Announcement of Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Annual NYC Season featuring The Klezmatics
LISA GUTKIN - FULL BIOGRAPHY
Grammy-winning violinist, singer/songwriter, and composer Lisa Gutkin is a fearless musical storyteller who weaves Irish, Jewish, American, and global traditions into an unforgettable experience. Lisa has an instantly relatable style, taking audiences on exciting journeys.
"Powerful, inspired, and full of heart - Lisa Gutkin always lights up The Falcon. We can’t wait to have her back!” - Lee Falco (The Falcon)
Lisa is best known as violinist and vocalist for the ground-breaking Jewish Roots band, The Klezmatics, with whom she won the Grammy; and as fiddler for the “Downtown” Celtic band Whirligig. She’s also known for scoring, performing, and music directing the two-time Tony award-winning Broadway play, Indecent. She was in the house band for the Fast Folk Musical Magazine. had an on-screen cameo and compositions featured in Sex and the City; and performed in Sting’s Broadway musical The Last Ship.
Gonna Get Through This World - with music by Lisa and words by Woody Guthrie - “Is a piece of genius.” - Pete Seeger.
Lisa’s musical curiosity began as a child, when she fell in love with classical music. One day, as a young teenager, she was coaxed by friends to jam on “Rolling on the River.” She realized she could play by ear as freely as she spoke. Unconfined to notes on a page, her musical storytelling life began. Lisa courageously joined a myriad of folk, jazz and world music groups, curious to learn the nuances of their traditions, and make the music her own. In her 20’s, she heard the Bothy Band and the iconic album of Paul Brady and Andy Irvine, and her life took a turn toward Ireland, where she went to sessions, and played and recorded with legendary musicians, including Steve Cooney and Tommy Sands.
Lisa’s intense interest in diverse world musics made her the perfect choice for The Klezmatics. They wooed her by bringing Kurt Bjorling’s cassettes of old Jewish violinists to the Irish pub where she was playing, and her life turned in a new direction again. Lisa brings the same poignancy and curiosity to klezmer as all of her other styles.
The L.A. Times repeatedly captures Lisa’s essence:
In 2002 - “Violinist Lisa Gutkin has extensive experience in Celtic music, and there were many segments in which the lively rhythms of the hora seemed to resonate with the energies of reels and jigs.” - L.A. Times
In 2011 - ”Gutkin focused mostly on violin, but took a hauntingly emotional lead vocal on ‘Gonna Get Through This World’ that echoed African American gospel music.” - L.A. Times
In 2019 - “The Elegiac score [of Indecent] by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva is redolent with the buoyant melancholy of klezmer.” - L.A. Times
Along with her Woody Guthrie songs, Lisa has co-authored with Anne Sexton, and Maggie Dubris, and created scores for symphony orchestras and short films, including Pearl Gluck’s “Write Me,” and Amy Guggenheim’s “Blindsight.” Her composing commissions include the Mabou Mines’ multi-genre folk opera, “Song For New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting.” Lisa appears on hundreds of recordings with luminaries. She has also released a CD of her own songs, produced by John Lissauer titled From Here On In.
A MacDowell and Blue Mountain Fellow, Lisa plays one of the earliest Samuel Zygmuntowicz violins with one of the earliest Michael Yeats bows, and uses an LR Baggs pick up system.
Lisa Gutkin On Stage, Lisa’s solo concert, is a whimsical wander through her musical styles, intertwining traditional music sounds with improvisations and humorous touring stories. It features Lisa on fiddle, tenor guitar, voice, and piano, and is often expanded to duo or trio, and occasionally to full band. Her concerts are not just performances, but musical journeys where audiences laugh, cry, and travel through cultures and traditions with her. It’s an evening where boundaries between performer and listener dissolve — leaving you uplifted, inspired, and connected.
Lisa is in the midst of recording with the Klezmatics for their 40 Year anniversary collection with some fantastic guest artists, as well as prepping for the release of a video of her song “Cook It Up With Me,” set in the woods around a campfire - one of her favorite places to be. Stay tuned for solo concerts in the spring by joining her mailing list.
LISA GUTKIN TESTIMONIALS:
“One hot fiddler!” - Cyndi Lauper
“A brilliant musician and a good friend” - Janis Ian
“Great player, great singer, great musician, great person. Don’t miss her.” - Tom Chapin
“One hot fiddler!” - Cyndi Lauper
“A brilliant musician and a good friend” - Janis Ian
“Great player, great singer, great musician, great person. Don’t miss her.” - Tom Chapin
Gonna Get Through This World - with music by Lisa and words by Woody Guthrie - “Is a piece of genius.” - Pete Seeger.
"Powerful, inspired, and full of heart - Lisa Gutkin always lights up The Falcon. We can’t wait to have her back!” - Lee Falco (The Falcon)
“Violinist Lisa Gutkin has extensive experience in Celtic music, and there were many segments in which the lively rhythms of the hora seemed to resonate with the energies of reels and jigs.” - L.A. Times 2002
”Gutkin focused mostly on violin, but took a hauntingly emotional lead vocal on ‘Gonna Get Through This World’ that echoed African American gospel music.” - L.A. Times 2011
“The Elegiac score [of Indecent] by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva is redolent with the buoyant melancholy of klezmer.” - L.A. Times 2019
48 HILLS: Review - Hanukkah with the Klezmatics? You bet your latkes→
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Review of The Klezmatics and their performance at SFJAZZ on December 22nd, 2019
PATCH: Inspired Hudson Valley Music Making with Lisa's Pieces→
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Patch article on Lisa’s Pieces
Cast Set for Boston and L.A. Premieres of Indecent, Featuring Elizabeth A. Davis and Members of Original Broadway Company→
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Playbill article on the upcoming Huntington Theatre and Center Theatre Group’s productions of Indecent
BROADWAY NEWS: ‘INDECENT’ will release original Broadway cast album→
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Broadway News article on the release of Indecent (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
PLAYBILL: INDECENT to Release Original Broadway Cast Recording→
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Playbill article on the release of Indecent (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
MIAMI HERALD: 'INDECENT’ at GableStage packed with theatrical and Jewish history→
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Miami Herald review by Christine Dolen on the new production of INDECENT at GableStage
HOLLYWOOD SOAPBOX INTERVEW: Celebrated play ‘INDECENT’ receives Broadway cast recording→
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New interview with Lisa Gutkin with the Hollywood Soapbox on the creative process of music from INDECENT.
Divamensch: Interview with Lisa Gutkin, 8/2/17
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Interview with Lisa on August 2nd, 2017 with Divamensch
INDECENT's Christopher Akerlind Wins 2017 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play→
/Official announcement that INDECENT's lighting designer Christopher Akerlind wins the 2017 Tony for Best Lighting Design of a Play.
INDECENT's Rebecca Taichman Wins 2017 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play→
/Official announcement that INDECENT's director Rebecca Taichman wins the 2017 Tony for Best Direction of a Play.
Tony Awards 2017: The Full List of Nominations→
/The New York Times list of the 2017 Tony Award nominees, including INDECENT for Best Play, Best Lighting Design, and Best Direction of a Play.
The Ghosts That Haunt ‘Indecent’→
/The New York Jewish Week's review of INDECENT, published April 20, 2017.
“It’s a spectacular beginning to an eye-catching production that is brilliantly choreographed by David Dorfman. As the play progresses, the performers, some of whom play musical instruments (accordion, violin and clarinet), frequently cavort around the stage with arms stretched high in stylized gestures that evoke the life of the shtetl.”
Review: ‘Indecent’ Pays Heartfelt Tribute to a Stage Scandal→
/The New York Times review on April 18, 2017 of the Broadway production of INDECENT.
“‘Indecent’ delivers not only a history of styles of theater and their political contexts but also a portrait of Asch (played by Max Gordon Moore and Tom Nelis), as he progresses from youthful enthusiasm to embittered old age. This is achieved by a tight ensemble of chameleon performers — who also include Mimi Lieber and Steven Rattazzi and the musicians Matt Darriau, Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva — glowing with devotion to their craft and its possibilities.”
How One Jam Session Led to the Original Music for Broadway’s Indecent→
/Playbill's story on the music behind Paula Vogel's Broadway play INDECENT, and how Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva constructed the show's historic and cinematic score.
“Indecent is meant to show a tiny slice of Jewish history and culture, and music is an integral part of that. It’s especially important for Gutkin, who is Jewish. “To have an opportunity to bring this world, this very intimate, Jewish old world to the public is astoundingly important to me,” she says emphatically. “This play is so important to me.””
The Klezmatics Back To Roots→
/World Music Central's coverage of the new Klezmatics album Apikorsim/Heretics.
“The Klezmatics, the grand masters and innovators of klezmer music continue to charm with their new album, Apikorsim/Heretics. On this recording, the six musicians dig into traditional klezmer roots, although, as usual, they add contemporary elements that make their sound current.”
Klezmatics celebrate 30 years of Old World music→
/North Jersey celebrates the 30-year anniversary of the Klezmatics.
“During the past three decades, the Grammy Award-winning sextet has endeared itself to both Jews and Gentiles, to those already in the know and people hearing klezmer music for the first time through the Klezmatics’ filter.”
Singer's Warsaw Festival 2016: An Annual Celebration of Music and Culture in Warsaw→
/A recap of the 2016 Singer's Warsaw Festival, an annual event that celebrates local music and culture. This year featured the Klezmatics as one of the festival's closing acts.
“[The Klezmatics’] music is valued around the world for its experimental connections with multilingual singing, development of arrangements using many traditional and modern instruments, capitalization on Yiddish culture, and combination of contemporary styles of music.”
Paula Vogel's Historical Play 'Indecent' Bound for Broadway→
/The announcement that INDECENT will have its Broadway debut in April of 2017.
“The hit play [Indecent], which ran off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre earlier this year, is set to open at the Cort Theatre this spring. Previews will begin in early April, ahead of an April 18 opening.”
Indecent: A Weird and Veritably Wonderful Tour de Force→
/Huffington Post's review of the off-Broadway production of INDECENT at the Vineyard Theater.
“I’m always stunned by the joy of klezmer music, that a group of people who have suffered as much as the Jews have can produce such happy melodies. The joy of the music was reflected in the faces of audience members seated near me, as they recalled fiscally more impoverished but emotionally wealthier times.”