The Singing Jewish Cowboy and The Gravenstein Mandolin Ensemble, with Scott Gerber

The “Singing Jewish Cowboy,” Scott Gerber, comes from a secular left-wing Jewish agricultural community near Petaluma, where Yiddish culture and activism for social justice were very important. He has worked in agriculture all his life, mainly on cattle ranches. Sings country, folk and cowboy songs, but Yiddish “shtetl folksongs,” sung to him by his mother and grandmother, are closest to his heart. Accompanies himself on guitar and available for most any venue.

The Gravenstein Mandolin Ensemble chooses its repertoire from some of the Jewish and Eastern European music that was played in the early orchestras. It also includes music from Italian and Brazilian traditions, and a fair amount of modern compositions for mandolin, such as Andy Statman’s popular “Flatbush Waltz,” a modern llezmer tune. The Ensemble also plays the popular “Boston Ideal March,” a standard from 1902, composed by Jewish mandolin master, Samuel Seigel.

This concert is part of The Jewish Music Series at Sonoma State, a presentation of the Department of Music and the Jewish Studies Program. Now in its 9th year, the series is widely acclaimed for its breadth, depth, and musical excellence as it poses the eternal question of “What makes music Jewish?”

The concerts—a component of the “Survey of Jewish Musics” class—run about 90 minutes in length, are free and open to the public. $5 parking fee applies. No reservations are necessary.