Generally speaking, a normal financing are an option for consumers that have a credit get away from 620 or more
Generally speaking, a normal financing are an option for consumers that have a credit get away from 620 or more Traditional loans were supported by Fannie mae otherwise Freddie Mac. Although old-fashioned loans are first qualification guidance, your financial have stricter conditions, instance minimal down repayments and you can debt-to-money ratios. FHA Part 203(k) It is a good conundrum: A good fixer-top can be listed less than a more recent possessions, but affording the real developments is yet another complications. This is when the fresh new FHA Part 203(k) financing comes in. Supported by the brand new Federal Homes Relationship, this financing allows you to borrow funds to resolve up an effective property that needs loads of improvements. It is not an unicamente mortgage product, although. For the fresh new 203(k) financing, you ought to additionally be approved for an enthusiastic FHA loan. The brand new 203(k) mortgage will be rolling toward FHA mortgage. You will find amount borrowed limitations also: The fresh 203(k) mortgage must be more than $5,000; the utmost tends to be $thirty-five,one hundred thousand (but can are different because of the county). You must additionally be capable afford good step three.5 percent down payment (at a minimum), although deposit might be high centered on your own borrowing rating. Limits: In the event FHA financing have a reduced down payment, there are highest will cost you in it, such costly mortgage insurance fees, high rates of interest and you can a representative assessment (covered from the buyer). Further, if you’re applying that have an excellent co-debtor, FHA takes into account the lowest median credit score among them of your. Controlling repairs toward family might be hard and you can big date-ingesting. State and you will local programs With regards to the county, county otherwise city where you happen to live, truth be told there s offering gurus between deposit assistance to low-appeal mortgage loans. Of a lot local software and pass by various other names, so make sure you glance at regional websites and focus on an excellent local lender to acquire solutions where you may meet the requirements. Condition programs California: There are numerous basic-go out domestic visitors programs in the Ca, also mortgages like the CalPLUS FHA Mortgage System and this can be along with a zero-focus system to own settlement costs ( CalHFA No Focus System ). If you need bucks on to get property, the fresh MyHome Guidance Program is actually a deposit guidelines system you to definitely will bring licensed first-day buyers having a tiny mortgage of about 3 percent off the cost of the house, according to the mortgage variety of useful for financing. Maximum amount borrowed was $11,one hundred thousand, however, you to definitely limit was waived for many specialities and you can family brands. Fees of one’s MyHome Recommendations System mortgage is deferred. Florida: From Florida Casing Money Company , first-day homebuyers that have a credit history from 640 and you will above , that provides a fixed-price financial. This can small personal loans for bad credit be along with several additional downpayment advice applications, such as the Florida Let ($seven,500, 0 per cent deferred second mortgage). New york: The state of Ny Home loan Department brings very first-day homebuyers use of low-attention and you may low-down-fee mortgages, including advance payment guidelines software. Achieving the Fantasy ‘s the lowest interest-rate program that is in addition to flexible enough on the varied property stock inside the Ny. Deposit criteria can be low just like the step 3 per cent (a step three per cent down payment recommendations forgivable mortgage...
Read MoreA traditional Mortgage in Connecticut Top ten Things to Understand
A traditional Mortgage in Connecticut Top ten Things to Understand To invest in a home is a big step. Including choosing in which you’ll be able to alive, just how much you really can afford and just how long you could potentially stand at your home, you will also have to decide which kind of mortgage you are able to take out. The 3 popular version of You.S. mortgages – FHA (Government Property Expert), Virtual assistant (Department away from Pros Issues) and you may old-fashioned – every promote more incentives. But what exactly is actually a conventional mortgage? And is it the best option when buying a property inside the latest Structure State? Listed here are ten the thing you need understand about an effective old-fashioned mortgage loan when you look at the Connecticut. The high quality https://simplycashadvance.net/loans/payday-loan-consolidation/ down payment for the conventional money try 20% of the full loan amount. But not, there are lots of solution selection that require a lot less. Remember that one downpayment below 20% get sustain more will cost you, particularly private home loan insurance coverage (PMI). six. Were there different kinds of old-fashioned financing inside Connecticut? Along the U.S., there are two main kind of traditional loans: compliant finance and non-conforming funds. A compliant financing refers to one antique home loan you to adheres to the credit restrictions set by the Government Housing Finance Company (FHFA). Currently, the borrowed funds limitation getting an individual-home in the most common out of Connecticut try $548,250, with the exception of Fairfield County, where in actuality the limitation try $601,450. To have review, FHA financing are capped during the $356,362 – which is nearly $2 hundred,100000 less than brand new Connecticut old-fashioned financing cap! Non-conforming money – also referred to as jumbo financing – meet or exceed the newest FHFA’s traditional home loan financial support constraints. Non-compliant funds typically have highest rates of interest and higher down money than conforming finance. eight. Will there be school funding to own old-fashioned loan individuals for the Connecticut? Sure! The new Connecticut Homes Money Expert also provides loan programs that will help defray the expenses for the their traditional loan. HFA Advantage & HFA Well-known: This type of programs help very first time homebuyers pay for their mortgage insurance rates, and have promote a vacation mortgage as much as $3,one hundred thousand so you’re able to counterbalance closing costs. Homebuyer Home loan Program: That it mortgage program assists lower- in order to reasonable-money homebuyers pay for the repayments. Candidates don’t need to become first-time home buyers in order to qualify, and might qualify for assistance with closing costs. Advance payment Guidance System: Put into each of the software mentioned above, this is exactly a reduced-focus financing one acts as the next financial. Consumers must set-out at the least $1,000 so you can qualify for a great DAP loan. 8. What documents can i qualify for a normal financing? Consumers trying to get a traditional financial during the Connecticut need to render evidence of the money and possessions. Use this checklist to decide for those who have everything you need just before meeting with your own mortgage lender: ? Borrowers who will be worry about-operating have to expose a lot more documentation, together with evidence of earnings, a recent profit-and-loss declaration and you will a listing of most of the organization expenses. nine. Do you know the positives and negatives out of a normal home loan inside the Connecticut? To help you weigh your options when choosing the loan which is right for you, we have made a convenient positives...
Read MoreManage Girls Get more Suits Into the Tinder?
Manage Girls Get more Suits Into the Tinder? While it’s fairly easy to take a seat on your couch and you can Swipe, compared with early dating services eg eHarmony, in which profiles would’ve must fill in comprehensive studies and you may questionnaires, the newest Tinder environment can still be a fairly hard place! Particularly when you appear to be swiping constantly with very little to help you show because of it. Studies have shown that ladies into the matchmaking application do now have the top hand with respect to suits, causing a great deal more pickiness. Why Tinder is such an unbalanced lay Even when girls actually do have more fits How many fits the typical girl will get Just what feminine vs. dudes require to the Tinder Even in the event guys such as for example all of the girl to your Tinder Frequently asked questions. What makes Tinder So Imbalanced? Tinder leads just how regarding dating. When you are Bumble may have been created by an ex-Tinder worker and is a great deal more female-centered, it hasn’t seen the same success you to definitely Tinder enjoys. But it’s fairly easy to understand one to Tinder was an excellent woman’s video game. And why would be the fact? Quite simply, the majority of pages with the Tinder is actually male , meaning that the ratio from male-to-women users on the Tinder is actually imbalanced. In reality, on the You.S., approximately more or less 70% from profiles was men . Which is a big difference! Plus it means that there is certainly alot more race during the also seeking locate you to definitely notice their biography. The results regarding the instability? Highest selectivity regarding women with respect to its craft into the Tinder and you can whom it like to Swipe Directly on. Actually just who they sooner or later always message! We understand off a study used from the Washington Blog post one to men’s Swiping models you should never improve the disease. When you’re feminine perform merely Swipe Right on some one they certainly were undoubtedly seeking, dudes handled they instance a game title, and you will casually liked more of the pages one seemed on the display. Once the data states that female only need to Swipe Directly on step three guys to make a match, alternatively dudes have to Swipe Right on over 50 ladies in buy to be successful. The greater suits women build, the https://kissbridesdate.com/swedish-brides/ greater number of texts they receive (on average on eight everyday compared to the four you to definitely it posting), in fact it is somewhat a formidable number of interest. For this reason, solitary feminine is a lot choosier, and you may guys might be more expected to indiscriminate Swipes (the brand new machine-gun approach). Do Girls Attract more Matches on the Tinder? Centered on 2021 statistics from during the a study carried out by The fresh Challenging Italic , feminine only Swipe Right around 5% of the time. In contrast, men Swipe Right about 53% of the time. Which proportion, naturally, means that women usually suits more often, whereas men will most likely only matches a few times. Discover even a survey done considering representative activity towards Tinder, hence verified that ladies tended to have more fits right away. However,, interestingly, it is really not just women. It’s also gay dudes who rating loads of potential fits Swiping Right on them, plus it the boils down to how women and men fool around with programs instance Tinder (we’ll get into so it inside subsequent detail a...
Read MoreDo to get property raise your credit history?
Do to get property raise your credit history? It lose cannot appear immediately, however you will view it stated in this several days of one’s closure in the event the bank accounts your first payment. Typically it entails in the 5 months so that your rating tend to get back up if you make payments punctually, just in case the rest of your borrowing models sit good. Can also be that loan become declined shortly after end? Sure, you can be refuted once being approved to own closure. Whenever you are obvious to close means that the closing date try handling, it doesn’t indicate that the lender never go out of business. You are able to recheck your own credit and a career standing because the it has been a great deal of day as you used for the financing. What is the mediocre credit score? The typical credit score in the us are 698based on Vantage Get Studies regarding . Its a misconception you only have one credit rating. Actually you may have of many credit ratings. It is advisable to check your own borrowing from the bank continuously. Do i need to play with my mastercard when buying a house? People can be continue to use their bank cards throughout home financing transactionbut you need to be alert to brand new timing rather than make purchases during the time whenever closure your loan you certainly will pay day loan Centennial, CO completely derail, recommends Rogers. Have a tendency to to find a motor vehicle apply to my personal odds of bringing a mortgage? To get a motor vehicle as well as grows the debt stream, making you come as a beneficial riskier debtor. Which will indicate that mortgage brokers are you presently is actually not as likely to agree a mortgage. While you take to the high costs including a car loan, you’re faster able to afford the household percentage you really want. Auto traders and you may loan providers have credit standards and you may an acceptance processes, but are basically far more easy than just financial insurance providers. You really will not have an issue to order an auto immediately following to invest in a home when you yourself have good credit and money just after to order your property. If you have merely completed to get a home as they are think an effective auto loan, you could wait for the laws that your mortgage is regarding otherwise if you don’t feel the secrets to our house. Enable it to be at the a minumum of one complete business day immediately following achievement in advance of beginning another type of loan also can make sure that your loan possess come financed and you will paid off. How do i increase my credit history from the a hundred circumstances for the a month? Pay-all expenses timely. Discover more about delinquent repayments, plus costs-offs and range levels. Repay credit card balances and keep maintaining them reasonable in accordance with their borrowing from the bank limitations. Apply for credit only if needed. Dont romantic old, unused credit cards. If your credit rating was at the very least 643 while meet other requirements, you should have zero trouble getting a mortgage. … The kinds of applications open to consumers which have a credit rating of 643 try: traditional finance, FHA money, Virtual assistant loans, USDA funds, jumbo loans, and you may non-best fund. Simply how much put manage I would like to possess a house? Oftentimes you will need a deposit of 20% 25% so you can be...
Read MoreMini Funding 10,000: Every Little Thing You Required to Know
Searching for a quick financial remedy to cover unexpected costs? A tiny loan of 10,000 might be the solution. In this extensive overview, we will discover all the crucial elements of mini loans, including how they function, the benefits and drawbacks, and exactly how to look for one. What is a Mini Finance? A small car loan, likewise called a tiny loan or microloan, is a kind of temporary finance that is typically for a small amount, such as 10,000. These finances are developed to offer fast accessibility to funds when you need them most, making them excellent for covering emergency situation expenses or unanticipated expenses. Mini car loans are frequently unsecured, implying you do not need to supply security to secure the car loan. This makes them a preferred selection for those who may not have important possessions to make use of as protection. These loans are typically paid off over a short time period, ranging from a few weeks to a couple of months. The settlement terms are commonly adaptable, permitting you to choose a settlement timetable that benefits your monetary scenario. Quick access to funds No requirement for security Adaptable settlement terms Advantages of a Mini Car loan There are numerous advantages to picking a miniature financing for your financial requirements. One of the major benefits is the rate at which you can receive the funds. Unlike standard small business loan that may take weeks to be accepted, tiny fundings can usually be accepted and disbursed within a matter of hours. Mini finances are additionally a great alternative for those with bad credit history. Many loan providers who provide mini fundings do not call for a high credit history for authorization, making them easily accessible to a bigger variety of customers. Furthermore, small car loans can help you stay clear of costly late costs or overdraft costs. By obtaining a mini loan to cover unanticipated expenses, you can prevent falling back on costs and harmful your credit score. Downsides of a Mini Lending While small car loans can be a convenient and quick way to accessibility funds, there are some drawbacks to think about. One of the main disadvantages is the high rate of interest connected with these finances. Given that mini finances are normally unprotected and have short repayment terms, lenders typically charge higher interest rates to balance out the risk of default. An additional disadvantage is the potential for finance rollovers. If you are incapable to repay the lending completely by the due date, some lending institutions might allow you to surrender the finance for an added cost. This can cause a cycle of financial debt that is difficult to break without. Just how to Request a Mini Finance Obtaining a small lending is a relatively straightforward procedure. The majority of lending institutions provide online applications that can be finished in a matter of mins. To get a tiny funding of 10,000, you will usually need to give evidence of revenue, identification, and savings account info. Select a credible lending institution Fill in the online application Provide required documentation Evaluation the funding terms and conditions Sign the financing agreement Obtain funds in your checking account Conclusion Mini financings of 10,000 can be a practical economic tool when used sensibly. Whether you require to cover unanticipated costs or merely link the void between incomes, phone loan apps a mini funding can give the funds you need quickly and easily. However, it is very important to thoroughly take into consideration the conditions of the loan before putting on guarantee that you can settle it on schedule...
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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