Daniel Peisach <peisach@umich.edu>

Recreational interests

I enjoy listening to a wide variety of music, including: (in no particular order)

• A cappella music
• Classical music
• Classic rock (such as Kansas, Billy Joel, Elton John, etc)
• Movie soundtracks
• Musicals (with a special fondness for Gilbert and Sullivan and Steven Sondheim)
• World-beat (especially the African groups Juluka and Savuka)

In addition, I play a lot of trombone, some euphonium, and a little piano and recorder.

I like playing trombone at contra dances around Ann Arbor. There is more information on this below on this page.

My newest musical interest has been in Klezmer music. Back in Boston (where I lived for 12 years) I managed to get associated with several groups. The one I have played the longest with is a small group called "A Little Klez," which plays in Harvard Squares a lot of Sundays during the summer at noon. This group used to be made up of two fiddles, a clarinet, an accordian, a trumpet, and me on trombone.

Coming in close second was a great semi-professional group called "The Klezniks." It's a huge band of about fifteen musicians led by Barry Shapiro, and has a terrific sound.

Next was a small group that managed to play several paid performances already before it even had a name. (It's now called "Di Bostoner Klez.") This group had a fiddle, a clarinet, an accordian, and a trombone.

Finally, a couple of years ago I had the idea that it would be fun to play some klezmer music at a contra dance, and a klezmer-contra dance band was born. For the four years I was with the group, we played about once a year in Boston. We also had some special performances including the DownEast festival in Maine and a Bat-Mitzvah in Maynard.

At some point I need to put in some pictures of these groups.

I love to play trombone in musicals. I figure I should make a list of all the shows I've played in SOMEWHERE so I won't lose track. This is as good a place as any.

Roughly in reverse chronological order, I've played in:

• Stephen Soundheim's
  • Assasins
  • Sweeney Todd
  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
• Guilbert and Sullivan's
  • Ruddigore
  • Utopia Limitted
  • The Gondoliers
  • The Sorcerer
  • Iolanthe
  • Cox and Box
  • H.M.S. Pinafore
  • Patience
  • Trial by Jury
  • Pirates of Penzance
  • The Mikado
  • The Yeoman of the Guard
    
  I still haven't played in productions of:
  • Thespis
  • Princess Ida
  • The Grand Duke
• As well as
  • Chess
  • My Fair Lady
  • Pajama Game
  • Damn Yankees
  • Sweet Charity
  • West Side Story

I'm sure I'll remember a few more later.

I also conducted the Musical Theater Guild's summer production of Steven Sondheim's show, Assassins. Shows started on the 26th of August, 1994 and went on for three weekends.

One of my favorite things to do is contra dancing. (For the hyperlink inclined, here is an intro and some pictures). I also play trombone at contra dances once every few months.

Contra dancing is like square dancing in that you and a partner dance with other partners in predetermined figures, but instead of setting up in a square you line up in two lines facing CONTRA to each other.

If this is not clear, then you should try it yourself. It's a lot of fun, and very welcoming of beginners. The music is always live, company is good, and dances always taught before they are done.

Back in Boston, my favorite dance was the Thursday contras at the VFW. I also sometimes went to the Monday night or Saturday night dance at the Scout House in Concord. You could see me play trombone at the following dances:

• The occaisional 3rd Tuesday with the Cambridge Open Dance Band at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church at 1151 Mass. Ave in Harvard Square.
• An even rarer 3rd Friday with Roaring Jelly in Lexington. (except during the Summer)

• River Rendezvous III in Coshocton, Ohio (July, 2000).
• Squirrel Moon Weekend in Madison, Wisconsin (September 8-10, 2000).
• The Southern Michigan Music and Dance Festival in Lansing (October 20-22, 2000).
• The 10th Annual Pittsburgh Fall Dance Weekend (November 10-12, 2000).

• Balance the Belle '99 in Louisville, KY (September 17-19, 1999).
• The Knoxville Winter Dance (February 11-13, 2000).
• The 11th Annual Pigtown Fling in Cincinnati, OH (March 31- April 2).
• The NEFFA Festival in Boston (April 14-16, 2000).
• The Wheatland Traditional Arts Festival (May 28-30, 2000).

I tend to shy away from this style of dance because it is much more footwork oriented than contra dancing, with the exception of a special group which meets only in the summer. This group meets outdoors in the pavillion at Copley square on Tuesday nights at 7:30. It's great to dance outdoors and the people who run it are always very nice. You also never know who you'll run into passing by!