Veretski Pass and Joel Rubin on tour 

The Peacock and the Sunflower, the third collaboration between klezmer veterans Veretski Pass (Cookie Segelstein, Stuart Brotman, and Joshua Horowitz) and clarinetist Joel Rubin, is a deep exploration of the centuries of musical interactions between Jews and Ukrainians. The peacock and the sunflower are important symbols of ethnic and national importance to East European Jews and Ukrainians, respectively. In Yiddish songs and literary works, the mythical golden peacock (goldene pave) symbolizes the wistfulness of youthful days gone by; the eternal optimism and triumphant spirit of the Jews; and perhaps most importantly, is a symbol of Yiddish folk culture itself – alive wherever Yiddish is spoken. In Ukraine, the sunflower is the national flower, representing the warmth and power of the sun. Since the start of the brutal war against Ukraine, the sunflower has come to symbolize peace for Ukraine. Recording available on CD (Borscht Beat label). This project, formerly known as Makonovetsky’s Scion, has been fiscally sponsored by KlezCalifornia.

Friday, April 4, 6:30pm (potluck 5:30), San Jose, Cope-a-cabana. https://cope-a-cabana.com

Sunday, April 6, 7pm, Santa Cruz, house concert. Rsvp to herrmann@ucsc.edu to receive address. Feel free to bring a drink or goodie to share. Co-presented by KlezCalifornia.

Wednesday, April 9, 7:30pm, Walnut Creek, Congregation Bnai Shalom. No charge! https://bshalom.org/calendar/filter-by/event/7593/2025/04/09

Thursday, April 10, 5:30pm, Rohnert Park, Sonoma State University. No charge; $6 parking fee. https://music.sonoma.edu/events/jewish-music-series-veretski-pass-joel-rubin

Friday, April 11, 7:30pm, Berkeley, Fifth Street Farms. https://fifthstfarms.com SOLD OUT