An Evening with Alex Weiser and Andrzej Ciepliński: A Celebration of "Tfiles" and its Carnegie Hall Premiere

Presented by American Composers Orchestra, American Friends of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Association of the Jewish Historical Institute, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Cultural Institute New York, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and American Society for Jewish Music Join us for an intimate evening celebrating the American premiere of Tfiles, a clarinet concerto by composer Alex Weiser, to be performed at Carnegie Hall on October 27th by clarinetist Andrzej Ciepliński and the American Composers Orchestra led by conductor Kedrick Armstrong. The evening will feature a conversation between Weiser and Ciepliński — moderated by distinguished scholar Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett — exploring the work’s origins in Kadya Molodowsky’s poetic reflections on the idea of Jewish prayer, the partnership behind its realization, and the music’s journey from its world premiere at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw to the stage of Carnegie Hall. The evening will also include a brief solo performance by Ciepliński, followed by a reception with food and the opportunity to meet the artists. Tfiles (Yiddish for “prayers”) recasts the clarinet concerto as a set of musical prayers. Praised after its Warsaw premiere as “full of noble simplicity and warmth” (Polityka), the concerto follows Molodowsky’s lead in reimagining the traditional collective Jewish ritual search for the divine as a personal, individual quest beyond the boundaries of traditional observance. Andrzej Ciepliński’s participation in this concert is generously supported by the Polish Cultural Institute New York, the American Friends of POLIN Museum (AFoPM) / Association of the Jewish Historical Institute (SZIH), and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM). Alex Weiser is a composer described by The New Yorker as having “a knack for crafting music that is at once historically rooted and of its moment.” His work meditates on cultural inheritance, sanctity, and the transience of life. Weiser’s debut album and all the days were purple was named a 2020 Pulitzer Prize Finalist; a second album, in a dark blue night, was released by Cantaloupe Music in 2024. His compositions include the clarinet concerto Tfiles, premiered at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and the operas Tevye’s Daughters (American Lyric Theater) and The Great Dictionary of the Yiddish Language. Weiser serves as Director of Public Programs at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Andrzej Ciepliński is a Polish clarinetist recognized as one of his generation’s most compelling voices in contemporary music. A laureate of the 2015 European Broadcasting Union’s New Talent of the Year award, he has performed as soloist with leading orchestras across Europe — including the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Aukso — under conductors including Krzysztof Penderecki and Elim Chan. A graduate of the Hochschule für Musik Basel and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Ciepliński is deeply committed to expanding the clarinet repertoire through collaboration with living composers, continuing a family legacy of championship for new music. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is University Professor Emerita and Professor Emerita of Performance Studies at New York University, best known for her interdisciplinary contributions to Jewish studies and to the theory and history of museums, tourism, and heritage. Ronald S. Lauder Chief Curator of the Core Exhibition at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, she has had a lifelong relationship with YIVO, directing the YIVO Folksong Project from 1973–1975 and serving on its Advisory Board. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, awarded the Dan David Prize, and decorated with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is a national discovery and development pipeline for new orchestral music, focused on bringing the full spectrum of American music to orchestral stages, providing a gateway to the orchestral composition and performance process, and amplifying the expressive power of orchestral music to enable a vibrant future for all Americans. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 15 West 16th Street, NYC Located in the Center for Jewish History Directions & Parking Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the program. All public programs are wheelchair accessible. A limited number of assistive listening devices are available for deaf and hard of hearing individuals upon request (Auditorium events only). For questions about this program, please contact: [email protected]