Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 60th Anniversary Season with Holy Ground: Woody Guthrie’s Yiddish Connection, a multimedia presentation by Nora Guthrie, daughter of iconic American singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie. This free 90-minute-long event precedes a concert by the Grammy Award-winning Klezmatics that features songs with lyrics penned by Guthrie during the time he lived in Brooklyn, set to music by members of the Klezmatics. Holy Ground… will take place in the Woody Tanger Auditorium, located in the Brooklyn College Library building. Reservations for Holy Ground… are limited to concert ticketholders and must be made separately from concert ticket purchases by visiting BrooklynCenter.org. Seating is extremely limited for Holy Ground…, and reservations will be limited to two per ticketholder. Tickets for the 3pm concert are $30 and can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

In Holy Ground…, Nora Guthrie discusses the artistic implications of Woody’s relationship with his Jewish mother-in-law, Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. The program includes a presentation of photographs, music excerpts (from the Klezmatics’ Wonder Wheel and Happy Joyous Hanukkah), writings, and artwork that illuminate their personal and creative relationship.

Guthrie and his wife Marjorie Mazia – a dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company – moved to Coney Island in 1942, in the heart of Brooklyn’s Jewish community, living across the street from his mother-in-law. Greenblatt introduced Guthrie to Jewish culture and history. Guthrie – the Oklahoma troubadour – and Greenblatt – the Jewish wordsmith – often discussed their artistic projects and critiqued each other’s works, finding common ground in their shared love of culture and social justice. Their collaboration flourished in 1940s Brooklyn, where Jewish culture was interwoven with music, modern dance, poetry, and anti-fascist, pro-labor activism.

Guthrie’s Jewish lyrics came as a surprise to Nora Guthrie, director of the Woody Guthrie Archives and Woody’s daughter. She became aware of his connection to Judaism only recently, in a chance encounter with the Klezmatics and Itzhak Perlman. Following a concert at Tanglewood, where (unbeknownst to Nora) Perlman and the band had performed some of Greenblatt’s Yiddish songs, Guthrie was introduced to Perlman as “Aliza’s granddaughter.” She recalls, “All my life, I’ve been introduced as Woody’s daughter, Arlo’s sister and Marjorie Mazia’s daughter… but this was the first time I’d ever been introduced as ‘Aliza

Greenblatt’s granddaughter!’ Then Itzhak asked me how I liked his version of Aliza’s song – I almost fell through the floor. I never knew she wrote songs – I always thought she was just my Bubbie!” The revelation about her grandmother’s history encouraged Nora Guthrie to bring her father’s Jewish songs to light, and she enlisted the Klezmatics – one of the world’s preeminent klezmer groups – to set her father’s lyrics to music.

For more information about the Klezmatics’ 3pm concert, titled Woody Guthrie’s Wonder Wheel Tour, please visit BrooklynCenter.org.
(from )

brooklyncenter.org/about-us/news/2015/01/Woody-Guthries-Wonder-Wheel-Tour-rolls-into-Brooklyn/

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  March 8, 2015 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm

  March 8, 2015 12:00 to March 8, 2015 01:30
• Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
  2900 Campus Road, Clinton, NY

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• Contact Brooklyn Center for more information
  (718)951-4500 or [email protected]
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