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The Midwest's Premier Klezmer Band Since 1983
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band in Concert
at Old Town School of Folk Music
Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
January 15, 2026, Chicago, IL – The Midwest’s premiere klezmer revival band for over forty years, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, is performing Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Concert Hall, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $46 for General Admission (including the Old Town processing fee): TICKET LINK.
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band melds klezmer, classical, and jazz sensibilities into a sound that moves and inspires audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Led by Violinist Alex Koffman and band founder Lori Lippitz, this performance features the full band including six vocalists including Cantor Pavel Roytman and special guest singer-songwriter-guitarist Rabbi Joe Black; as well as a cameo appearance by members of the Junior Klezmer Orchestra.
In 2023, the band celebrated their 40th “bandiversary” concert with two sold-out shows at Old Town School of Folk Music. That concert was recorded as an album that will be released later this year. Maxwell Street is one of several ensembles supported by the Klezmer Music Foundation, which also leads community klezmer bands, the Junior Klezmer Orchestra, and other community-building projects. “VIP tickets” ($118) support the Klezmer Music Foundation, and include front-row seats, a tote bag of band merch, and a professional photograph with the band after the show.
This show will feature well-known Yiddish songs like “Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn” and “Rumania," as well as a new original composition by master klezmer violinist Alex Koffman.
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About the Band:
Chicago’s Maxwell Street Klezmer Band takes inspiration from 1920s recordings combined with their own sensibility. The name Maxwell Street tips its fedora to Chicago’s lively Sunday morning market established in the late 1800’s by newly-arrived Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Over the past four decades, the band has released six albums and collaborated with Chicago Sinfonietta, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Goodman Theater, and singer-songwriter Rabbi Joe Black, among others. Although they have played at Carnegie Hall and at festivals throughout Europe, the band’s core mission is to revive the lost art of klezmer music in Jewish celebrations. “We are restoring a link in the chain of our heritage that was broken in the Shoah,” says Lippitz, referring to the Holocaust by its Hebrew name. “Every one of our performances is a celebration of that culture that we will never allow to perish.”
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Quotes:
"The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band conjures joy from thin air while at the same time freeing the deep waters of the soul."
- Rich Warren host/producer Emeritus WFMT Radio, Chicago
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“The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band...A joyous celebration of music that was—and fortunately, still is.”
- Studs Turkel, Author and Radio personality
Links:
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band Media Kit: Click here
Ticket URL: https://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2026/02-05-2026-maxwell-street-klezmer-band/
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Press Contact:
Lori Lippitz, Band Director, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, (847) 675-4800, maxwellstreetband@gmail.com
Hannah Frank, Media Outreach, HannahfromMax@gmail.com
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