Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York welcomes the Amos Hoffman & Noam Lemish Quartet
The Amos Hoffman & Noam Lemish Quartet offered an inspired blend of jazz and Jewish folk melodies as part of the free on-campus year-long performance series Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York.
“This concert and the accompanying workshop at the Department of Music will introduce our students and the wider community to a beautiful repertoire of music that comes from primarily Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities,” said Lemish. “In doing so, it also highlights the many centuries of collaboration and cultural exchange between the Arab and Jewish worlds.”
The Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies and the Department of Music in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) are proud to present the event featuring internationally renowned oud virtuoso Amos Hoffman and world-class pianist-composer Noam Lemish. For years, Hoffman and Lemish have been collecting Jewish melodies from different parts of the world, including Kurdish, Yemenite, Moroccan, Ladino, Russian and Israeli songs. The quartet’s lyrical and vibrant reimaginings of beloved Jewish melodies have captivated audiences across North America.
“It’s a joy to be able to welcome internationally renowned, award-winning jazz guitarist and oud virtuoso Amos Hoffman to York University. Hoffman is one of the pioneers of blending Middle Eastern musical influences into jazz,” said Lemish.
In their work together, Hoffman and Lemish create a refreshing and compelling sound filled with vibrant sonorities, unique instrument combinations and compelling arrangements. The renditions are simultaneously faithful to the songs’ origins and rooted in African American and Afro-Caribbean musical traditions. The result is a joyous, uplifting celebration, texturally rich music filled with groove, lyrical melodies and outstanding solos. For this special concert, Hoffman and Lemish will be joined by some of Toronto’s finest, with Andrew Downing on bass, Ethan Ardelli on drums, along with special guests Jacob Gorzhaltsan on clarinet and Beth Silver on cello.
For more information about the event, click here.
