NYT Folksbiene's YIDDISH SOUL to Return to SUMMERSTAGE This June

Blending the klezmer, roots-rock and Hasidic cantorial worlds to breathtaking effect, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) presents "Yiddish Soul 2017" at SummerStage in Central Park on Wednesday June 14 at 7pm.

Headlining the 3rd annual edition of this wildly popular outdoor concert drawing a stunning cross-section of Jews and non-Jews will be the Grammy Award-winning Klezmatics; The Maccabeats, and the Hasidic folk-soul band Zusha.

The show's eye-popping minion of cantorial, klezmer and Jewish folk-pop superstars includes the mighty cantors Yanky Lemmer (of Lincoln Square Synagogue) and Chaim David Berson (of the Manhattan Jewish Center). The concert's host is the beloved radio personality Nachum Segal ("JM in the AM").

Making a special appearance will be the international klezmer sensation Daniel Kahn.

Sir Frank London leads the concert's boundary-busting house band, The Klezmatics. Recently knighted for his work in Jewish music and culture, the world-renowned composer and trumpeter gleefully mixes and matches his Klezmatics in unprecendented combinations with the show's other headliners. These unexpected matches will delight the capacity crowd that draws frum and secular, young and old, Jews and non-Jews in one of the most exhilarating cultural cross-roads imaginable.

The a cappella hearthrobs The Maccabeats (originally formed when the boys were at Yeshiva), perform internationally and are YouTube favorites. The Billboard chart-topping Zusha blends sacred, world and reggae-pop sensibilities; their debut album "Kavana" reached #2 on the World Album chart last year. The International klezmer sensation Daniel Kahn, who fronts the Berlin-based klezmer-punk band The Painted Bird, is a leader of the Yiddish cultural revival sweeping major cities around the world. Born in Detroit, Kahn will be featured in NYTF's recently announced Off-Broadway musical "Amerike - The Golden Land," which opens on Independence Day. For information about this timely and iconic musical chronicle of the Jewish-American immigrant experience visit www.nytf.org.

"Yiddish Soul" debuted two summers ago as a centerpiece of NYTF's first international Kulturfest, the Jewish performing arts festival spanning music, theatre, dance, film and social engagement. Different every year, the concert is conceived by the internationally recognized Yiddish music authority, composer and conductor Zalmen Mlotek (NYTF's artistic director). The event's co-producer is Moishe Rosenfeld and Golden Land Concerts and Connections. Christopher Massimine is NYTF's CEO.

"Yiddish Soul 2017" performs on Wednesday June 14, 7pm at City Parks Foundation SummerStage (enter at 72nd Street, 5th Avenue). FREE. For more information visit www.nytf.org or call 212-213-2120, ext. 204.

Established 1915, the Drama Desk-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, or NYTF, brings a rich cultural heritage to life on stage-one that was nearly destroyed some 75 years ago. At its new permanent home at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, NYTF actively cultivates wide audiences by emphasizing the continued impact and relevance of Yiddish culture on American popular culture. Its programs draw more than 100,000 attendees annually.