step three Month-to-month connection financing interest payments is going to be deferred
step three Month-to-month connection financing interest payments is going to be deferred Connecting mortgage to help you cut a buy when a purchaser pulls out Our client had a deal to invest in his Lancashire house, their render towards the family he desired to get was acknowledged, together with pick strings try proceeding. Up until their client pulled aside during the last minute. The guy involved us, therefore we got link financing establish within this three days therefore he could over they into the plan monthly after. Find out more Bridging financing feature the choice so you can “roll-up” interest is paid down at the conclusion of the latest funds title. This might be useful for selecting a house because it permits one end monthly attention costs and rehearse the borrowed funds totally to purchase your this new property. If you retract the interest on your loan, it would be paid at the conclusion of the new loans label as well as the dominant loan amount by the concurred hop out strategy. This is why your own full loan amount need certainly to through the appeal cost – meaning you’ll encounter shorter available for the acquisition or even the recovery functions you are resource. 4 Having a link financing, high mortgage-to-worth credit can be found Not only will bridging loans render financial support quickly, you could secure a substantial amount of funds through an effective bridging mortgage. Extremely lenders will provide to 75% mortgage so you can value (LTV). I work at some loan providers prepared to offer bridging fund up so you’re able to 80% LTV so you’re able to property designers to the a non-regulated foundation (which doesn’t require their house), according to the number of activities therefore the property utilized due to the fact security into the mortgage. The simplest way to arrange a connecting financing of the restrict worth is always to contain the mortgage up against one another a property are purchased and a current possessions. An individual possessions may be used once the security into a connecting financing, although rate of interest charged may be large that have less “security” towards lender. Flexible crossbreed lending Recently we’ve been starting an effective work for a small grouping of customers who fit another “residential” bridging mortgage unit having higher-earnings manager-occupiers. It offers a similar regulatory security given that standard regulated bridging credit but without any limiting a dozen-few days lending title and also at a much lower interest. Credit stretched in order to couple of years provides a pleasant breathing place so you can clients that happen to be utilising the money for renovations. it caters to individuals on these COVID minutes, who would-be worried about having the ability to manage loans in Oxoboxo River to get thier family prepared to promote, marketed, a buyer discovered and you can sales finished inside a year. It’s open to individuals with money more ?100K who would like to acquire over ?500K They must be in a position to pay the appeal towards lending monthly in place of paying they folded up after the expression. The brand new borrowing works out much cheaper for subscribers whoever month-to-month money can also be help maintenance the financing since the interest is not combined. it lets them to availableness the total amount of the decided borrowing from the bank contribution for their pick otherwise recovery (in the place of having the price of credit subtracted from the funds accessible to her or him). Also, subscribers can be obtain as much as a nice 80% LTV. And one lender often imagine proposals...
Read MoreHow does A student-based loan Connect with Home financing Pre-Approval?
How does A student-based loan Connect with Home financing Pre-Approval? Day Penned: Very first homebuyers are usually concern with how big is the Education loan and just how it can connect with their likelihood of taking a mortgage. But exactly how far will it really matter? Mortgage Lab’s objective is going to be the electronic town rectangular having monetary decision-companies to increase understanding of their most recent and you will loan places Old Saybrook Center upcoming mortgage. Realize all of us with the Fb and you can LinkedIn or sign up for the publication becoming informed of our latest blogs. So, you analyzed difficult for age and you will, to track down around, you obtained a student loan. For the courses, for your courses, and for some cash to live. Now it’s time a deposit for a home and you will students Loan regarding fourfold you to definitely! How can you give the financial institution the Student loan goes when planning on taking your more than your own home loan to repay? Do you know the dos Obstacles of going a home loan? For many who understand our very own content commonly, you will be aware that anyone always deal with 1 of 2 difficulties when providing home financing. a deposit Difficulty (you don’t need to enough deposit) otherwise, a full time income Challenge (you don’t have adequate income to pay for every expenses). Student education loans reduce your income (the federal government takes out a dozen% of your own salary once you earn significantly more than $19,084 a-year). Banking institutions get you to definitely count off your revenue when they are calculating simply how much you really can afford. Essentially, a student-based loan makes it which means you hit the Income Difficulty earlier. How much does my personal Education loan connect with my personal financial pre-approval? This is actually the essential point to understand regarding the bank’s calculation. It really does not matter just how much you owe on the Beginner Loan; the financial institution wil dramatically reduce your own useable income regardless of. This is very good news for anyone which have attention-watering Financing. Brand new computation is the identical whether you $step 3,100000 or $3 hundred,000 kept. The financial institution merely does not worry. They would proper care should you have a great $3 hundred,100 Credit card (obviously) although not a student-based loan. Why? Since your repayments are nevertheless twelve% of earnings and no so much more. The us government can not telephone call the loan from inside the and repayments is actually made automatically. It is even focus-100 % free, providing you stay in the nation. Its as close so you can good debt as you are able to score. Keep in mind that these types of data and you will regulations aren’t novel so you can This new Zealand or NZ Financial institutions. He’s common practice to another country as well. Can i repay my Student loan in case it is only quick? When you are hitting the Money Challenge (you have got adequate deposit but your earnings are holding you back) and simply possess a tiny Education loan leftover, thought settling you to Student loan. Sure, you’re paying down an interest 100 % free mortgage and this isn’t finest, but you will rating a beneficial a dozen% earnings improve which could enable you to get what you want. Thus let’s say all your offers soon add up to a beneficial ten% put and you are clearly looking to purchase a house. You failed to use any kind of those funds to blow down...
Read MoreWhat is actually PMI and exactly how Can you Cure it?
What is actually PMI and exactly how Can you Cure it? One of the primary barriers to buying a home is on its way with the fresh new deposit. Simply how much you devote down on a conventional mortgage usually influence whether or not you are going to need to buy personal mortgage insurance coverage (PMI) since a premium in your mortgage. However, there are ways to end spending private mortgage insurance policies. What is actually private mortgage insurance coverage? Personal financial insurance policies protects the lender if you default to the your loan. Usually, PMI required if you make an advance payment less than 20% into a normal mortgage. You only pay a monthly premium into insurer, together with publicity will pay part of the harmony just like the of the home loan company in the event you default for the mortgage. Bear in mind, personal home loan insurance coverage wouldn’t keep you from up against foreclosures otherwise a get rid of on the credit score in the event your mortgage payments fall behind. The lender need PMI because of the additional chance of acknowledging a lowered down payment on the the purchase. How to end PMI is via and work out a great 20% advance payment, if you can. How much are PMI? PMI typically can cost you 0.5%–1% of your amount borrowed annually. As an instance, if you purchase a beneficial $300,100 house, you are able to spend ranging from $1,500–$step three,100 a-year from inside the home loan insurance coverage. This can be split on the monthly payments. Inside example, you are looking for investing $125–$250 per month. Advance payment amount – A smaller sized down-payment form the lender stands to lose an effective huge investment for individuals who default along with your home goes into foreclosures. Even though you can not afford a good 20% downpayment, a more impressive deposit can lessen the level of PMI. Your credit score – Generally, you’ll see a decreased PMI rates getting a credit rating off 760 otherwise significantly more than. A stronger credit rating and high credit score setting reduced PMI because you pay your debts responsibly. The sort of financial – PMI having a changeable rate mortgage will cost over good fixed-speed home loan. A variable rates home loan try riskier on the lender than just good fixed-speed financing since speed can move up. Which means that your PMI might be higher. Fixed-speed money can aid in reducing the amount of exposure because rates wouldn’t change. When can you avoid expenses PMI? When your home loan dominating was lower than 80% of one’s most recent We. After you arrived at 78% of residence’s well worth, PMI fundamentally merely drops regarding. Was PMI tax deductible? Already, private mortgage insurance policy is tax deductible to possess income tax ages 2018, 2019, and you can 2020. Congress expanded the newest tax deduction to have home loan insurance fees you to definitely expired at the end of 2017. Their income tax get back treats private financial insurance since financial attention. The insurance contract must have already been given immediately after 2006 to help you allege the fresh new deduction getting income tax season 2020. Should your modified gross income is more than $one hundred,one hundred thousand ($50,100 in the event that partnered however, filing ount you might subtract is quicker and can even end up being eliminated. If for example the modified revenues is over $109,100, otherwise $54,five-hundred in the event that partnered however, processing by themselves, you can’t subtract mortgage insurance premiums. How to avoid PMI If you’d like to...
Read MoreIf you Pay back Your Financial which have a home Security Financing?
If you Pay back Your Financial which have a home Security Financing? Approximately 65% from American home very own their family as of 2022, depending on the You.S. Census Agency. Over the past several years, the newest median purchases cost of a house in the us have increased from just below $240,100 from inside the 2012 to nearly $430,100000 inside the 2022, to have a good ten-season improve off nearly 80%. Inside the white in the, of numerous homeowners have seen brand new equity in their house grow somewhat since they own it. Which have positive equity of your house brings home owners the flexibility to help you extract that wealth in several ways. One strategy getting opening which equity would be to pay off part or any mortgage that with a property security financing. In this post, we’re going to glance at the pros and disadvantages from the means. Trick Takeaways A home equity mortgage enables you to acquire to good specific percentage of your property guarantee. Your home is equity to your financing, that allows the rate as far lower than a great bank card otherwise unsecured line of credit. Particular residents take-out these types of fund to pay off its mortgage loans, as it can potentially bring about all the way down capital costs. However, there are even dangers on it. step one. Household Guarantee Finance (Second Mortgages) The first is by using a normal family guarantee loan, that is possibly called a second mortgage. This type of financing is largely similar to home financing mortgage, except that in place of supposed toward the acquisition of a property, it results in this new borrower getting a lump sum payment of money that they’re absolve to spend however they appeal. The measurements of that it lump sum payment are calculated since good part of the newest security they own in their house, with 85% getting a widely used limitation. Like, if a citizen provides a mortgage for $two hundred,000 but their home is well worth $three hundred,000, next their equity might possibly be $100,000. If their residence collateral mortgage also provides a lump sum payment out of right up so you can 85% of the collateral, they would be able to obtain up to $85,one hundred thousand. While some residents use these finance to expend down its home loan, they might including remove property collateral loan to pay for almost every other will cost you, such as renovations their kitchen area or buying college or university. The main reason why home owners take out house collateral money in order to pay down their financial is that they thought performing this usually end up in all the way down monthly premiums. This may occur whenever rates of interest has declined because they earliest ordered their house, meaning that the domestic equity financing carry out bring a lower notice rates than their present home loan. In this situation, the latest resident create remove a home equity loan, which may possess its very own interest rate, amortization agenda, and name, and you will basically will be refinancing some or each of their present home loan. Even though using property equity mortgage to help you re-finance your mortgage is end in lower focus costs, property owners must be careful making sure that this cost savings isnt damaged because of the any prepayment penalties otherwise settlement costs which may use. With regards to small loans Fort Rucker AL the details of its established financial terms and conditions, it may be better to only wait until next offered chance otherwise refinance their home...
Read MoreTaking a mortgage with a credit partnership will save you cash on appeal and you will fees
Taking a mortgage with a credit partnership will save you cash on appeal and you will fees Deduct the above mentioned count regarding the estimated worthy of This is the homebuyer’s fantasy: Dig up a crude diamond about perfect community, purchase it to have bottom dollars, and flip they to the a gem worthy of twice everything you paid down. It does takes place. But either one diamond regarding the rough is simply a funds pit inside the disguise. The answer to delivering an acquire was understanding how to inform him or her aside. Begin the procedure to have a keen OCCU financial today to just take the first step on possessing one diamond regarding rough To acquire a fixer-top should be fraught that have peril, says Which Old Home. Before taking new diving, make sure you has a sensible concept of what you are taking into. If you’re looking to pay bottom buck, need a challenging look at the regional market. Deep coupons are you can in a few areas-especially those having expensive home-but the majority fixer-uppers number for typically 8 percent lower than industry worthy of, according to Zillow. For the average visitors, you to actually leaves regarding $11,100000 for fixes. Of a lot people perform some really works themselves to save cash. If you possess the knowledge, you could potentially maximize your money. But wonder certain hard questions relating to the level of functions and the time connection with it. Renovations usually takes weeks otherwise years to get rid of. Some functions might need it allows, which are go out-sipping. Problems are going to be high priced. Having said that, there are lots of great fixer-uppers available to you that offer maximum get back to possess minimal efforts. You simply need to know very well what to find. Preferably, need good fixer-higher that really needs mostly cosmetic makeup products improvements. These types of home improvements normally rates a lot less than it go back during the ily area or a lot more room is shorter worthwhile, costing as much or higher than they come back-whether or not incorporating your bathrooms are worth up to twice their rates. The color Refinishing floors and you can laying tile otherwise carpet Up-to-date kitchen or bathroom Patching walls and you will removing wallpaper Establishing ceiling fans and you can lighting fixtures Replacing https://paydayloanalabama.com/excel/ baseboards otherwise including thin Restoring damaged window Door substitute for Brand new restroom subfloor In case your house needs biggest architectural functions, of many real estate professionals highly recommend strolling one other way. Plumbing system and you may electronic reputation, comprehensive roof or wall structure really works, and you can foundation improvements cost a lot and you will barely incorporate sufficient value to help you offset their rates. Exactly how much in the event that you render on your own fixer-higher? To get the price you prefer, arm yourself which have difficult numbers. Initiate thoroughly examining new house’s standing. Knowing what tasks are required, you will need to search making a number of computations to access their limit render. Step one: Estimate resolve costs. Become difficult with this specific estimate, states That it Old Domestic. When you are carrying it out yourself, look into the cost of materials. While playing with a company, capture her or him on the a walk-courtesy of the property and then have a written imagine. When the architectural tasks are inside it, hire a structural engineer to analyze a full the amount of the condition. Seem sensible the costs of the many: Step 2: Exit area getting shocks. Home improvements simply take...
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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