Aug 2008 Ashkenaz Festival, Aug 26-Sept 1
Beyond the Pale performs August 31, 2:30pm in the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, as part of the Ashkenaz Festival. The show is free and will feature guest performances by Israeli Yiddish singer Vira Lozinsky. We'll also be debuting new repertoire from two forthcoming cd releases. For more info on the Ashkenaz festival visit www.ashkenazfestival.com [Headlines] [>>]

JAN 2008 COLORADO & NEW MEXICO, FEB 9-18
We'll be back on tour in February for our now-annual mid-winter trek through the southwest. We'll play a string of shows throughout Colorado and New Mexico, including a return engagement headlining the Klezmerquerque Festival in Albuquerque. See the Upcoming Shows page for details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2007 SHOW WITH THEODORE BIKEL, FEB. 2/08
On February 2, 2008 we will be participating in a very special concert performance at Toronto's George Weston Recital Hallfeaturing the legendary Theodore Bikel. This will be our third collaboration with Bikel, and his accompanist Tamara Brooks, following our very successful performances together at the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival in Poland last summer, and in Michigan this past fall. The Feb 2 concert is a fundraiser to support the Ashkenaz Festival. For details visit the Ashkenaz website. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

June 2007 COAST-TO-COAST CANADIAN TOURING, JULY 2007
Following our long-awaited performances in Krakow, Poland, we fly direct to play at the prestigious Montreal International Jazz Festival on July 2. After that we’re off for a week of touring in British Columbia July 9-13, with appearances in Vancouver, Victoria, and the interior. We make a brief stop in Toronto to play at Harbourfront Centre’s “World Rhythms” Festival (July 14), before continuing on to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for our first Atlantic Canada performances, at a variety of jazz and world music festivals (July 17-23). We’ll take a little breather in August before completing work on our new CD project. See Upcoming Shows page for all tour details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

May 2007 KRAKOW, POLAND, JUNE 23-30
BTP headlines a number of performances next month at the Krakow Jewish Culture Festivalin Poland. In addition to concerts of our regular repertoire, and of our "Mozart" repertoire, we’ll also perform in Krakow as featured guest accompanists with the legendary singer/actor Theodore Bikel ,and Alberto Mizrahi, the “Jewish Pavarotti.” Our whirlwind week in Krakow concludes with the epic “Shalom on Szeroka” concert, in front of an audience of over 10,000 people in the market square of Kazimierz (the old Jewish area of Krakow). A film crew will capture the proceedings for broadcast on Polish national TV. We’ll have our expanded 7-piece lineup in Krakow, joined by our good friend NYC’s Alex Kontorovich (who we must also congratulate on his recent engagement). [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Feb 2007 SOUTHWEST US TOUR, FEB 14-20
We're heading back to the land of sagebrush, snow-capped mountains, and fine Mexican cuisine. Feb 14-20 we'll be playing shows in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona at a variety of venues, including the Klezmerquerque Festival in Albuquerque. Check the Upcoming Shows page for details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Nov 2006 FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEW YORK
We've recently returned from a short-but-sweet tour swing to northern California, and will soon be embarking on a mini-tour in the northeast with our debut performances in New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. We'll be joined for these shows by many special guests including Alex Kontorovich, Susan Watts, and the Klez Dispensers. We're also hard at work on two new CD projects of our own, and are preparing to appear as guests on tracks for CDs by Shelley Posen and Batsheva. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Aug 2006 ASHKENAZ FEST LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
We conclude a very busy summer with multiple performances at the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto on labour day weekend. BTP opens the festival mainstage atHarbourfront Centre on Saturday September 2, 7:30-9pmin a performance featuring our expanded 7-piece lineup with both fiddlers and our increasingly frequent associate, NY-based clarinetist/saxophonist Alex Kontorovich. We'll be debuting some new material and will also be joined by three of our favourite vocal guests, Josh Dolgin, Dave Wall, and Mitch Smolkin. On Sunday September 3, 1:30pm Beyond the Pale will perform again at Ashkenaz in Harbourfront's Brigantine Room, guesting with the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir in a repeat performance of the Sid Robinovitch composition "In Amerike," commissioned to celebrate the choir's 80th anniversary. These shows are both free, as are most Ashkenaz events. Members of BTP will also perform with SoCalled (Sun Sept 3, 9:30pm), Susan Watts, David Buchbinder and Hilario Duran, and Matzo Ball Gumbo [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

July 2006 FESTIVAL TIME
It's been awhile since we've had the time to update our news page. The summer has kept us quite busy thusfar and it's only going to get busier. August is filled with a number of concerts and festival appearances, including runs at the Stratford Summer Music Fest , Great Lakes Folk Festival in Michigan, a KlezKanada concert in Montreal, and a klezmer showcase with a number of other artists including Michael Alpert and Susa Watts at the Ottawa Folk Fest. It all culminates on labour day weekend at the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto with a mainstage evening performance to open the festival on Saturday September 2, 8pm, in which we'll be joined by a number of guests, including Alex Kontorovich and vocalists Josh Dolgin (SoCalled), Dave Wall, and Mitch Smolkin. We'll also team up for a show at Ashkenaz with the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir on Sunday September 3. Please visit the Upcoming Shows page for all details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Mar 2006 OTTAWA, DENVER, AND BEYOND
March has been a busy month for the band. We performed "Bone Button Borscht" as soloists with Barbara Budd and the National Arts Orchestra in Ottawa on March 18, followed by an amazing show the next afternoon at one of our favourite venues, the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec. Next we're off to Colorado for the first time, for an April Fools Day show at Swallow Hill Music in Denver, followed by a performance in Vail at the wedding of Fox-TV news analyst Dan Senor and NBC News anchorCampbell Brown. We'll then have a chance during a quiet April to get our teeth sunk into work onm our new CD before the spring and summer gets us busy again. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Feb 2006 CALIFORNIA AND SW TOUR, FEB 11-20
We're heading back to the west coast for the second time this February, for a run of shows in southern California preceded by a show in Tucson (Arizona) and showcase performances at the Folk Alliance Conference in Austin, Texas. We're taking our full double-fiddle sextet lineup on the road for this one, including our good pal and increasingly frequent associate, New York's Alex Kontorovich, subbing on clarinet for the unavailable Martin van de Ven. See the upcoming shows page for tour details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Jan 2006 BTP PLAYS MOZART FOR CBC RADIO, Jan 26 & 27
We'll be performing in a unique musical event on January 26 at Glenn Gould Studio as part of CBC Radio Two's "Mozart 250" celebrations. The show A New World of Mozart will feature "an evening of creative musical homage to Mozart" featuring ourselves, the Dunhuang Chamber Ensemble (traditional Chinese), The Creaking Tree String Quartet (modern bluegrass), and Autorickshaw (South Asian jazz fusion). The show will be recorded and broadcast on CBC Radio Two's "In Performance, The World,"the following evening January 27 (actually Mozart's 250th birthday). CBC Radio Two is 94.1 FM in Toronto. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2005 CBC TV Appearance - GGPAA
We'll be appearing in a national CBC-TV broadcast on Dec 29, 8pm, when the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are shown. The gala event took place Nov 5 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. BTP performed a musical tribute to 2005 honoree Moses Znaimer. After the show the band partied with the Governor General herself, Michealle Jean. Click here to see a photo. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2005 BTP WINS CFMA AWARD!
BTP took home honours as "Best Instrumental Group" at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, beating out a very competitive slate of nominees including some of Canada's most popular folk/roots acts. The first edition of these new annual awards took place on December 10 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, just outside the nation's capital in Hull, Quebec. Eric Stein was present to accept the award on BTP's behalf. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Oct 2005 NOV 1-6 WITH SOCALLED & KONTOROVICH
We'll be teaming up with our good friend, the master of Jewish hip-hop Josh Dolgin aka. SoCalled for a series of shows November 1-6, in Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Wakefield, and Montreal. We'll also be joined for this run by New York-based clarinet and sax whiz Alex Kontorovich. Check the schedule for more details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Oct 2005 BTP WINS TIMA AWARD!
Beyond the Pale has won the award for "Best World Music Artist" from the 2005 "Toronto Independent Music Awards. The award was accepted by Milos and Eric at a ceremony at the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto on October 5. We're pleased for the recognition from our peers, and extend our thanks to Martin Brown and the other organizers of the TIMAs. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Sept 2005 NEW BOOKING AGENCY FOR BTP
Beyond the Pale is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Winnipeg-based booking agency Walnut Street Music Co. The agency's CEO is Mitch Podolak, the founder and 12-year artistic director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and a longtime fixture of the Canadian folk and roots music scene. Along with Mitch, Walnut boasts an ace staff of representatives and administrators who we are quite excited to be working with. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

July 2005 "REUNION" WINS OCFF SONGWRITING AWARD
BTP's Eric Stein has won the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) "Songs From the Heart" songwriting award in the instrumental category for his composition "Reunion," the 12th track on BTP's most recent CD "Consensus." The award will be presented to Eric at the OCFF's annual conference in Kingston in October. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

May 2005 CALIFORNIA TOUR
We're touring in California from May 28-June 5. All details about the gigs are on the Upcoming Shows Page. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

April 2005 CBC RADIO BROADCAST APRIL 22
Our collaborative concert with the Creaking Tree String Quartet will be broadcast nationally across Canada on "In Performance: The World" on CBC Radio Two on Friday April 22, 8pm (eastern time). That's FM 94.1 in Toronto - check the link above for frequencies outside of GTA.
The show was recorded live at Glenn Gould Studio in February and comprises two individual sets by each group, followed by a set of collaborative music featuring all 10 musicians together. The broadcast will also include an interview by host Matt Galloway with BTP's Eric Stein and Creaking Tree's Andrew Collins [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Feb 2005 RADIO, MEDIA & CONCERT APPEARANCES WITH CTSQ
BTP appears Monday Feb 7, 7-8pm on CIUT 89.5 radio show "Acoustic Workshop," along with the Creaking Tree String Quartet in a sneak peak of our concert together on Saturday Feb 12 at Glenn Gould Studio. Members of both bands will also appear on CBC Radio One's "Fresh Air" (99.1FM in Toronto area) on Saturday morning Feb 12. A feature article about the upcoming concert will run in the Toronto Star "What's On" section on Feb 10.
We're all very excited about this week's collaboration. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Jan 2005 A NEW FACE IN BTP
Over the last few months violinist Aleksandar Gajic has been doing a bang-up job subbing for Bogdan (who was in Mexico with his wife and new baby). Aleks has proven such a wonderful fit with the group that he'll take on a more regular role, even now that Bogi has returned. Where circumstances allow we'll perform as a sextet, with two violins or with Bogi playing more percussion. Aleks will join us at our Feb 12 show with the Creaking Tree String Quartet, where we'll be debuting a new arrangement of one of his compositions. Click here to read more about Aleksandar Gajic. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Jan 2005 A BUSY NEW YEAR
The first 3 months of 2005 will be quite busy for BTP. Our "bluegrass-meets-klezmer" collaboration with the Creaking Tree String Quartet on Feb 12 at Glenn Gould Studio will be incredibly exciting (click here for details and ticket info). Other first-quarter highlights will include: a reprise of Bone Button Borscht with Barbara Budd and the K/W Symphony on Jan 23 in Kitchener; a performance at Toronto's Winterfolk Festival in the first weekend of February; concerts in Barrie and Peterborough; and a return to Toronto's Yiddishland Cafe in March for a program featuring Yeva Medvedyuk and Yiddish music from Ukraine. See the Upcoming Shows page for all details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2004 A DEATH IN OUR FAMILY
It is with indescribable sadness that we mourn the death of David A. Stein on Dec 12, 2004, at age 34 from a brain tumor. Older brother of BTP's Eric Stein, David was a talented and prolific filmmaker with a promising career ahead of him. Among his many projects, David made 2 short films featuring BTP's music: Soup (2000), and "KhasenJah: The Jamaican-Jewish Wedding" (2003), BTP's reggae-klezmer music video. Click here to view these and 2 other shorts David made for Bravo!TV. There will be an extensive tribute to David at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival in May. The Stein family will be setting up a memorial fund in David's name to support causes that would have been meaningful to David, including endowments for young artists working in film, music, etc. For now, donations to the fund may be made c/o David A. Stein Memorial Donations, Benjamin Foundation, 3429 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2C3, Phone: (416) 780-0324 Fax: (416) 780-0638 Email: donations@benjamins.ca [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Oct 2004 CD RELEASE CONCERTS
BTP will perform 3 concerts to celebrate the release of our new CD "Consensus." The shows will take place on October 28 in Toronto, October 29 in Wakefield, QC (Ottawa region), and on October 30 in Montreal . Josh Dolgin and Yeva Medvedyuk will guest with the band at all performances. Click here for more details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Oct 2004 KLEZMER WORKSHOPS
Martin is teaching a klezmer workshop at the Miles Nadel JCC. The class has started already but there is still room for a few instrumentalists to join. For more information: call Harriet Wichin: (416) 924-6211 ex. 133 [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Sept 2004 NEW LIVE CD "CONSENSUS" NOW AVAILABLE
BTP's long-awaited second CD is finally available! "Consensus" was recorded live in concert earlier this year and features over an hour of amazing music on 15 tracks, with special guests Josh Dolgin and Yeva Medvedyuk. The CD can be ordered directly from Borealis Records. See the recordings page for more details and audio clips.
[Headlines] [<<] [>>]

MAY 2004 NEW BTP LIVE CD COMING SOON!
We are currently completing post-production on our new CD, recorded live in Toronto in January 2004. We're extremely excited about this disc and we can't wait to release it. Official release will be sometime in July - keep checking our news page here for updates. Those of you who pre-purchased the CD at the January concerts will be sent the new CD as soon as it is manufactured, likely in mid-June. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Jan 2004 NATIONAL RADIO BROADCAST ON CBC
Beyond the Pale will be featured Friday January 16, 8pm (est) on CBC Radio Two's "In Performance", a national program hosted by Eric Friessen. The hour-long broadcast captures the band live in concert on December 11, 2003 at Mazzoleni Recital Hall in the Royal Conservatory of Music. For more info on the show and CBC Radio Two frequencies across Canada visit www.cbc.ca/inperformance [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2003 BTP TO RECORD LIVE CD IN JANUARY
BTP will record its long-awaited second CD, live in concert, at 2 shows to be held at the Al Green Theatre in Toronto on Saturday, January 24 at 8 pm and Sunday, January 25 at 2 pm. These very special concerts will feature new compositions from each of the band members, and will include our special guest Josh Dolgin on vocals. Please join us for the shows and be a part of our next CD. Ticket details to be announced shortly. Check the Upcoming Shows page for developing details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2003 KLEZKANADA GROYSER CONCERT RESCHEDULED
BTP will be one of the featured groups in a Groyser Concert to benefit KlezKanada. Originally slated for Dec 13, the show has now been rescheduled to February 29 at the historic Monument Nationale theatre in Montreal. The variety show will also feature Brave Old World, Shtreiml, Joanne Borts, and more. Check the Upcoming Shows page for details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Oct 2003 MANDOLINS OF THE WORLD...ENCORE PRESENTATION
Beyond the Pale will be performing Sunday November 23, 2pm at the brand new Al Green Theatre in Toronto as part of an encore presentation of the incredibly successful Mandolins of the World concert held in Hamilton last spring. In addition to BTP, the show will feature Croatian tambura group Skitnice, Greek bouzouki virtuoso Kostas Apostolakis, and the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra. Tickets are available by calling 416-533-2725. For more info about the show click here. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Sept 2003 GROYSER CONCERT FOR KLEZKANADA
Beyond the Pale will be one of the featured groups in a Groyser Concert to benefit KlezKanada. This exciting show will take place in Montreal on December 13 and will also feature Brave Old World, Shtreiml, Joanne Borts, and more. Venue to be determined. Check back to the "Upcoming Shows" page as details develop. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

July 2003 VIDEO CLIPS NOW POSTED
We've finally added live video clips to the AudioVideo page. There are a number of complete live performances from the last few months, as well as our short film/music video "ChasenJah: The Jamaican Jewish Wedding." Most clips are available in three formats for downloading or streaming: RealPlayer, Quicktime, and WIndows Media. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

June 2003 LIVE MP3s FROM ARTWORD THEATRE
BTP has had an extremely busy month with many performances, both public and private. June highlights included a show-stopping performance at Moses Znaimer's IdeaCity conference and a great concert at Artword Theatre, both of which included our good friend and frequent guest Josh Dolgin. Check the "audio/video" page to hear some live excerpts from Artword. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

April 2003 NEW WEBSITE
As you've noticed, the Beyond the Pale website has been redesigned. We've added a number of new features and now have MP3 sound samples available through the website. We hope you'll enjoy exploring our new site and we welcome your comments and suggestions. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

April 2003 MANDOLINS OF THE WORLD CONCERT SERIES
Beyond the Pale will be performing May 4 in the debut edition of an exciting new concert series, presenting mandolin music and mandolin instruments from around the world. The May 4 concert, at Hamilton Place Studio Theatre, will also feature Greek bouzuki player Kostas Apostalakis, Skitnice Tambura Ensemble, and the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra. See Upcoming Shows for details. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Jan 2003 ARTWORD THEATRE
Beyond the Pale welcomes special guest Josh Dolgin from Montreal for their first Toronto concert appearance since October. Josh is a great friend of the band and an amazing performer. A fantastic Yiddish vocalist and piano/accordion player, Josh is a man of many talents, one of which is the art of illusion. In addition to playing and singing with the band, Josh will be performing some magic tricks at the February 2 show. Not to be missed. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Dec 2002 KENT STATE FOLK FESTIVAL
The band crossed the border without incident on November 9 to perform at the Kent State Folk Festival in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The group shared billing at the Festival with some very good company, including Bob Dylan, Ricky Skaggs and Roger McGuinn. The show there was videotaped for broadcast on Public television, and was also recorded for future radio play on WKSU, the sponsoring station of the festival. See a photo. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Nov 2002 BTP BLOWS AWAY MANDOLIN CONVENTION AUDIENCE
The group performed October 11 at the Classical Mandolin Society of America's (CMSA) Annual Convention. With an audience of over 500 mandolin freaks and music lovers on hand, the band's 30 minute set received thunderous applause. Perfoming as a quartet, the group welcomed some special guests throughout its set. Kalman Magyar of Skitnice Tambura Ensemble joined the group on a lightning rendition of the Calusari Dance, which had the audience on their feet for an extended ovation. For a finale, the band was joined by all the members of Skitnice for a tour de force performance of the Serbian gypsy barn-burner 'Mesecina' which brought the house down. See a photo. [Headlines] [<<] [>>]

Oct 2002 BEYOND THE PALE CROSSES THE BORDER (BARELY)
Beyond the Pale kicked off a busy season with a terrific performance at Buffalo's Canisius College on October 4. Performing for an event entitled "Crossing Borders," presented by the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo, the theme of the evening proved prophetic as a VISA fiasco at the border nearly kept two members from being allowed to enter the US. They ended up making it to the venue just moments before showtime, having time only to pick up their instruments and walk on stage. The show was a terrific success! Josh Dolgin subbed admirably on accordion and piano for Milos Popovic, who was in Serbia getting married. [Headlines] [<<]