Bicoastal partnership focused on American Jewish experience premieres short-form Secret Chord Concerts this June

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (May 25, 2022) On Wednesday, June 1, the first season of Secret Chord Concerts, a new series spotlighting top Jewish musicians worldwide today, will launch.

Secret Chord Concerts is a free on-demand video series featuring 15-25 minute performances from celebrated Jewish musicians representing a broad range of styles, heritages, and histories and recorded live in front of intimate audiences in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Season 1 episodes will air the first Wednesday of every month from June until October.

A cross-country partnership between the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman) on historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia, and the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music (Lowell Milken Center) in Los Angeles, generated this new online offering. Both presenting organizations are committed to inspiring in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience. This season’s episodes were filmed at The Weitzman, against the striking backdrop of Independence Hall, and in UCLA’s beautiful recording studio.

“I’ve had the idea of a Jewish ‘Tiny Desk’ style series in my head for years,” said Dan Samuels, The Weitzman’s Director of Public Programs. “When people think of ‘Jewish music’, they tend to think of klezmer, which itself is deeper, more nuanced, and less monolithic than many believe. With the expertise and support of the Lowell Milken Center, Secret Chord Concerts will spotlight the latest in Jewish music across genres, which truly reflects the diversity and complex cultural landscape not only of the Jewish community, but of America.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with The Weitzman once again in presenting this new endeavor,” said Lorry Black, Associate Director of the Lowell Milken Center. “Our shared vision of how music reflects all aspects of the American Jewish experience, from East Coast to West, guides this joint effort. We’re excited to expand audiences for these outstanding musical artists and introduce new people to their incredible music.”

Inaugural Season Line-Up

Episode 1
June 1

New Moon Rising, a trio of powerhouse female voices in Jewish music. Original spiritual music with lush, powerful harmonies interwoven with violin, mandolin and guitar. The audio from which will be released as a debut album this summer.

Program: “The Other Side of Fear” by Elana Arian, “Dodi Li”, by Deborah Sacks Mintz, “What If” by Chava Mirel, “Sunrise Nigun”, by Deborah Sacks Mintz, and “Oseh Shalom” by Elana Arian

Details of subsequent episodes will be included when they launch.

 

Episode 2
July 6

Mostly Kosher
Jewish cultural revival music

 

Episode 3
August 3

Neta Elkayam 
Moroccan-Jewish fusion
Community partner: Jews in ALL Hues

 

Episode 4
September 7

Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell with the Baymele ensemble
Yiddish art and folk songs

 

Episode 5
October 6*

Andy Statman
NEA National Heritage Award Winning Klezmer and Bluegrass multi-instrumentalist

*Wednesday, October 5 is the Jewish High Holy Day of Yom Kippur so this month’s episode will be released on Thursday, October 6

How to watch

On Wednesday, June 1 at  12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET, the first Secret Chord Concert will  air live via Facebook on the Facebook pages of The Weitzman, the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The series will be available on-demand after the event on the above Facebook pages, The Weitzman’s website, and on the Lowell Milken Center’s YouTube page.

 

Download High-Resolution Photos and Credits

 

ABOUT THE WEITZMAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY

Established in 1976, and situated on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and interpreting the American Jewish experience. The Weitzman presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Its purpose is to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire. For more information, visit: https://theweitzman.org

 

ABOUT THE LOWELL MILKEN CENTER FOR MUSIC OF AMERICAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE AT THE UCLA HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Established by a gift from philanthropist Lowell Milken in 2020, the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience is dedicated to exploring American Jewish music through research, publications, performance, educational programming and community engagement in Los Angeles and beyond. The Lowell Milken Center builds upon the activities of the Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music, established at UCLA in 2017, to expand the reach of the Milken Archive and its vast holdings of recordings, scores and historical materials to students, scholars and the public. With the establishment of the Lowell Milken Center, American Jewish music has its first permanent dedicated academic home, allowing it to expand the reach of its scholarship and performance through academic offerings, public programs, concerts and recordings. Committed to expanding audiences for this music beyond the UCLA campus, much of the programming happens through partnerships with local, national and international organizations, and features artists from UCLA and around the world. For more information, visit: https://schoolofmusic.ucla.edu/resources/lowellmilkenmaje/