Biographies

Ros Hawley (C Clarinet) and Michael Kahan (Violin) both studied at the Royal Northern College of music at pretty much the same time. Strangely, they hardly knew each other and did not work together until over a decade after their paths had initially crossed.

They realised they shared a love of Klezmer and also had similar musical aims for future performance within the Klezmer and East European idioms.

For several years before forming the Klezmer Gourmets, Ros and Michael studied Klezmer music in depth, attending one-to-one master classes given by world leaders in the field, including Deborah Strauss, Jeff Warshauer, Kurt Bjorling and Michael Alpert (USA), Merlin Shepherd (UK) and Christian Dawid (Germany).

They have studied at Klezcamp, USA - the world's longest running and biggest Yiddish Folk arts Programme, in addition to Klezfest in London and courses in Germany.

Ros and Michael are dedicated to their continual research into performance styles of Klezmer music.

With their aim to gain as much understanding as possible of the idiom to continue with their own unique approach to the music, they have now become 'gourmets' of Klezmer music.

Although their original duo name of Shta'im Lecha'im, (meaning 'Two, to Life!') was very suitable, they have made the decision to become the 'Klezmer Gourmets'; with the importance of the culinary rating high in the tradition too, this is the obvious new name for their Duo.