About this event
Zalmen Mlotek's Magical World of Yiddish Song is an entertaining and inspiring musical journey through the soundtrack of Jewish life. Accompanying himself at the piano, internationally acclaimed Yiddish music authority Zalmen Mlotek brings audiences on a captivating voyage through two centuries of Yiddish song, revealing how music accompanied every stage of life—from cradle songs and love ballads to theater hits, immigrant anthems, holiday celebrations, and songs of resilience and hope. Featuring rare gems from the Yiddish theater alongside historical songs that illuminate pivotal moments in Jewish history, Mlotek provides the stories, humor, and cultural context that bring this rich repertoire vividly to life. Both educational and deeply moving, this unique program celebrates the enduring magic of Yiddish song and its extraordinary role in preserving the memory, spirit, and creativity of generations of Jewish communities around the world. Zalmen Mlotek is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities on Yiddish folk, theater, and concert music. Through his work as conductor, pianist, arranger, educator, producer, and Artistic Director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, he has played a leading role in the global revival and preservation of Yiddish musical culture, bringing this rich artistic heritage to audiences throughout North America, Europe, Israel, and beyond. Mlotek's productions, recordings, concerts, and educational initiatives have helped introduce new generations to the treasures of Yiddish song and theater. His acclaimed stage works include Those Were the Days, the first bilingual musical on Broadway; On Second Avenue; and The Golden Land, which toured internationally under the sponsorship of his mentor, Leonard Bernstein. He also served as musical director and conductor of the internationally celebrated Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (Fidler Afn Dakh), directed by Joel Grey, a production that garnered worldwide attention and inspired subsequent productions most recently in Toronto, and in 2027 the Los Angeles premiere. A leading force in the rediscovery of historic Yiddish repertoire, Mlotek has overseen groundbreaking productions including the world premiere of Isaac Bashevis Singer's Yentl in Yiddish, Di Yam Gazlonim (a Yiddish adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance), and the acclaimed revival of Joseph Rumshinsky's operetta The Golden Bride. His work has helped restore countless neglected works to the international stage. As a performer and lecturer, Mlotek appears regularly at major cultural institutions, festivals, and concert venues throughout Europe, Israel, Canada, and the United States. He has collaborated with leading artists across a wide range of musical genres and has contributed to numerous recordings, films, documentaries, and television productions. His consulting credits include PBS productions such as The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater, produced by Michael Tilson Thomas, and Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler's House. Mlotek's recent musical, Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falndike Vent), created in collaboration with his son, Rabbi Avram Mlotek, explores songs composed in ghettos, camps, and cabarets during World War II. Adapted for television by AllArts/PBS, the project draws extensively from the pioneering collection We Are Here, compiled by his mother, Chana Mlotek, and aunt, Malke Gottlieb, the first English-language anthology of Yiddish Holocaust songs. A second-generation guardian of one of the world's most significant collections of Yiddish music, Mlotek continues to advance the preservation and dissemination of Jewish cultural heritage through performances, publications, recordings, broadcasts, and digital archives. The vast Yiddish song collections assembled by his parents remain freely accessible to scholars, musicians, and audiences worldwide ( www.yiddishsongs.org) and are featured in his ongoing series, Pearls of Yiddish Song which can be found on the theaters website : www.nytf.org In recognition of his contributions to Jewish culture and the performing arts, Mlotek has received numerous honors and has been instrumental in establishing Yiddish theater as a vibrant force on the contemporary international stage. His work continues to inspire artists, educators, and audiences around the world while ensuring that the voices, stories, and music of Yiddish civilization remain alive for future generations. RSVP [wpforms id="16133" title="false"]
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