Join musicians Ira Klein and Hazel Royer as they perform original music and innovative arrangements of American folk songs!

Hazel and Ira first met in 2018 as students at Berklee College of Music, in an ensemble directed by Greg Liszt (Crooked Still, Bruce Springsteen). Their friendship and shared love of traditional music continue to inspire their collaboration. Hazel and Ira have performed extensively in the Boston area, including at The Red Room, Atwood's Tavern, Longfellow House Museum, Harvard, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Club Passim. Their debut album, Say Darling Say (Nine Athens Records) features acclaimed guitarist, mentor and friend Kevin Barry (Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash).

About Ira Klein:

Ira Klein is an award-winning interdisciplinary musician and educator from Jerusalem, Israel. He is an alumni of Berklee College of Music, where he focused on the study of blues and Appalachian music. Ira is also active in Ladino (Jewish Sepharadic) music, leading the Boston-based ensemble Convivencia. Invisible Treasure, Ira's debut EP, has received accolades from publications such as Americana UK, the Bluegrass Situation, and WTJU. Ira is fascinated by folk traditions, and believes that when ancient songs meet a contemporary interpretive lens, the creative possibilities are boundless. He has performed at the MFA Boston, Harvard University, Mass MOCA, and The Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel. He is the recipient of awards from Mass Cultural Council, Mount Auburn Cemetery, St. Botolph Club Foundation, J Arts Boston, and Club Passim. As an educator, Ira has taught at Berklee College of Music, the Cambridge Music Consortium, and Club Passim School of Music.

Questions? Contact Kerry at keodonnell@somervillema.gov.

This program is supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. A special thank you as well to the Friends of the Somerville Public Library for funding this program.