The Berman Announces Music Fesival Schedule 3/23-26

The Berman Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to present the JCC Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Music Festival - a fresh new take on arts and music festivals. This Music Festival will showcase local, national and International Artists who perform amazing music in a broad range of styles, an Artists' Market and food vendors throughout the four-day event held at The Berman March 23-26, 2017.

Featured musical performances include Jayme Stone's Folklife, musician Ester Rada, Mama Doni, Golem, Nefesh Mountain and a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel called Live in Central Park [Revisited] Simon & Garfunkel. Local musicians performing are Sami Mei, Griffin Ford Siegel, Phreddy Wischusen and more.

The schedule of performances follows:

Thursday, March 23, 2017
6:00-10:00 p.m.: Artists' Market open
7:30 p.m.: Jayme Stone's Folklife
"Jayme Stone's Folklife" follows the bends and bayous through the deep river of song and story. Evolving out of Stone's "Lomax Project," this gathering of versatile musicians blows the dust off of old songs and remakes them for modern ears. With spellbinding singing, virtuosic playing and captivating storytelling, their concerts and educational programs are moving, inventive and participatory experiences.

With opening performance by Michigan's own Sami Mei
With a powerful voice and a bright new perspective on modern-meets-timeless, emerging singer/songwriter Sami Mei is ready to step into the limelight. This animated young lady has been described by renowned producer Chuck Alkazian as, "Bjork meets Carole King."

Post Show DJ Party with Phreddy Wischusen
Phreddy was a Detroit transplant via Atlanta (recently moved to NYC) who performs as a comedian, musician, and storyteller. He has shared stages with Tig Notaro, Kenny Zimlinghaus, Saul Williams and Neil Hamburger. He has won Detroit's Moth StorySLAM multiple times and the 2013 Detroit GrandSLAM.

Friday, March 24
Noon - 4:00 p.m.: Artists' Market Open
1:30 p.m.: Michael Krieger
Michael Krieger is a singer, songwriter, and musician. His concerts combine playful fun with messages of personal transformation and hope, and always include uplifting sing-alongs.

Saturday, March 25
6:00- 10 p.m.: Artists' Market Open
8:00 p.m.: Ester Rada
Israeli born cross-cultural singer, Ester Rada, mixes Ethio-Jazz, funk, soul and R&B. Ester opened for Alicia Keys at her Israeli concert to rave reviews. Her sound is a deep reflection of the Israeli born Ethiopian heritage. Growing up in a highly religious Jewish family in one of the roughest neighborhoods of Israel, gave Rada the drive to change her way of life and fulfill her dream of creating music.

With Opening performance by Michigan's own Griffin Ford Siegel
With a voice so compelling that it stops people in their tracks, Griffin Ford Siegel brings soulfulness to his performance that belies his age. Siegel is a singer and songwriter who finds equal comfort in producing and delivering classic R&B as he does any genre of music.

Post Show DJ Party with Phreddy Wischusen

Sunday, March 26
Noon - 8:00 p.m.: Artists' Market Open
1:00 p.m.: Mama Doni
Experience laughter, love, dancing and sing-along with Mama Doni, connecting with the inner child within. Sponsored by the Barbara and Douglas Bloom Matzah Factory (March 19-26 at the JCC's Teen Center), Shalom Street Museum and the Jewish Federation's PJ Library.

3:00 p.m.: Golem
Klezmer-rock band Golem has become a leading re-interpreter and innovator of Yiddish and Eastern European music, pushing tradition forward into the 21st century. Golem's theatricality, humor and fearless wild energy is combined with a boundless love of tradition. Golem is clearly "not your grandparents' klezmer," said NPR.

5:00 p.m.: Nefesh Mountain
Nefesh Mountain are the pioneers of a new sound where Jewish spirit and soul meet with bluegrass and old-time musical traditions. Founders, husband and wife team Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff (yes, Mama Doni) blend their love for both of these traditions in a new genre that marries these two seemingly disparate worlds.

7:30 p.m.: Live in Central Park [Revisited] Simon & Garfunkel
September 19, 1981 - more than 500,000 music fans gathered in Central Park to witness the now legendary reunion of folk duo Simon & Garfunkel. Award-winning recording artists, Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers recreate that magical night. With dulcet vocals harmonizing over lilting guitar, hear all the beloved poetic masterpieces that made Simon & Garfunkel famous: "Mrs. Robinson," "Homeward Bound," "Scarborough Fair," "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "The Sound of Silence," and many more.

VIP passes, including two tickets to all performances and access to the VIP lounge, are $360, or $180 for young professionals (under 40). Individual tickets start at $20. To purchase tickets, please visit The Berman box office Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., or call 248.661.1900. To purchase tickets anytime - 24 hours a day - please visit theberman.org. For group sales (10+), please call Jessica Bryer for special pricing at 248.432.5570 or email jbryer@jccdet.org.

Sponsorships for the JCC Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Music Festival are available by calling Elaine (Hendriks) Smith at 248.432.5673. The Music Festival Committee is comprised of Ellen Bouchard, Nicole Churchill, Jerry Cohen, Rena Cohen, Gretchen Davidson, Margie Dunn, Ryan J. Fishman, Esq., Carol Weintraub Fogel, Marty Hollander, Jose Mirkin, and Noemi Mirkin.

Download The Berman app. It is available via iTunes and Google Play and features the latest news and information on the theater and its performances, the ability to purchase tickets, and the option to receive personalized notifications.

The Berman Center for the Performing Arts is located at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building | Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus at 6600 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48322.

To post a comment, you must register and login.