundibar children's opera

“Brundibar” was written by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása who was deported to Theresienstadt, where a special performance of “Brundibar” was staged in 1944 for representatives of the Red Cross who came to inspect living conditions in the camp and were deliberately misled by what they saw. Later that year this “Brundibar” performance was included in the Nazi propaganda film directed under duress by famed German Jewish actor and director Kurt Gerron.

All of the participants in the Theresienstadt production were herded into cattle trucks and sent to Auschwitz  as soon as filming was finished. Most were gassed immediately upon arrival including the children, the composer Krása, director Gerron, and the musicians.

The Boulder JCC will present a documentary about Gerron, “Prisoner of Paradise,” on Thursday October 6, 2011 at noon as part of Movers’ “Art and Conscience” series.

In 2003 the opera was adapted into a picture book by Tony Kushner with illustrations by Maurice Sendak, who later designed the sets for a staged version of the opera.

For tickets to the Colorado Music Festival, visit coloradomusicfest.org.

It is difficult to listen to the Voices of Peace choir and not come away inspired. They are unburdened by the political chaos that surrounds them and use their voices to pass on a message of peace and hope. “We all want peace between Israel and the Arab countries,” said Lana, a young Arab girl whose solo performances take your breath away. “Singing is how we make our contribution.”

My volunteer work includes writing about and promoting their efforts and I am very inspired by what I see and hear. Voices of Peace is comprised of a small group of male and female vocalists ranging from twelve to nineteen years of age. They sing in Arabic, English and Hebrew. Their primary instructor and resident musician is Idan Tolednao, and their voice instructor is Dorit Lubrani. Dorit expertly coaches the choir on the technical aspects of the performance while Idan helps by offering his own bits of advice and inspiration.

Voices of Peace has performed at numerous events including the memorial ceremony for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Duet in Jaffo festival, various television programs, the Feast of Feasts Carnival, the Peres Center for Peace Ten Year Gala Event, functions in France, Belgium and England, as well as Foreign Ministry offices. They even performed in front of the pope and worked on an original song called “Don’t Laugh at Me” with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. “At first, we had no idea who he was” said Pilar, a fifteen year old Christian Arab girl about Mr. Yarrow. “But our parents did and we do now. “Don’t Laugh at Me” is now my favorite song.” When asked what her favorite performance thus far was, Pilar’s friend Lana responded with a grin “all of them, I just like being on stage.”

The choir meets a few days a week at the AJCC where they socialize and practice for their next performance. On the day I visited them, their rehearsal started with excited chit-chat as the kids shared stories about their day at school, laughing about the Justin Bieber concert they attended and the new episode of Glee. Many of the Muslim and Christian students attend English speaking schools in Jaffo so along with Arabic, and a little Hebrew, fluent English can be heard amongst the chatter.

Once they settled down from the excitement of seeing one another they began with a few voice warm-ups led by Dorit. Their immense talent shines through even during basic warm-up drills. A simple octave slide to begin the day sounds like the opening notes of a professional performance. They even did a number of Qi-Gong exercises under Dorit’s tutelage to get their energy flowing.

Once they finished their warm-ups, they began to practice for their performance. The songs they perform all share the same themes of peace, love and understanding. They are drawn from various styles, regions and artists but all carry the same unifying message.

On this day, they started with a song called “Shalom/Salaam.” It began with a number of pitch-perfect solos and harmonies before building up to a rousing chorus where all members of the choir belt out their lyrics and clap along. Their voices sound wonderful together, each person hitting their pitch expertly, but it is not until you think about who these youth are, where they are from and what they are singing about, that you are aware of how special this choir is. If any of this sounds like hyperbole, I assure you that seeing this group perform in person would give even the biggest pessimist reason to hope. If these young people can come together and put all their religious, political and social differences aside in the name of music then how difficult can peace really be? Of course we know that the reality is more complicated than that, but while listening to the Choir of Peace it truly does not feel that way.

The beginning of the second song sounded like a slow, moody klezmer tune but was sung in Arabic by a Muslim boy. This created a sort of amalgamation of emotion and style and his sad Arabic words coupled with the melancholy klezmer jazz seemed to carry the pain of two people’s history entwined. The next song they practiced, “Makom Ba Lev” (A Place in the Heart) may have been the most beautiful of all. The verses, performed as solos, were in Hebrew and Arabic, and their voices united for the Hebrew refrain: “a place in your heart.” At one point during the third verse a girl had been singing her solo wonderfully before her voice slipped into a pitchy squeak as she tried to hit a difficult high note. Everyone in the room giggled and she giggled along, and then Idan, after waiting for the giggles to subside, picked up the piano music from the moment before her mistake. She picked it up effortlessly, this time hitting the note spot on.

The fourth song, “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, was sung in all three languages. Towards the end of the third verse the choir broke into A Capella and snapped along while repeating the last line in a Hebrew-Arabic harmony: “the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.”

After watching them practice and seeing some videos of their performances it is clear that Voices of Peace can perform masterfully. It is also clear that these kids believe in the power of what they are doing. They are as typical as teenagers can be, flirting with each other, laughing about whether or not Justin Bieber is cute, but, unlike most people their age, have chosen to engage in a project to improve their community. A project whose goal is to help create peace and understanding in a region of the world that is woefully lacking in those areas.

It is a shame that Voices for Peace does not have more recognition. They do not yet have a CD recorded because they cannot afford the basic production costs. The public is hardly aware of them in Israel, not to mention the rest of the world. This could all change with some well placed PR and an humble amount of financial aid for travel and organization costs.

Their performance is fun, energetic and captivating. But most of all it is inspirational. Not only because of what it stands for but because of the individual members of the choir themselves, because of the innocence and optimism and love that is clear in their voices. A Voices of Peace performance gives us the chance to see a group of wonderful, talented youth perform, but more importantly, it gives us a chance to hope.

For more information about the Voices of Peace choir please visit their homepage and their many videos on YouTube. Here’s a sample:

Rediscovered Masters

Performances of works that were either suppressed during the Nazi regime or written in reaction to the atrocities of that time in history.

Performances are Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Chautauqua Auditorium, and Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Rembrandt Yard.

Come experience the beauty of these works and celebrate the resurgence of these composers as they take their rightful place in musical history.

My interest in this subject is primarily based on the superb quality of the music and the need to celebrate the genius of these artists…By upholding the legacy of these composers, we can ensure that hatred will never prevail and war will never triumph.”

- Michael Christie

July 7 & 8: The Festival Orchestra concert features works by Erich Korngold (an Oscar-Award winning film score composer), Mieczyslaw Weinberg (a friend of Shostakovich, who draws upon Jewish elements in his music) and Henryk Gorecki (whose “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” became a worldwide success, selling more than a million copies when it was released in 1992.)  Soprano Jessica Rivera, whose voice has been widely praised for its “effortless precision and tonal luster,” is the featured guest artist.

In addition, the community is welcome to attend a FREE pre-concert, “Talk Under the Tent” discussion at 6:30pm on Thursday, July 7 to learn more about the lives and music of these composers.

July 27: This Chamber Music program will begin with Samuel Barber’s “String Quartet,” including the famous Adagio for Strings, which was written before the World War II in the late 1930s.  The second work, Gideon Klein’s “String Trio” was composed in 1944 while he was in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.  It was the last piece he composed. Nine days after he finished the piece he was sent to Auschwitz, yet the work is remarkable for its uplifting and life-affirming spirit.  “Different Trains,” Steve Reich’s Grammy-winning piece for String Quartet and tape, will conclude the program.  Reich rode the train across the US during World War II and later realized that as a Jew, had he lived in Europe, his train rides would have been entirely different.

For members of the Jewish Community, CMF is offering a 25% discount off regular ticket prices (excluding GA Bench) for the Rediscovered Masters concerts.  Simply use the code “MASTERS” when purchasing tickets and receive 25% off your ticket order.

Tickets can be purchased individually or as part of a group (there is no minimum requirement to receive the discount).  Visit www.comusic.org or call the box office at 303-440-7666 for tickets or information.

Groups of 10 people or more can be seated together by purchasing their tickets through Maggie Zawalski by phone at 303-449-1397.