Brooklyn Fiddle Summit

Deep fiddle traditions from New York City!

Black String Band legends The Ebony Hillbillies, and rising Klezmer star Zoë Aqua bring the noise and the sweetness for a night of virtuosity, joy and unstoppable dance party energy.

The fiddle is a common denominator to two major musical traditions in New York City: the Jewish Klezmer style and African American folk music. On April 11, come celebrate the instrument and the Brooklyn communities it represents.

The Brooklyn Fiddle Summit is curated by Jeremiah Lockwood and presented by The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life.

About the performers:

THE EBONY HILLBILLIES started out as an NYC street corner phenomenon, but their vibe and influence has extended over the years to acclaimed live performances at legendary venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center; appearances on the BBC, Good Morning America, NBC, CBS, etc., international music workshops and festivals, visual artist collaborations at museums (including The Whitney with phenom Kara Walker and The Smithsonian Museum), guest school programs, foot stomping and hand-clapping dance parties and more. While formed in the digital era, they have sold thousands of hard copies of their four CDs – Sabrina’s Holiday (2004), I Thought You Knew (2005), Barefoot and Flying (2005) and Slappin’ A Rabbit – Live! (2015) – at their shows and via their globally popular website. The Ebony Hillbillies are currently in the studio working on their next project.

ZOË AQUA is a fiddler, teacher, and composer, who has recently returned from a 2-year stint studying Transylvanian folk music on a Fulbright grant in Romania. She’s excited to share some of the raw, rich and unpredictable tunes she learned from musicians there, as well as her original compositions based on klezmer and Transylvanian music. She’ll be joined by Ira Temple (accordion) and Zoe Guigeno (bass), longtime collaborators of Zoë’s in the rad-trad band Tsibele and respected performer/composers in Brooklyn’s music scene.