Ballets Russes Arts Initiative

17/03/2025

Join us a week from now (6 pm) at KI to hear International Tchaikovsky competition prize-winner Violinist Eric Silberger perform a concert program ranging from Paganini to prayer, as well as Milstein's Paganiniana and his own composition Paganono. Ticket link in poster and comment below.

12/01/2025

Exciting concert this Thursday in Brookline at Congregation Kehillath Israel. Come and support Israel and Ukraine, and enjoy folk and popular songs, Broadway tunes and arias in Hebrew, Ukrainian, Yiddish and English!

Join us Thursday night for an evening of song in support of Dror Israel and Razom for Ukraine featuring Ukrainian-American contralto Vira Slywotzky and Ukranian-Israeli Mezzo-Soprano Tanya Bertier, with Paul Carlson, Pianist! Doors open 7 pm, music at 7:30. Ticket link in the poster and in comments below.
Contra Spem Spero means Against Hope, I Hope, and is taken from a poem by the poet Lesia Ukrainka.

07/03/2024

Last Thursday we were thrilled to help present a wonderful concert hosted and lead-presented by Congregation Kehillath Israel featuring the dynamic duo of Julian Milkis and Maxim Lubarsky, aka The Odesa Boys. The wide-ranging program included post-Soviet composers such as the Estonian Arvo Part, the Georgian Giya Kancelli, the Ukrainian-Israeli Yuri Povolotsky and the Ukrainian (born in Belarus) Alexander Rodin. The Boston Musical Intelligencer gave a thoughtful review: www.classical-scene.com/2024/03/03/odessa/ written by Stephanine Oestreich.

12/10/2023

Due to the tragic events of the past week in Israel, the concert by Alex Roitman's quartet ARTE at Congregation Kehillath Israel has been postponed to October 26th. We hope you can join us in Brookline on the 26th for this exploration of classic Argentian Tango and the contribution of Jewish composers to the genre.

Alex Roitman and his tango quartet perform Argentinian tangos, and explore the contributions of Jewish composers and musicians to the genre.

05/10/2023

Looking forward to next Thursday's concert at Congregation Kehillath Israel with this talented group of international musicians! The performance is primarily a concert, but space will be provided for those who wish to dance...Early Bird tickets end Sunday: http://artetango.eventbrite.com/

In partnership with Ballets Russes Arts Initiative we welcome ARTE New England this coming Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 PM. The quartet will be performing Argentinian tangos, and will explore the contributions of Jewish composers and musicians to the genre.
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Tickets are available at http://artetango.eventbrite.com/

02/08/2023

Julian Milkis and Maxim Lubarsky, newly named 'The Odesa Boys' 😉, premiere a piece by Ukrainian composer Aleksandr Rodin in Bethlehem NH on July 28. We're thrilled to have been a part of bringing these fabulous musicians to Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation.

30/06/2023

More photos from our June 15th concert in collaboration with Congregation Kehillath Israel, featuring the first performance of BRAI's orchestral commission for an arrangement of F***y Mendelssohn Hensel's sonata by Patricia Wallinga - Composer, with Britney Alcine conducting and Sharon Su, Pianist on the ivories, as well as various chamber groupings performing music by female composers. Video coming soon!

Photos from our June 15 concert in partnership with Congregation Kehillath Israel, and featuring the first performance of BRAI's orchestral commission of the Hensel/Wallinga Concerto, as well as music by Joan Tower, Lera Auerbach and Tania Leon.

Generously supported by the Hegardt Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Aurora Charitable Fund, Women's Philharmonic Advocacy and numerous individual donors

22/06/2023

We were thrilled to collaborate with Congregation Kehillath Israel last Thursday to present the inaugural performance of our first orchestral commission! Patricia Wallinga - Composer created a powerful arrangement of F***y Mendelssohn Hensel's Piano Sonata in G Minor for a chamber orchestra of 26. Conductor Britney Alcine led the orchestra and Sharon Su, Pianist was the soloist. The rest of the program also included chamber music by living female composers. Thanks to all who played, attended and supported! More photos and eventually video coming soon...

14/06/2023

So excited for tomorrow night's concert at Congregation Kehillath Israel, featuring the first performance of our new orchestral commission for the Mendelssohn-Hensel/Wallinga Piano Concerto. Still time to get tickets at fanfarewomen.eventbrite.com/ Thank you to everyone who has made this project possible, including Mass Cultural Council, Hegardt Foundation, Women's Philharmonic Advocacy, Aurora Charitable Fund, and numerous private donors, as well as Patricia Wallinga - Composer, conductor Britney Alcine, Sharon Su, Pianist, BRAI's Director of Community Engagement Andrés Ballesteros, Jane Hua and the musicians!

13/06/2023

Ever wondered what a conductor does? Take a listen to Britney Alcine describing how she’s preparing to conduct Patricia Wallinga’s new orchestration of a F***y Mendelssohn Hensel piece. Don’t miss the first performance this Thursday at 7:30pm! Tickets and more information available at https://fanfarewomen.eventbrite.com