Seth Rogovoy

Website : http://www.rogovoy.com/
Residence : Great Barrington, MA

Biographical information

Seth Rogovoy has been called "a missionary for klezmer" since the publication of his critically-acclaimed guidebook, The Essential Klezmer: A Music Lover's Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music (Algonquin Books), which the New York Times called "invaluable" and Jewish Week called "indispensable." Seth Rogovoy has been spreading the word about klezmer in college classrooms, cultural centers, synagogues, and in appearances on CNN, ABC-TV, PBS-TV, National Public Radio and on the nationally-syndicated "Joey Reynolds Show" on WOR radio, bringing to life this age-old music through the stories of those who played it and revealing the give-and-take between klezmer and other musics, including jazz, Gypsy, American pop and theater music.

In addition to authoring the definitive work on klezmer, Seth Rogovoy is a cultural critic and commentator in print and on radio. He is the Berkshire Eagle's jazz and pop music critic, writes about books, music and culture for the Berkshire Jewish Voice, and is the "cultural czar" of WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network's morning "Roundtable" program. His essays and reviews regularly appear in a wide variety of magazines, newspapers, and websites, including Newsday, the Boston Phoenix, The Forward, and Jbooks.com, as well as on The Rogovoy Report webzine at www.rogovoy.com. Seth lectures widely about klezmer, Jewish music, Bob Dylan, and other cultural topics, and is a faculty adjunct at Williams College, where he teaches in the Winter Study program.

Seth's programs are ideal for adult education, cultural series, and fund-raisers; many are also perfect for outreach programs geared toward teens, young adults, and singles. Most programs include multi-media (video, audio recordings, slides), and incorporate audience participation and discussion. As a skilled teacher and radio personality, Seth's talks are as entertaining as they are educational.

Discussion topics

• Rockin' the Shtetl--a self-contained, multi-media journey through the entire history and evolution of klezmer music, from Old World shtetls to New World nightclubs and concert halls.
• The Klezmer-Jazz Konnection--There is a long, rich history of give-and-take between jazz and klezmer. This talk reveals some exciting and often overlooked instances of how klezmer and jazz have influenced each other over the years.
• The Essential Klezmer--An in-depth, interactive, three- or four-part, scholar-in-residence type classroom-style study of the history of klezmer, using recordings, texts and videos.
• Bob Dylan's Mystical Midrash--A multi-media, in-depth exploration of the profound Jewish awareness underlying the work of the greatest popular songwriter of the last 50 years, uncovering the Biblical, Talmudic, Kabbalistic and liturgical textual underpinnings of many of his greatest songs.
• In Search of Bob Dylan: The Man, the Music, the Myth--A more general presentation, in one or a series of lecture-discussions, examining the astounding musical career of the legendary rock poet.
• Jewish Themes in Rock Music--An exploration of the hidden history of Jewish themes in rock music by some likely - and some unlikely -- artists.
• New Jewish Music--A survey of the creative efforts of contemporary Jewish musicians and composers pushing the envelope of jazz, classical, folk, and avant-garde music while exploring their own cultural heritage.
• Everyone's a Critic--An examination of all aspects of review-writing - the responsibility of the reviewer toward the reader and the artist, a critic's criteria, what makes a "good review" - drawing on the speaker's 15+ years as a professional cultural critic, journalist, and book author. Ideal as a hands-on writing workshop.
• The Cultural Scene--As a cultural critic and commentator with over 15 years experience writing about music, theater, film, books, dance and the visual arts for a wide variety of publications, Seth can tailor a presentation on a wide variety of topics in popular culture and/or Jewish music and culture.

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