Situated on the porous line between performance and prayer, Hebrew College’s Spring Soul Sounds concert series is poised to deliver three evenings of spiritually-rooted music from world-class performers. Performers Neta & Stav, Ezekiel’s Wheels, and Jacob’s Ladder are scheduled for dates in February, March, and May.
“We are thrilled to welcome three dynamic, Boston-based ensembles to explore Jewish ritual and prayer in our collaborative concert series,” says Hebrew College Rosh Tefillah and Artist-in-Residence Rabbi Jessica-Kate Meyer, who programs each Soul Sounds season. From immersive performance combining Israeli hip-hop and dance, to contemporary klezmer, to a trio blending American roots music with Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions, our spring concerts present an opportunity to revel in the depth and variety of Jewish cultural expression.
“The origin stories between our music and our prayers are in communication. I want that conversation to be happening here, in a place that is full of learning and prayer and ritual, and see what happens in that space.”
—Rabbi Jessica-Kate Meyer
Boston’s vibrant ecosystem of music and Jewish learning makes it the perfect recruiting ground for Soul Sounds. “Boston punches above its weight in terms of musicians and in terms of rabbis,” Meyer notes. Institutions like Hebrew College nurture Jewish spiritual leadership, and globally renowned music programs such as Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, and Boston Conservatory attract extraordinary talent. Aspiring musicians from around the world come to Boston to study Jewish music with luminaries like Hankus Netsky, immersing themselves in a tradition that is both ancient and evolving. This intersection of spiritual and musical creativity and education offers Meyer an opportunity to envision a musical program that sits at the crossroads.
For Rabbi Meyer, the goal of Soul Sounds is to build a meeting-ground “where prayer and ritual and music-making bump up against each other in interesting ways.” Many of the featured musicians in this series are also prayer leaders, enriching their artistry with spiritual resonance. As Rabbi Meyer sees it, the moments when performance becomes prayerful hold profound power: “The origin stories between our music and our prayers are in communication. I want that conversation to be happening here, in a place that is full of learning and prayer and ritual, and see what happens in that space.”
The series kicks off on February 26 with Neta Weiner and Stav Marin, independent artists from Jaffa who create collaborative works that defy categorization. Neta, a musician, actor, and director, and Stav, a choreographer, dancer, and performer, bring their multidisciplinary artistry to the stage. Taking place on the eve of Shabbat Shirah, Neta and Stav will present their signature blend of accordion-powered hip-hop, dance, and multicultural Israeli musicality. Choreographer Hadar Ahuvia, a third-year rabbinical student, will appear as a featured performer.
On March 27 we host Jacob’s Ladder, an internationally touring band refracting contemporary Jewish music through the lens of American Roots traditions. By blending Eastern European Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish influences with the American musical heritage, Jacob’s Ladder bridges cultures and generations. Their performance will transport audiences into a world where Jewish communal singing and prayer intertwine with the soulful sounds of bluegrass and folk.
The series concludes on May 14 with Ezekiel’s Wheels, an acclaimed klezmer band whose music is as innovative as it is deeply rooted in tradition. Known for their engaging improvisations and high-energy performances, the Wheels have captivated audiences from Boston’s farmers markets to international stages. For their Soul Sounds performance, Ezekiel’s Wheels will perform a song cycle inspired by the rituals and customs of a Jewish wedding celebration, composed by Nat Seelen, the band’s clarinetist. Blending klezmer with the band’s signature improvisational style, the composition is a vibrant celebration of love and tradition. Seelen drew inspiration from a series of interviews with Jewish couples in their 70s and 80s to capture the emotional arc of the ceremony—from sacred, intimate moments to the jubilant energy of communal dancing.
Whether you are drawn to the soulful strains of klezmer, the innovative fusion of American and Jewish musical traditions, or the boundary-blurring artistry of multidisciplinary performers, we hope you take advantage of this opportunity to experience the transformative power of music at Hebrew College. More than a concert series, Soul Sounds is dialogue between past and present, prayer and performance, individual expression and communal tradition. Please join us to bring this dialogue to life with music and ritual in a space of learning and spirituality.
Related
- May 14, 6:30 pm
Mar 27, 6:30 pm
Feb 6, 6:30 pm
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Adam Zemel is the communications specialist at Hebrew College. He holds an MFA in fiction from UCRiverside, and his writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, and elsewhere.
