Skip to Content Skip to Navigation

The Alexandria Kleztet: Home

Exciting and innovative, The Alexandria Kleztet has been combining traditional Eastern European/Jewish music with diverse influences for more than a decade.  New arrangements of traditional melodies and original songs by members of the band draw upon jazz, classical, world beat, rock and other musical genres to create a unique and entertaining sound.

The band is based in the Washington/Baltimore area and has performed throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including annual appearances at the Kennedy Center and regular concerts at the Peabody Institute.  They began touring internationally in 2007 with an appearance at the Semanas Musicales festival in Chile.

Led by woodwind player Seth Kibel, the band includes violinist Helen Hausmann, bassist Scott Harlan and percussionist Tim Jarvis.

The Alexandria Kleztet recently released it fourth album, Peace, Love and Coffee.  In addition to six original compositions, the recording features fresh arrangements of traditional melodies and creative re-workings of songs by Kurt Weill and John Williams.

The Kleztet has won THIRTEEN Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies) including:  World Music Duo or Group, World Music Instrumentalist, Jazz Instrumentalist, World Music Recording.

"The Alexandria Kleztet may not be international stars yet, but under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Kibel they will definitely get there."  -- Sing Out (Summer 2006)

Join Our Mailing List
Email:
For Email Marketing you can trust

The Most Klezmery Time of the Year! - December 2, 2009

'Tis the season!
 
'Tis the season to shower your friends and family with presents to show them how much you love, value and cherish them!
 
May we recommend that you give them the gift of Peace, Love and Coffee?  The album, that is.
 
Our newest album is winning rave reviews everywhere, and is available just about everywhere fine music is sold on the World Wide Interweb.  Both as digital files and as physical CD's.
 
But probably the easiest way to get your copies is to purchase them from our good friends at CDBaby.com or from us directly at one of our live shows.
 
So please check out some of our schedule highlights below, or find our complete schedule on our website at www.kleztet.com.
 
Here's wishing you and yours a VERY happy and healthy holiday season!
 
- Seth & The Alexandria Kleztet
 
Schedule highlights
Saturday, December 5 -- Burke Library Multicultural Open House Celebration
11 am - noon
5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke, Virginia  22015
703-249-1520 
Free!
 
 
Saturday, December 5 -- Concert at Rust Library
6 - 7:15 pm
380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg, Virginia  20175
703-777-0323
Free!
Yes, I know, we're playing two libraries in one day.  Go figure.
 
 
Thursday, December 10 -- Concert at Sussex County Community College
7 - 8:30 pm
1 College Hill Road, Newton, New Jersey  08201
973-300-2100  
We'll be in the "A" Building, in the Performing Arts Center.
Earlier in the day, we'll be doing an educational program for students at the college.
My understanding is that evening concert is free for students, and costs $7 for anyone else.  So please pass this along to all your Jersey friends!
 
 
"Hungry for Chanukah Music" benefit concert
7 pm
7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland  20910
240-567-5775
This is our annual benefit concert for Hungry for Music, featuring some of the best and brightest in Jewish music in the Mid-Atlantic.  In addition to The Kleztet, featured performers will include Klezcentricity, Lox and Vodka, Alan Oresky, and Mark Novak a.k.a. MC Macabee.
Reserved tickets are $20 and $25 and can ONLY be obtained by going to www.hungryformusic.com or by calling 240-582-6193.

YouKlez - November 2, 2009

We've just posted a whole slew of fine, fine video clips from The Alexandria Kleztet's August CD release show at The Kennedy Center.

Please check 'em out.  And pretend the internet is toast, and our videos are klezmer jelly -- in other words, spread 'em around!  Tweet 'em, post 'em on your Facebook profiles, rate 'em, comment on 'em, share 'em with your loved ones, watch 'em on company time -- it's all good!

Ketsad M'rakdin

Bei Mir Bist Du Schein

Cantina Band (yep, from Star Wars)

Youkali

Mi Ha'ish

 
 
If what you see (and hear) whets your appetite for more, please check out our December performance schedule here.  We're playing all up and down the East Coast throughout next month, so you'll have plenty of chances to catch us live.

Kleztoberfest! - October 2, 2009

Saturday, October 3 -- Art on the Avenue Festival
10 - 11 am 
Mount Vernon Avenue & East Oxford Avenue, Alexandria, VA
Free!

Sunday, October 4 -- Interview/live performance on WRNR
9 am-ish
This won't be the full band, but Seth, Helen, and our good friend, pianist Sean Lane, will be playing a few songs live, on-the-air, as well as discussing the new album.  Tune in to WRNR Annapolis, 103 FM, around 9 am, to have a listen!

Tuesday, October 6 -- FODfest '09 (Friends of Daniel Pearl)
Beit Tikvah 
7 pm 
5802 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD  21210
410-464-9402
Free!
This is the Baltimore stop of a nationwide tour celebrating the life, legacy, and mission of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.  In addition to his work as a journalist, Daniel Pearl was an accomplished fiddler, and used music as a way to bridge cultural divides in his travels.
In addition to The Kleztet, artists performing will include: Greg Colburn, Howard Markman, Mama's Black Sheep, Sam Weiser, Sharon Klein, SONiA, Terry Gourley & Tobias Hurwitz, Todd Mack

Wednesday, October 14 -- Peabody Institute
7 - 9 pm
1 East Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD  21202
410-659-8100
Free!
Another one of our free concerts at one of the most prestigious conservatories in the nation!  With us for this show will be guest percussionist Wes Crawford, filling in for Tim Jarvis, who will be away on a top-secret mission.
As of press time, we're still not sure what hall we'll be playing in that evening.  If you're planning on attending, I strongly encourage you to drop me a line prior to the show for specific information! 

Sunday, October 18 -- Jammin' Java
Double CD Release show with Susan Gaeta and special guest Jon Carroll
2 - 4 pm
227 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA  22180
703-255-1566
Tickets: $10

This is gonna be a special one!  Not only will we be celebrating the release of our latest album, but we'll be joined by globe-trotting Sephardic musician Susan Gaeta, and Grammy-winning musician Jon Carroll (Starland Vocal Band, Mary Chapin Carpenter Band).  Susan will do a set, we'll do a full set, and Jon will perform a mini-set and accompany both acts!
I strongly encourage you to purchase tickets in advance for this show, as we stand a darn good chance of selling out one of the premier venues for live music in the Mid-Atlantic.  Woo hoo! 

Sunday, October 25 -- The City Winery 
Klezmer Brunch
10 am - 2 pm 
155 Varick Street, New York, NY  10013
212-608-0555
Tickets: $10
We're coming back to the Big Apple!  This will be our first appearance at what is becoming one of the leading klezmer concert series in the NY metropolitan area.  The City Winery is a wonderful new music and dining venue in The Village.  Help us make a big splash by buying your tickets here!  And please tell all of your NYC area family and friends -- we promise to tell them you love them! 

RSS feed