Jewish Musicians in 18th-Century London with the Raritan Players

Concert Produced by the American Society for Jewish Music’s Jewish Music Forum Co-sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Admission: Free

Eighteenth-century London was an especially cosmopolitan city and a relatively tolerant one, which led Jewish musicians from across Europe—from Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Italian, and Eastern descent—to move there. The Jewish community adopted musical customs of the greater London scene while maintaining their own musical traditions. By the second half of the century, Jewish musicians were performing in opera houses, public concerts, and at the English royal court alongside the leading Christian musicians of their day. While some managers and institutions were accommodating, Jewish musicians sometimes experienced clear anti-Jewish sentiment. By exploring the careers of Jewish figures such as the cellists Jacob and James Cervetto and the singer-composer Harriett Abrams, this concert by the Raritan Players sheds new light on the themes of exile, diaspora, belonging, and music as a site of self-expression among Jews in 18th-century London.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.