The Boston Festival of New Jewish Music is a free monthly concert series presenting original music drawing from the Jewish cultural experience. Hosted by BackRoom at The Boston Synagogue, co-presented by JArts, and live-streaming everywhere, the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music highlights the best in Jewish-influenced music by composers and performers who live right here in our own backyard.
2024-2025 (5785) Season
Welcome the new year with more fabulous music!
Please consider making a tax deductible donation to keep the music going at the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music. It's your support that makes every concert happen. Thank you!
Upcoming shows
New Klezmer Dances: Dance Party at the BFNJM
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 7:00 pm
The Boston Synagogue, 55 Martha Road, Boston, MA
Join us for our fall klezmer dance party, featuring new music by Artistic Director Nat Seelen and a crackerjack band.
The Somerville Chanukah Party
Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 7:00 pm
The Somerville Armory, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
Welcome to the second annual Somerville Chanukah Party!
This year, we are delighted to present, for the first time in history, as far as we can tell, a complete live concert performance of the best Chanukah album ever recorded: "The Moishe Oysher Chanukah Party." Featuring a klezmer orchestra drawn from the top klezmer bands in the world and an all star cast of vocalists standing in for the great cantor. If you've never heard "The Moishe Oysher Chanukah Party" before, now is literally your only chance.
Friends, it isn't even on Spotify.
But wait, there's so much more!
An opening performance by Rachel Linsky dancers
Classic Chanukah songs with Tutti Druyan
Yiddish dancing with Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band and friends
The ultimate DJ set with Chaia and Kleztronica!
This is not one to be missed.
Join the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music and all of your friends to dance the night away and celebrate Chanukah (Hanukkah, Janucá, Khanike...) the best way we know how: with music, dancing, and joy.
Past Shows
Berkalit
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 7:30 pm
The Boston Synagogue, 55 Martha Road, Boston, MA
Come join national award winning Jewish a cappella group BerKalit for an evening full of lush harmonies, wonderful company, and a creative new take on what Jewish music looks like.
This donation link supports PayPal and all major credit cards. Thank you for supporting the #BFNJM and all of our amazing artists!
Get Involved
Volunteer
Behind every incredible event is a crew of wonderful volunteers helping everything run smoothly. Volunteers support the #BFNJM through checking audience members in at the front, setting and striking the room, monitoring the live stream, and more. If you're interested in joining the team, fill out the form below and we will be in touch soon.
Perform
Our success depends on our community of amazing musicians. If you would like to be considered to perform for an upcoming season, fill out the form below and we will respond as soon as we are able.
Donate
Our concerts are free to attend but not to produce. In fact, they're rather expensive, because we're committed to compensating our artists and technical staff appropriately for their work. If you believe that bringing great music to the people of Boston is a worthwhile endeavor, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the #BFNJM today.
Join our mailing list
Because you might not want more emails, but you want ours!
About the #BFNJM
The Boston Festival of New Jewish Music was created by local musicians who believe that:
People find meaning and joy in art and community, and communities come together around shared experiences, especially regular meetings over time.
We all benefit from hearing great concerts and musicians benefit from the opportunity to develop and present new works to people excited to hear them.
A strong cultural ecosystem is part of what makes the Boston area so vital and strong.
Great Jewish music is great music. You don’t need to be from the South Bronx to love hip hop or from Panama to love reggaeton; why should you need to know the difference between the Torah and the Talmud to fall in love with Abigale Reisman’s violin or Zach Mayer’s saxophone? Our music is from a certain cultural place, but it’s for everyone.
Art should be accessible to everyone in our broader community. Especially after the past 18 months has made hearing live music so difficult, we are doubling down on accessibility. Concerts are free and live-streamed for folks who can’t attend in person. For those who can, the venue is totally handicapped accessible and an easy walk from the Red Line, Orange Line, Green Line, and BlueBike stations.
If you believe any of these things, or just want to hear some amazing concerts, join us for this season of the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music.
Partners
Special thanks go out to our partner organizations for believing in and supporting live music at such a difficult time for musicians.
The Boston Synagogue
A wonderful spirit is alive at The Boston Synagogue. We are a warm, small, neighborhood shul, and the only synagogue located in the heart of downtown with Shabbat and Holiday Services 52 weeks per year.
Our Mission is to serve the needs of the diverse community of Jews in downtown Boston, whether through joyful participatory worship, Friday Night Dinners, Saturday morning Kiddush, or Holiday celebrations, as well as with a slew of Cultural Events and other fun and engaging opportunities to connect with our open, vibrant community. The Shul also offers dynamic learning experiences for everyone, from our growing Hebrew School to Adult Education programs.
JArts Boston
JArts™ brings people together to explore and celebrate the diverse world of Jewish art, culture, and creative expression.
We believe in the unique power of arts and culture to build connections. Art, food, literature, music, and more allow us to better understand the life experiences of others as well as our own, and help to build a vibrant and more tolerant future for both our Jewish and Greater Boston communities.
JArts™ creates programs that bring people together — in the Greater Boston area and around the world — to celebrate and elevate the diverse world of Jewish art, culture, and creative expression. Let culture connect us.
CJP - Combined Jewish Philanthropies
At CJP, we are working every day to make our world a better place. We’re raising and investing money, building relationships and growing partnerships to address our community’s greatest challenges, and offering diverse opportunities to build a meaningful Jewish life.
Thank you to our sponsors and supporters!
NEFA
Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
Boston Cultural Council
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture.
Newton Cultural Council
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Newton Cultural Council, a local council that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council and the City of Newton
Mass Cultural Council
CJP
JArts
You?
Donate to the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music at https://paypal.me/bfnjm.
Join the party, just this once or every month!