The Jewish Connection with Little Oy on the Prairie Thursday, November 1, 2007 7:00 pm Concert Conversation 7:30 pm Concert Begins Faith United Methodist Church 1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring (original version for 13 instruments) Leonard Bernstein: Three Dances from On the Town George Gershwin: Lullaby for Strings Sid Robinovitch: Suite for Klezmer Band and Orchestra

Three of the very best-known composers in American music happen to have been Jewish, and they all made important contributions to the stage. Gershwin made his living at it, Copland contributed several famous ballets—including Appalachian Spring—and Bernstein had some tremendous hits on Broadway, the earliest of which was On the Town, preceding West Side Story by twelve years. The “anchor” of this program, though, is by a relatively unknown Canadian and U of I grad, Sid Robinovitch. If you've never experienced klezmer music before, imagine a sort of Yiddish jazz and you'll have the general idea. We share some great fun with Champaign-Urbana's own Little Oy on the Prairie. This program is our contribution to American Music Month.