Self-working gurus getting spurned to the mortgages shouldn’t disheartenment
Self-working gurus getting spurned to the mortgages shouldn’t disheartenment Towards the price of borrowing from the bank thus reduced, banks is seemingly prepared to financing to whoever can be provider an obligations. So just why is self-operating individuals to the pretty good income selecting they have to jump owing to a lot of hoops? There is a large number of juicy benefits that come with getting self-working. It could be versatile, ranged and you will, during the best marketplaces, most lucrative. not, for many independent earners, regarding making an application for a mortgage, the pros all of a sudden avoid and also the self-functioning updates quickly gets a burden. This is possible having Eloise Page, a self-operating company specialist just who experienced a nightmare along with her previous bank when she tried to make an application for domestic mortgage pre-acceptance. Even after bringing evidence of uniform income over $80,100000 a year for the past 3 years, Page claims she needed to tell you coming agreements having proof of your after the year’s income a close hopeless activity for an individual who tends to make a full time income on short-label agreements. In all honesty, it was extremely frustrating, she states. We usually bring brief agreements (three-to-five days) and will create several of these a-year. I average as much as, practically, an equivalent income each monetary seasons. My earnings is really sensible, although I grab three weeks of the season away from, give or take. Inspite of the records supplied appearing that we is making concerning the exact same year-on-seasons, I found myself told that this just relates to my earlier and the bank cannot have count on during my coming. Bringing a binding agreement on the 12 months to come renders zero sense for me personally. Page must likewise have accomplished IRD paperwork in order to establish this lady financial history, she says. After expending hours to your mobile phone to help you IRD looking to to get this new data, she asked the girl accounting services to help and you will are told the fresh new models don’t resided. The lady bookkeeping solution after that available to provide the lender having some thing equivalent, but this was considered inappropriate, she states. That was most alarming is the fact there were no situations having support, she claims. I have already been a customer with the same lender for the majority of out-of living … Discover zero kind of recognition they’d in fact viewed all of our past having an effective period of time to learn exactly how accredited we was to pay-off a mortgage. Incapable of make progress, Web page contacted her bookkeeping service, HNRY, and this advised she try another financial in which she may have top chance. She is put in contact with some one in the ASB just who specialised inside worry about-operating candidates and she offered similar details about the lady generating history, contractual works and you may following three-day escape and that she got reserve currency to possess. After she had explained the girl condition, the membership manager decided one she is able to maintenance an excellent home loan. We were able to be completely in advance with [the fresh new account movie director] while my personal offer came up, sure enough, after 2020, she got in touch to inquire of exactly what that designed for you and you can all of our problem. We clarified you to definitely my personal efforts to the deposit count manage give it up and that i would seek the newest work after a few months’ break. We...
Read MoreAverage Credit score Certainly Va Mortgage Individuals from inside the California
Average Credit score Certainly Va Mortgage Individuals from inside the California This information explores an average credit score one of Virtual assistant loans within the Ca and you may all over the country. Fico scores are merely one of many requirements toward Va mortgage system. Please call us for those who have questions about qualifying. The brand new Service out of Pros Situations mortgage be sure program is really popular certainly one of armed forces participants and experts into the California. And it’s really obvious as to why. So it mortgage program lets eligible borrowers to invest in a home which have no money down, if you are avoiding home loan insurance policies at the same time. Those people are a couple of huge benefits for homebuyers, especially those with limited funds in the financial. First Conditions having Individuals California Va mortgage criteria may vary from a single home loan company so you’re able to next. Specific rules and you will advice are from the fresh new Agency off Veterans Issues, and others are imposed because of the individual financial enterprises and you may banks. That said, really loan providers keeps similar standards for Va funds in California and you can nationwide. The credit score is considered the most the individuals widely used requirements. There is absolutely no authoritative minimum credit rating to have Va loans in the Ca. Normally, lenders often put brand new bar somewhere in the low-600 range. It means if for example the credit score drops better less than that top, maybe you have troubles qualifying getting an excellent Virtual assistant loan. Concurrently, when you yourself have a credit history one falls when you look at the reasonable-600 variety or maybe more, you might be well-qualified for a Virtual assistant loan. This type of scores aren’t the only requirement for Va finance. Consumers also needs to document the monthly income. You truly need to have adequate earnings to keep track your own month-to-month mortgage payments, as well as all your other repeating month-to-month costs. Additionally, you will need to have enough profit the lending company to defense the latest settlement costs regarding the your loan. Very California home buyers come across settlement costs when designing a buy. This might be real to own Virtual assistant, FHA and old-fashioned fund equivalent. That have adequate finance to pay for these types of costs is another secret requirement to own Va financing within the California. Mediocre Va Loan Credit score: June 2020 Posting However, let us go back to credit ratings for a moment. A recent declaration showed that the average credit score to own Va pick funds within the California and you may across the country is 721. This will be in accordance with the Origination Notion Statement developed by Ellie Mae. Ellie Mae was an application company one to suits the mortgage business. Thousands of mortgage brokers is actually processed and their app. Their notion accounts consider all of those money to identify trick styles, including the mediocre credit history one of borrowers in numerous financing categories. The average credit rating for Va money utilized by home buyers is 721. An average score getting Va re-finance money is 733. The typical credit score to have a traditional pick financing are 756. Its interesting to remember here you to definitely individuals who have fun with traditional fund to buy property has highest credit ratings, an average of, as opposed to those exactly who utilize the Virtual assistant system. That’s analytical, considering the type of your system. Va fund is book in that they supply a level of...
Read MoreCan You Back Out of a Car Loan After Signing?
Can You Back Out of a Car Loan After Signing? So, you have a new car. After a few days since bringing it home, you realize that you’ve entered into a bad car loan deal. Or you no longer think the car fits your needs or you suddenly experience financial difficulties. For some reason, you feel like you want to back out. How do I get out of a car loan? you wonder. Can you even do that? Let us consider a few scenarios on the possible questions you have when you want to cancel your car loan agreement. Can You Cancel a Car Loan When You Change Your Mind? The short answer is no. There’s normally no buyer’s remorse in the car loan contract nor a cancellation clause. The federal cooling off rule, which gives you three days to cancel a high-pressure purchase, doesn’t apply to car sales. So, it’s better to do proper research and consider all options before entering into a loan agreement. Once you signed the deal, the car is yours. But it’s not entirely impossible to back out, and you have options. You may not entirely cancel the car loan contract, but you can do a few other things that may help your financial situation. However, they have consequences. How Do I Get Out of a Bad Car Loan? Being stuck with a bad car loan or experiencing sudden financial difficulty that limits your ability to repay that loan is not a good thing to go through. Here are some options you can turn to when worse comes to worst. 1. Refinance Your Car Loan When you know that your current car loan is not the best for you, one solution you can take is to refinance it. Refinancing means applying for a new loan to replace the current one, usually with lower monthly amortization and interest rate. The downside, however installment loans Austin MS, is that you have to stick with your current loan for at least one year before you can refinance it. You also need a good credit score to qualify. More often than not, it’s best to refinance with a new lender, although it’s not impossible to refinance with your current one. While you can’t refinance your car loan immediately, you can cancel add-ons that you bought upon signing the deal. These include an extended warranty, gap insurance, tire and wheel protection, and prepaid maintenance plan. You may not recover the full price you paid, but you can get a refund on a portion of it and cancel the coverage. Meanwhile, if you purchased other products that were installed in your car, such as a theft alarm system, paint sealant, or window tints, you will not be able to cancel them and get a refund. 3. Choose a Voluntary Repossession If you prefer to break your contract, you can opt for a voluntary repossession. It means that you’ll return the car to the dealership rather than wait for them to begin the repossession process when you don’t settle your monthly repayments. The dealer will sell the car, but you’ll have to pay any remaining amount from the original loan you signed. NOTE: You need to be very careful with this option, however, because it’s still a repossession. It will reflect on your credit report and hurt your credit score. It’s your car already, so you can sell it privately if you want. You can set the price, and in some instances, you can ask for more than the amount of your car loan. So, you can use the money to...
Read MoreAtai Existence Sciences Protects Label Loan Facility for up to $175 Million of Hercules Funding
Atai Existence Sciences Protects Label Loan Facility for up to $175 Million of Hercules Funding New york and you can BERLIN, (Industry NEWSWIRE) — atai Lifetime Sciences N.V. (Nasdaq: ATAI) (atai), a medical-stage biopharmaceutical providers aiming to changes the treating of mental health disorders, now revealed that the business enjoys inserted towards an expression loan studio for up to $175 million having Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC). The new non-dilutive money from this name loan studio combined with the cash already on our balance layer subsequent www.availableloan.net/installment-loans-mo/cleveland reinforces atai’s economic power, giving us strategic freedom once we build a leading rational wellness team purchased dealing with the important unmet patient means in the neuropsychiatry, told you Florian Brand name, President and you may Co-Founder from atai. While we continue to perform for the all of our varied tube of classified treatments candidates, we look ahead to numerous forecast close-name catalysts around the our key apps, in addition to Phase 2a analysis out of PCN-101 in cures-resistant anxiety towards the end on the season. Hercules was happy to mate which have atai because it enhances a great tube out of unique possessions designed to promote the latest treatment options so you’re able to patients enduring psychological state issues, said Janice Bourque, Controlling Director from the Hercules Resource. The key relationship out-of Hercules is meant to assist atai carry out toward its important goal and you may reflects the commitment to capital creative existence research companies, additional Michael Dutra, Controlling Manager during the Hercules Investment. The remainder $115 billion will get available in tranches thanks to , subject to the latest fulfillment from particular conditions. The borrowed funds studio carries appeal at the a calculated finest-dependent adjustable price currently within % and grows up 48 weeks of closing, that can be lengthened in order to 54 months through to achievement out-of specific results milestones. The interest just several months was 31 weeks away from closing, that can easily be lengthened so you can as much as 42 months on achievement off specific goals. More specifics of the borrowed funds contract would be submitted to your Bonds and you can Change Percentage for the a recently available Review of Form 8-K atai Lives Sciences try a medical-phase biopharmaceutical team seeking to transform the treating of psychological state problems. Founded for the 2018 due to the fact a reaction to the key unmet you prefer and you can not enough innovation on the psychological state procedures land, atai is seriously interested in acquiring, incubating, and you may efficiently development creative therapeutics to ease despair, nervousness, dependency, or any other psychological state conditions. From the pooling tips and greatest strategies, atai aims to sensibly speeds the introduction of the medication around the the businesses to achieve clinically important and you can suffered behavioral improvement in psychological state customers. atai’s eyes is to fix mental health issues to make sure that visitors, almost everywhere normally real time a far more came across lifestyle. To learn more, please visit Within the regards to the new $175 million loan business, $fifteen billion is actually taken on closing, having an extra $20 mil available to end up being taken at atai’s alternative by , and you can afterwards, a supplementary $twenty five billion open to getting taken from the atai’s alternative by This pr release consists of give-looking comments inside the meaning of the private Securities Lawsuits Reform Work off 1995, since amended. I want such submit-looking statements become included in new safe harbor arrangements getting forward-looking statements present in Point 27A of Bonds Act away from 1933,...
Read MoreIs actually an effective 10-step 1 Sleeve wise?
Is actually an effective 10-step 1 Sleeve wise? The very last ‘s the large financial obligation. Very physicians is actually holding considerably out-of education loan obligations, hence immediately makes them shorter eligible for a vintage mortgage. Options so you’re able to Doctor Mortgages Given that tempting as it might be to simply concentrate on the confident options that come with the doctor mortgage loans, it is important you are sure that your entire choice just before committing. Even though you may be a health care professional, doesn’t necessarily suggest the doctor mortgage loan will be your better, or sole option. Old-fashioned Fund Chances are high, your locals and your family unit members keeps a normal mortgage. You’ll find very few requirements to possess consumers, making it a tempting solution. You have to have a credit history of at least 620, a steady money background, and you will a great DTI off 43% or faster. Your usually only need to establish step 3-5%. Keep in mind no matter if, a normal loan commonly fees PMI if you place below 20% off. Old-fashioned loans aren’t supported by government agencies, the FHA or Virtual assistant money was. It means what’s needed will be more strict. You will also see extremely loan providers charging much more to have antique family fund that have higher rates. Fixed-Price Mortgage Just like the discussed in past times, a predetermined-speed loan are certain to get the same interest rate on the entire life of the loan. It won’t be subject to business motion or any other exterior factors. A fixed-price is a wonderful way to secure towards the good low-rate, it doesn’t matter how a lot of time you determine to loans. Brand new fixed-rates finance are typically in fifteen and 30 12 months terms and conditions. There are also him or her inside the 10 otherwise 20 year terms and conditions as well. The reduced what number of years you select, then the reduce steadily the rate of interest is. A fixed-price financing is ideal for those just who propose to stay in your house provided possible. That way it is possible to secure their low rate, and also you need not care about the fresh new fee changing out of 1 year to another. In case your rates go lower once you purchase your household, then you could believe refinancing your own kept loan harmony. Changeable Rate Financial The opposite on the fixed-rates mortgage is the variable price home loan. With this specific loan, the pace may differ over time. Not only is it an option for a conventional financing, however, this will be and a quite common selection for a doctor home loan. The preferred variable rates choice is the 5/step 1 Arm, but you can along with discover mortgages with a good step three/step 1 Sleeve, 7/step 1 Case, otherwise good ten/step one Sleeve. A supply try an appealing mixture of a fixed-rate and variable-speed loan. By way of example, a great 5/1 Arm form there will be a fixed interest getting the original 5 years of the financing, up coming a changeable rates on a yearly basis adopting the 5. Rates of interest is then recalculated one per year, which means that your commission you will still boost historically. Arms is tough on your total economic preparations. Because commission is also vary each year, it creates they difficult to take care of a spending budget https://www.cashadvancecompass.com/installment-loans-wi/emerald. The change for the percentage would be minimal, or it may be extreme, dependent on their field. Despite this, of many individuals such as the Arm...
Read MoreAbout Me
What’s Susan up to?
Penn State Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies will host me as I present a solo program of song and history focusing on the roots of Eastern European Jewish music and related songs.
I have the honor of presenting this year at the annual American Folklore Society's conference. A lecture on papercut arts around the world and a demonstration of my own work will take place during the conference on October 22, 2021!
ELEVEN languages and counting! Over the years, I've crafted ketubot that honor many cultures. In addition to the expected Aramaic, modern Hebrew, English, and even Yiddish, I have included Korean, Kannada, Latin, Arabic, and even the Telugu seen in the cropped image above! What a joy this has been!
What a wonderful experience I shared with the community of Las Cruces, NM and the Guild of American Papercutters when I presented an hour-long lecture on the worldwide history of papercut arts on March 16, 2021. This was in conjunction with the museum's show of Islamic papercut art. We looked at tools, traditions, and especially shared visual vocabularies from India to Mexico, from Persia to China and beyond!
February 18, 2018 - Susan will be hosted by the Sholem Aleichem Center in the Bronx for a concert. Come for a shmuez (a chat) and stay for the music!https://www.pineclubgolf.com/best-electrical-push-carts/
As part of the Sacred: Image, Text, Ritual exhibit at Lebanon Valley College, Susan will be presenting a lecture recital titled "Words as Homeland: Where Jewish Text, Art, and Song Converge to Express a Culture." Thursday, February 8, 2018, 5 pm at the Zimmerman Recital Hall.
A wonderful arts residency in Teaneck, NJ at Congregation Beth Sholom concluded with a full concert, accompanied by Adrian Banner on Piano. Enthusiasm and learning flowed back and forth the entire time. Fabulous community!
What a great night at the Jalopy in Brooklyn on June 16, 2016 as my new trio with Lauren Brody and Jake Shulman-Ment stepped out to strut our stuff! Many languages, many musical cultures, and great joy in blending our voices and instruments.
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In the beautiful summer landscape of Rindge, New Hampshire, I was privileged to teach traditional Jewish papercut arts at the annual National Havurah Committee's Summer Institute. We turned a large, sunny room into an art studio, and the class burst into enthusiastic art creation. I love the celebratory greeting of everyone's creations as skills and appreciation deepen over four days of classes. I'll come to you! Just ask!
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Back to the Catskills, this time teaching for HAZAK, a group under the umbrella of United Synagogue that offers among its programs an annual summer week of learning and camaraderie. I used my lecture/recital format to widen the world of Yiddish song for about 150 life-long learners as we studied, laughed, sang a bit, and grew to know one another in Kerhonkson, NY.
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When Nancy Spielberg screened her film Above and Beyond in Harrisburg's Chisuk Emuna Congregation, I was tapped to create a papercut gift for her. I chose the color scheme of her promotional material and the Hebrew words which translate into "Be strong... and strengthen one another." The filmmaker and I are shown here. (photo by Josh Damrauer)
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Each year the myriad of faith communities in the Harrisburg region come together to celebrate in song. Here's an image of my participation, sharing the beauty of Yiddish song at the Pine Street Presbyterian Church.
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One of three children's programs to wind up a hectic and marvelous Scholar in Residence program at Congregation Beth El in Fairfield, CT. Lectures, singing programs, explorations of Yiddishkayt - and a debut concert of the new Leviton/Brody duo in concert! I'll happily come to your community, too!
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Yiddish Culture on St. Croix! I received the warmest welcome all across the island where I had the opportunities to teach a vocal arts class in a school, offer an adult papercutting workshop, lecture in the synagogue, and get the whole audience at the Reformed Church singing along in multiple languages! Cultural seeds planted and the smiles, voices, and hugs still linger in memory!
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The Judson Church off Washington Square was packed with well over 300 people on December 30, 2014, to honor the memory and brilliance of Adrienne Cooper, and to award Michael Wex with this year's Dreaming in Yiddish prize. Below is an image of the finale of the musical performance of the Kanonen song from Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera, translated from the German into Yiddish by Wex himself. An all-star band backed us as we belted out the Army Song and others, accompanied by the brilliant puppetry and staging of Great Small Works and Power Point translations which made the text a little less inscrutable! What a night! Singers below include Sarah Gordon, Eleanor Reissa, Tine Kindermann, Dan Kahn, myself, and others.
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A whirlwind arts week in Caldwell, NJ at Congregation Agudath Israel allowed me to open Jewish folk arts to energetic groups from preschoolers through elders. The tots sang and acted out Yiddish songs with costumes and props, the school students (4 larger groups) explored paper arts and traditional papercutting, and adults were treated to a series of lecture recitals, everything taking place in a large space where I hung over 35 works of framed art. What a fabulous arts residency for all of us together!
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Nearly 100 people attended a lecture/recital stitching together I. B. Singer's writing and the artists who illustrated his books as Susan sang her way through the bookshelves, Sunday, November 16, at Chisuk Emuna Congregation in Harrisburg, PA. This was the second event in the year's programming under a grant from the Koster Foundation.
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I was guest lecturer at Dickinson College today, October 6, singing my way through a program on Jews and Food. Unlike the light weight singalongs I often do on this topic, the class took food songs into the framework of Hasia Diner's examination of the place of food in Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement through acculturation in America. 15 songs unpacked! A great eye-opening experience for all!
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Heeding God's Call is a national organization working at a grassroots level to end gun violence and straw buying. On September 18, within days of two gun murders in Harrisburg, I participated in an interfaith program at the MLK Baptist Church in the heart of our city. We 'sang' Reisen's Dos Naye Lid together as the assembled crowd held colored cards with words in Yiddish and English.
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A happy bride at the huppah with her papercut ketubah! 'Tis the season, and I've been busy with commissions of all sorts!
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A full week of learning and teaching at the Havurah Summer Institute was a welcome experience again this year. Located at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, about 300 Havurahniks from infancy to elder sage-age filled days and nights with enthusiastic work, food, music, and exploration. I taught classes in Yiddish song and helped create a soundscape for Tisha B'Av this summer. Loved it!!!
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A lovely way to begin the summer's KlezKamp's Wisconsin adventure was a solo concert at Chai Point in Milwaukee. Jill Gellerman and were welcomed to the beautiful facility and then I sang for and with a great crowd of elders, eager to be part of the action!
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Quite a surprise when I met the truck from Welch Signage in Maine, carrying the massive synagogue feature wall I had designed, to see a piece of my own artwork prominently displayed on both sides of the vehicle!
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I performed for over 100 people at beautiful Maris Grove in Pennsylvania's Delaware County on May 13. As part of the PA Humanities Council's program of Commonwealth Speakers, I was able to bring the sound of Yiddish to an audience largely unfamiliar with the language and culture. As always, common threads were immediately found!
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Verrry busy these days creating a synagogue feature wall, but I took time last week to be interviewed for Ted Merwin's article "The Aesthetics of Judaism" in The New York Jewish Week. Here's a quote: "For Susan Leviton, a ketubah-maker, paper-cut artist and Yiddish folk song performer ..., it was during the 1960s and ’70s, when many Jews flocked back to their roots, that Jews... 'took Judaism back into their own hands' and began braiding challahs and tie-dying prayer shawls. Hiddur mitzvah 'alters us as we fulfill a mitzvah or perform a ritual,' she told me. A Midrash (Song of Songs Rabbah 1.15) suggests that observance of the commandments makes Jews beautiful, even as Jews glorify God through hiddur mitzvot."
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An outpouring of love and creativity filled the room as we honored the memory of Adrienne Cooper and saw Jenny Romaine accept the first Dreaming in Yiddish award for her visionary work. Here's Susan on stage with Alicia Svigals, Jake Shulman-Ment, Benjy Fox Rosen, Aaron Alexander, Michael Winograd, and Dan Blacksberg, 12/21/13. (Photo by Bob Blacksberg)
When Goucher College Hillel welcomed a gift of two Torah scrolls, I was honored to craft mantles and wimples. So much silk! Garnet polished to look like pomegranate seeds! Text and the visions of students to work with! A grand experience.
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A totally spectacular group of artists, writers, social activists, and even puppeteers joined me for a week of creative work as I served as Artist in Residence at the 2013 National Havurah Conference Summer Institute in Rindge, NH. In 4 days of intense collective learning and creating, we built a musical theater production in a box (a cranky) and shared the story of the plight of needleworkers, past and present, with 300 others in a rapt audience!
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It was a beautiful day in Baltimore as the Jewish Museum of Maryland presented its annual Risch Memorial Program. I was delighted to be the featured performer, following brief, powerful presentations by Andres Salguero, Ssuuna, and the DC Turkish Folk Music Group. It always touches me to rediscover the points of connection among immigrant communities, regardless of geographic homes, cultures, and reasons for relocation. A brilliant celebration of cultures!
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Over 350 pieces of beautiful Youghiogheny Art Glass hand-cut, and now I'm on to wet-grinding the edges! It's a new skill that I'm happy to add to my resume as I take on the responsibility to create a soaring double wall of glass above the Torah ark for Chisuk Emuna Congregation in Harrisburg, building anew after a destructive fire in 2009. Check back in mid-May for a look at the completed wall!
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Getting closer to a new recording! Michael Winograd spent a day in the studio on March 28 with Frank London, Dan Blacksberg, Hadar Noiberg, and Alec Speigelman to lay down horn tracks for my as-yet-unnamed CD. Dan Kahn joined in as a special guest vocalist. Next will come strings and soon after that the mixing and mastering, printing and artwork, and OT AZOY! A new Yiddish recording!
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A whirl of creative activity has sent me to the sewing machine to craft two Torah mantles for Goucher College Hillel. One of the scrolls is a rescued Torah from Czechoslovakia, so armed with a palette of palest greys, golds, silvers, and ivories, I headed to Chinatown in NYC on a rainy day to seek silks! What a delight to discover Belraf Fabrics, owned by an Uzbeki couple. A trip around the world in fabric! Take a peek here are the first days' construction.
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I'll be guest lecturing at Dickinson College in Professor Ted Merwin's class during the week that we commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. My program on the fire in words and Yiddish song continues to grow as I learn, and to sadly resonate as we all ponder how little has changed in global workplace safely in the last century. See "Upcoming Events" for details.
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Each year as KlezKamp ends, I proclaim, "This was the best ever!" And every year I mean it. And this year I mean it more! The staff concert nearly lifted the roof off what had been, in its glory days The Granite Hotel in the Catskills. My classes (traditional papercutting and "Our Lives are in our Songs") were filled with curious, thoughtful participants who challenged one another to take each idea to a new level. What an experience. Do not miss this next December!! (sneak peek? Check out the KlezKamp post under Upcoming Events for a video clip!)
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December 22, 2012. Kaye Theater in Manhattan. I soared on the energy of dozens of the finest performers of Yiddish song and Klezmer as we paid tribute to Adrienne Cooper's memory in a three-hour concert of the songs she most loved. What a thrill to sing 'Di Arbuzn' a cappella, in three parts with women performers including Alicia Svigals, Lauren Brody, Shura Lipovsky, and Marsha Gildin. It was both a humbling and energizing evening. Sing out!
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I've just been selected as one of ten 2013 Guild of American Papercutters/X-acto Masters. This means over the course of the coming year I will be testing tools and materials and interacting with other artists to hone our skills and increase interest in papercutting arts. Very exciting!
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Are you aware of the Commonwealth Speakers program under the PA Humanities Commission? Every two years, a roster of artists, story-tellers, historians, and musicians selected by the PHC are able to travel the state offering specific programs at no cost to groups (schools, libraries, state parks, etc.!) other than a basic application fee. I just returned from Ohev Sholom in Williamsport and will head to Reading on Thursday to bring Women's Voices in Yiddish Song to the Federation's Friendship Circle there. Visit the website at www.pahumanities.org and check it out! Free programming! What are you waiting for???
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It's been a long time coming, but here I am, immersed in the joy of working in collaboration with brilliant musicians as I prepare a new recording! Production is in the fine hands of Michael Winograd, and the initial tracks have been laid down with David Licht, Jake Shulman-Ment, Carmen Staaf, Garth Stevenson, and Avi Fox-Rosen, with Lauren Brody and others joining in soon! Hmm... mostly Yiddish, with some surprises mixed in, and everything from spare acoustic accompaniment to over-the-top orchestrations. There'll be more and more about the project as it emerges from its infancy, so watch for news! Perhaps a concert or cd release party in your neighborhood down the line...
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Kesher Zion Congregation in Reading, PA welcomed me as artist-in-residence for the weekend of November 9, 2012, as the congregation honored the memories of Dr. Robert Greenberg and Evelyn Blumberg. I was delighted to find myself in the company of the congregation's brilliant Rabbi Minna Bromberg and rooms full of enthusiastic people hungry to experience new 'takes' on Jewish culture. My programming included a presentation of Yiddish songs of spiritual yearning, a lecture on contemporary Jewish ritual art, and then a rollicking concert on Saturday night with the newly expanded Old World Folk Band! Be sure to check the "Upcoming Events" tab to see where else I'm scheduled to spread YIddish culture!
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I can't say enough about the wonderful Tree of Life Congregation in MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA, where I just spent a weekend as scholar in residence. If you go to my 'coming events' tab, you may see the whole arc of the weekend, but I want to focus here on the response to my "Rage Against the Sewing Machine" presentation on Saturday night, October 27. Among the folks in attendance were physicians, attorneys, and workplace safety experts who each added to a passionate conversation about the effects of completely unregulated natural gas extraction on West Virginians, coal miners' safety issues, and even the plight of disabled people in sheltered workshops who, like the needle workers of 100 years ago, are largely groups without a voice. 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' And yet we still find inspiration to act for social justice when we learn and sing the songs of our forebears. "Give us bread and give us roses!"
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A radio interview for a BALTIMORE station (WVIE 1370) allowed me to share some insights into the history of labor activism in the United States on September 2, 2012 - Labor Day weekend. So much more meaningful than running to sporting goods stores for sale items, this was a chance to engage listeners in anthemic Yiddish songs and their contexts. So many songs... so little time! But every time a Yiddish song is SUNG, it lives a new life.
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It's late summer, so a trip to the BLOCK AND HEXTER VACATION CENTER in Poyntelle, PA came around on my calendar. My teaching schedule allowed me to alternate sessions with fellow presenter Saul Silas Fahti, as we worked to expand the artistic, musical, polititcal, and in Saul's case, even cosmological horizons of the elders who flocked to the Poconos to participate, learn, and (it's a Jewish camp!) eat 3 squares a day. Whether singing, lecturing, or engaging in issues, I always learn from interactions with program participants. One highlight this year was meeting two Hungarian-born sisters who offered me a macaronic (mixed language) song that alternates lines between Hungarian and German/Yiddish. Will it make the cut on my upcoming recording? Stay tuned!
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A quick trip to MADISON, WISCONSIN as part of "A Bisele KlezKamp" on July 22 was a terrific bright spot in a busy summer season! Over 200 people buzzed around programming by some of the best teacher/artists in the Yiddish folk arts world as Michael Wex, Cookie Segelstein, Lauren Brody, Henry Sapoznik, Sherry Mayrent, Miriam Isaacs, David Spies, Sara Gordon, Kurt Bjorling, Steve Weintraub, and I managed to compress a week's worth of learning into one fabulous day. Keep up-to-date with U. OF WISCONSIN'S MAYRENT CENTER to find out what Yiddish programming will be offered throughout the year before our triumphant return next summer!
On Friday night prior to 'ABKK' I was hosted by Congregation Shaarei Shomayim where I presented an a cappella lecture/recital titled "Healing the World in Yiddish Song." Given the political upheavals and charged emotions in Madison these days, the program was a welcome one. The room was packed with people of all ages, and it was a special joy to me to be singing in a room within Frank Lloyd Wright's historic Unitarian Church, where the congregation meets regularly.
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Lauren Brody and I head to PITTSBURGH on June 3 for two concerts, a family event in the morning, and a full concert in the late afternoon at the JCC, in conjunction with the Jewish Museum's exhibit on the artists who illustrated the works of I.B. Singer. We're working up new material and are delighted that both PennPAT and the PA Humanities Council are supporting the program with generous grants. Come celebrate Yiddish culture!
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Healing the World in Yiddish - This lecture/recital program drew people from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages to a program sponsored but DICKINSON COLLEGE, the Literary Heritage Fund, Association for Jewish Studies, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg on April 24. With PowerPoint translations and even a visit from Dan Kahn and the Painted Bird on screen, we explored the drive for human rights that infuses Yiddish song, and the activism that the songs inspire. As part of a series titled "Telling Jewish Stories through the Arts," the evening's riches were obvious as participants lingered over tea and cake and shared the stories that bubbled up in response to the presentation. What a great night!
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On Sunday, April 1, the Jewish Federation of Greater DAYTON and the Lynda A. Cohen Yiddish Club welcomed Lauren Brody and me for a concert. It was the first time that Lauren and I had the opportunity to present a full concert and we felt like siblings on the stage, finding parallel expressions of meaning and intention in her accordion and my voice without even a nod or a word. Utilizing the full range of her instrument, Lauren crafted a unique setting for each song, and the 'whole cloth' was fantastic.
We're already warming up for an upcoming event in June, so stay tuned for details!!
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MAURICE SENDAK! I write this on the day of Maurice Sendak's passing. (If you haven't heard both the recent Fresh Air interview and the hilarious pair of Colbert interviews with the incomparable Mr. Sendak, go find them NOW and come back here in an hour...) I am grateful and humbled to have had the opportunity to spend several months immersed in the life and work of Mr. Sendak, preparing for a program built around the Rosenbach's exhibit of the influences of his Jewish world on his life's work. So on Sunday, April 15, the Haverford Public Library swelled with the sounds of Klezmer as I took over the children's wing of the library to present "Yiddish in the Nutshell" with Ken Ulansey on clarinet and Heath Allen on keyboard. Sendak's early life in a Yiddish-speaking immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, the awareness of evil in the world, and the fears and bravery of children shaped much of his life's work, and I blended his personal life into songs and stories for a rollicking hour. The program was interactive, with sing-alongs, props, costumes, and wild Sendakian tales abounding. It was a Yiddishe Vilde 'Rumpus' for everyone's inner child! Pick up a book by Maurice Sendak and look deeply into it. You may be changed!
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LAFAYETTE COLLEGE Hillel hosted me on Tuesday night, March 20 for a program in song and story on the actual history of the Sarajevo Hagaddah. It was a real one-woman show as I demonstrated design, lettering, and gilding techniques of the centuries-old masterpiece, as well as recounted its improbable story interspersed with songs in the Sarajevo dialect of Judeo-Spanish, in Yiddish, and in Hebrew, along with a Moroccan chant - all related to the Hagaddah. The audience included students, college faculty, and local residents, and there was a lively Q and A at the conclusion of the program. Lafayette has a gorgeous old campus perched above the city of Easton at the confluence of the Delaware and Raritan rivers. I hope to return!
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LAUREN BRODY will join me in presenting a full concert in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, April 1 for the annual event honoring the memory of Lynda A. Cohen. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share the stage and have been working up two terrific sets for the Yiddish club and expected gathered throngs!
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A presentation of my concert "Women's Voices in Yiddish Song" at Penn State University in Middletown, PA on February 23 drew people from Lancaster, York, Lebanon, and the greater Harrisburg area. Having been interviewed for an upcoming article in a Dayton, Ohio paper the night before, I kept thinking during the concert of a particular question I was asked: "What do you want people to take away from your performance?" So I'll tell you: I want people to be so surprised and touched that they come away with a desire to dig a little deeper into Yiddish culture and discover something about themselves. The values and history that are packed into our songs go far in teaching us how to know ourselves if we just open our hearts a bit. That's why I sing. Oh, and also, I sing because I can't NOT sing!!
Only a week to go before Kerhonkson, NY becomes the temporary capital of Yiddishland! This year at KlezKamp I'll be teaching the hands-on papercutting course and a four-session a capella lecture/recital course.
I'm especially looking forward to the time I'll be carving out with fellow PennPAT artist SUSAN WATTS to work on some vocal duets and arrangements, and to begin taking concrete steps towards my NEW RECORDING, which will be produced by the amazing MICHAEL WINOGRAD! Check this website regularly for announcements, too, of a new duo in the works featuring MICHAEL WEX and Susan Leviton. Use your imagination for now - details to follow soon!
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On Sunday, November 20, 2011, I presented a "Conversation with the Artist" in conjunction with the "Making it Better: Folk Art in Pennsylvania Today" exhibit in which one of my papercuts is featured. I demonstrated the art of Jewish papercutting and shared insights into its history and contemporary expressions with about 30 museum-goers. On exhibit through April 29, 2012, Making It Better tells the stories of over 30 master artists whose works represent a wide array of traditions such as African dance, stone wall construction, Native American clay flutes, Pysanky eggs, contemporary blacksmith work, woodcarving, and Vietnamese funerary portraits. I'm honored to have been chosen to have my work represented among so many brilliant examples of folk arts.
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Groundbreaking for Chisuk Emuna Congregation's new synagogue took place in Harrisburg on Sunday, October 16, 2011, and over 350 people celebrated with a block party that featured kugel in a sukkah, carnival food, games and abundant crafts for children, and an afternoon of outstanding music: klezmer, jazz, and old-timey. Bands set up on a concrete pad at one end of the soon-to-be-a-shul property, and music filled the air! I had the pleasure of singing once again with the Old World Folk Band, which has recently welcomed several new musicians as regulars, and which added additional guest performers for the outdoor event.
The synagogue was destroyed by an accidental fire in 2009, and more recently was left homeless when The Flood of 2011 forced the congregation from temporary quarters in the JCC. The sense that the next plague was waiting in the wings was banished by the wonderful welcome to a new neighbrhood, and it looks like the block party may become an annual event!
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A whirlwind few days at the 14th annual IAYC (International Association of Yiddish Clubs) conference in Novi, Michigan offered me the opportunity to perform and teach, and to meet people from all over the country who gathered to celebrate Yiddish culture. Highlights for me were presenting my powerful lecure/recital, "Rage Against the Sewing Machine" in this 100th anniversary year following the Triangle Fire, and joining Dan Kahn on the bandstand following my solo concert.
To see parts of one of my programs at the conference, please visit www.yiddishlives.com/susanleviton
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