BAND BIOGRAPHIES:

Shirim Klezmer Orchestra
has taken its unique klezmer across North America and Europe.  The band has played with the Philladelphia Pops Orchestra, has appeared on the soundtrack of Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry," played at Lincoln Center and the Montreal Jazz Festival.  Shirim has collaborated with renowned artist/writer Maurice Sendak on "Pincus and the Pig"  and public radio's Ellen Kushner on "The Golden Dreydl."   

The members of Shirim all also perform in Naftule's Dream , an avant jazz/klezmer band which has recorded three albums on John Zorn's Tzadik /Radical Jewish Culture label. As Naftules Dream they have performed all over Europe including the Berlin, Germany Jazzfest, as well as the New York City Jazz Festival, the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival in Washington, DC and the Ashkenaz Festival of New Yiddish Culture in Toronto among others.

In addition to leading Shirim since 1985 and Naftule’s Dream since 1996, Clarinetist Glenn Dickson won a 1997 Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant for Composition and has studied and performed with microtonal jazz legend Joe Maneri. He was a featured soloist on the soundtrack of Sidney LumetÂ’s "A Stranger Among Us" and wrote the music Shirim performed on the soundtrack of Woody Allen’s "Deconstructing Harry

Michael McLaughlin, piano and accordion, is an educator, performer and noted composer. He performs with Naftule’s Dream and composes much of their music. He has won two awards from the American Composers Forum Boston and received a 2001 Mass Cultural Council Fellowship Award in Composition. His works have been performed by Trio Capriccio, The Chameleon Arts Ensemble, The Niagara Symphony, The Newton Symphony and the Boston Chamber Ensemble. He performs regularly with Klezwoods and jazz vocalist Claire Dickson.

Tuba player Jim Gray also performs with Klezwoods and Cirkestra.  His past groups include the Canton Symphony, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Paramount Brass, and the Jazz Composer's Alliance Orchestra. 

Eric Rosenthal, drums, has developed a prominent career playing jazz and improvised music, recording and performing internationally with the big band Either/Orchestra, Roswell Rudd, Anthony Braxton, blues artist David Maxwell, John Voigt, Bhob Rainey, Jack Wright and others. He is currently a member of the Charlie Kolhase Quintet, the Dave Bryant Quartet (Dave is a former member of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time) and the avant klezmer groups Naftule's Dream and Paul Brody's Sadawi based in Berlin.

Gary Bohan, trumpet, has played with a variety a Boston-based bands encompassing a range of styles including klezmer, jazz, big band and dixieland. These bands include Brad Ellenberg Quintet, Dr. Fidgety, Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, Naftule's Dream and Shirim Klezmer Orchestra. Gary has also recorded and toured with the Klezmer Conservatory Band throughout North America, Europe and Australia. He also recorded and toured with Itzhak Perlman's "In the Fiddler's House" project which resulted in a PBS documentary and two best selling recordings.