Brave Old World

In 1989, the klezmer revival in America was in search of new directions when four of its leading figures came together to form a new band and create a new Yiddish music for the concert stage. Their vision combined the artistry of classical music and the freedom of jazz with the vibrant power of the East European Jewish tradition. The result was a powerful new musical style full of improvisation and musical communication, in which daring innovation grows from the deepest roots of tradition.

BRAVE OLD WORLD brings together four pioneering virtuosi of the Klezmer scene. Vocalist and violinist Michael Alpert, renowned for his native Yiddish and soulful lyricism, is "the only klezmer artist writing Yiddish songs on contemporary topics" (New York Newsday). Musical Director Alan Bern, acknowledged as the leading master of klezmer piano and accordion, brings his unique and innovative musical vision to the group's arrangements. Kurt Bjorling on clarinets inspires audiences with the lyrical passion and imagination of his playing, while the incomparable Stuart Brotman embodies multi-instrumental virtuosity on bass, percussion and cimbalom.

Since its founding, BRAVE OLD WORLD, whose members live in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Berlin, has achieved international recognition with concerts spanning Europe, North America and Israel (First Prize, 1992 International Klezmer Festival, Safed) and award-winning recordings on the Rounder, Flying Fish, Wergo, Ellipsis and Pinorrekk labels (1994 German Record Critic Prize).