2025 Phoenix Yiddish Culture Festival concert featuring musical performances by Jordan Wax and the Little Chef Klezmer Band with special guests, and dancing led by Miryam Coppersmith.
Jordan Wax is a songwriter from New Mexico who performs dynamic solo-accordion/vocal arrangements of new work in Yiddish. His innovative compositions are rooted in his three decades of relationship with elders who have imparted the subtleties of spoken Yiddish and musical sensibilities of the of the professional klezmer musician class. His debut album, The Heart Deciphers, released in November 2024, blends klezmer/lautari ensembles from Moldova with rock aesthetics from the American Southwest. As the first full-length studio album of songwriting to come from his generation in America, the album and live show are testaments to secular Yiddish creativity and cultural continuity in the face of incredible odds.
Miryam Coppersmith is a Philadelphia-based performance artist and educator. Miryam has apprenticed with master Yiddish dance teacher Steven Lee Weintraub since 2019. Together, they have created several performances together and taught at the Yiddish New York festival. Miryam teaches Yiddish dance workshops and leads social dancing at concerts, Jewish holidays, simchas/celebrations, and more.
Little Chef Klezmer Band is Phoenix's premiere professional Yiddish music ensemble. In January of 2024, LCKB performed in a multi-day artist residency with accordionist Christina Crowder, showcasing recently-discovered klezmer manuscripts from Ukraine, culminating in a concert at Beth El Phoenix. The project was supported by the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix, ASU Jewish Studies, and the East Valley JCC, and was featured in the Phoenix Jewish News. Little Chef Klezmer Band has performed throughout the Southwest US, including in El Paso, TX, and at Albuquerque’s Klezmerquerque festival in a guest appearance with Jordan Wax.
This event is part of the 2025 Phoenix Yiddish Culture Festival, made possible by the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture and ASU Jewish Studies. Event start time subject to change - please stay tuned for final schedule.