Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) is hosting a landmark concert rich in tradition and innovation this coming Thursday, December 12, as the college’s new Klezmer Ensemble takes center stage at 7 p.m. at the Black Box Theater, building M EAST on the Union Hills campus. The group - made up of nine musicians from throughout the valley – promises a memorable, holiday experience with PVCC’s own Mishy Katz debuting her original Hanukkah song.
"This project sort of fell in my lap, and I couldn’t be more excited about this collaboration,” said Katz, who has been studying music at PVCC for many years and first recorded her song back in October. Always eager to learn and grow as an artist, Katz said, “I am so grateful to be a part of this and to have met all of these wonderful people.”
This collaboration has become a defining moment for both the ensemble and Katz. Katz shared the song demo with PVCC music professor Bradford Knight, who encouraged her to connect with the college’s Coordinator of Music Humanities and Performance, Dr. Keith Kelly, to ask about a clarinet accompaniment. It was Dr. Kelly who suggested bringing in local musician Max Schwimmer and members of the PVCC Klezmer Ensemble to join the project.
“Mishy’s Hanukkah song came to us pretty fully formed, so it was very easy to come up with instrumental parts and put everything together in just a few rehearsals,” Schwimmer explained. “I am really happy that we could put a little bit of a Klezmer spin on the tune, and I think it’s a great addition to the limited repertoire of Hanukkah songs."
New Klezmer Course: A First in Arizona
This month’s concert represents the culmination of a groundbreaking new course in Klezmer music offered through PVCC’s Fine and Performing Arts program. Taught by Schwimmer, the course dives deep into Klezmer, an instrumental tradition rooted in the Eastern European Ashkenazic Jewish community. Students explore elements like ornamentation, ensemble playing, and cultural history, while building and rehearsing arrangements for a repertoire of ten songs.
Dr. Chris Scinto, PVCC's division chair for Visual and Performing Arts, called it “a perfect fit for PVCC’s mission to bring together music students, professionals, and community members.” Dr. Scinto, who played a pivotal role in introducing the course, said Schwimmer has “worked tirelessly to make the course a success, creating a curriculum, recruiting students, and sourcing recordings to study.”
"This experience represents a milestone for me," Schwimmer said. "Traditional Klezmer music is one of the greatest gifts of Jewish culture to the world, and it deserves to be studied, enjoyed, and danced to! I feel so much gratitude that PVCC has given us a space to explore it together this semester."
“I am proud that all kinds of music can find a home at PVCC and that folk music from all over the world can be offered to students, professionals and community members in a safe and fun environment,” said Kelly. “The feedback has been incredibly positive - an awesome experience with a great teacher who has provided them with opportunities to perform both on and off campus.”
The ensemble will also perform three days later at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society on December 15. For more information, visit PVCC’s Visual and Performing Arts Department.