Gastvortrag: D. Zisl Slepovitch (New York)

Jewish fiddle in the pre-World War II southeastern Belarus and Volyn oblast, Ukraine (based on Sofia Magid’s collection)

Sofia Magid’s recordings of Jewish musicians in Volyn and southeastern Belarus made between 1928-38, constitute one of a kind document that preserves and conveys styles and repertoire of Jewish instrumentalists and folk singers, of various age groups, professional, semiprofessional, and amateur alike. Following publication of these pieces’ transcriptions done by D. Zisl Slepovitch in two volumes in 2024-25, this presentation is the first attempt to systematize this relatively small but uniquely important collection, with a particular focus on the regional style(s) of fiddle playing, from short dance tunes to long form compositions not infrequently authored by the performers.

D. Zisl Slepovitch, born and raised in Minsk, Belarus, a New Yorker since 2008; he is a Jewish music scholar (PhD, Belarusian State Academy of Music), a sought-after classical, klezmer, and improvised music performer (woodwinds, keyboards), conductor, music producer, band leader, educator (music, Yiddish language), composer / arranger, and a musician-actor. He is a founding member of Litvakus klezmer band, Musician-in-Residence at the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University, pianist and music coordinator at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue (NYC), a frequent contributor to the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYC). His critically acclaimed credits include Musical Treasures from Sofia Magid's Jewish Collection (music folios series), Songs from Testimonies with Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble and Sasha Lurje (3 albums) Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (off-Broadway, cast album), Defiance movie, and more.