Lisa Gutkin is an American violinist, singer and songwriter of

The Klezmatics The Klezmatics are an American klezmer music group based in New York City, who have achieved fame singing in several languages, most notably mixing older Yiddish tunes with other types of more contemporary music of differing origins. They have ...

. She played in Sting's The Last Ship, had a cameo appearance in “Sex and the City,” and is a MacDowell Fellow at the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

. Lisa appears on hundreds of recordings including ''From Here On In'', a CD of her original songs produced by

John Lissauer John Lissauer is an American composer, producer, and performer. At the age of 19, he arranged the first recordings of Al Jarreau. Lissauer went on to produce and arrange a pair of Leonard Cohen albums. Lissauer produced and arranged the first r ...

, and ''Play

Klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

Fiddle!'', an instructional DVD. She has co-authored songs with

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

Anne Sexton Anne Sexton (born Anne Gray Harvey; November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book '' Live or Die''. Her poetry details ...

, and Maggie Dubris, and composed for symphony orchestra, dance, and film. She is the Co-Music Director and Co-Composer for the Broadway show "

Indecent (play) ''Indecent'' is a 2015 play by Paula Vogel. It recounts the controversy surrounding the play ''God of Vengeance'' by Sholem Asch, which was produced on Broadway in 1923, and for which the producer and cast were arrested and convicted on the grou ...

" which won 2

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

s for ''Best Direction of a Play'' and ''Best Lighting Design of a Play'' in 2017.

Career

Gutkin specializes in bluegrass, Klezmer, and Irish folk genres. She holds a Bachelor of Music in classical violin from the

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

School of Music at

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

. In 2002, Gutkin joined

with the release Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf! and remains a performing and composing member, notably having written the music for the acclaimed track off ''

Wonder Wheel The Wonder Wheel is a eccentric Ferris wheel at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park at Coney Island in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The wheel is located on a plot bounded by West 12th Street to the west, Bowery Street to the north, ...

'', "Gonna Get Through This World". This album would win The Klezmatics a

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums. The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

in 2007. ''Gonna Get Through This World'' was also notably performed with

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gut ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

during Thanksgiving of 2004 at “The Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie with Special Guest the Klezmatics and Abe Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.”. Gutkin has performed and/or recorded with

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...

Rod MacDonald Rod MacDonald (born August 17, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, novelist, and educator. He was a "big part of the 1980s folk revival in Greenwich Village clubs", performing at the Speakeasy, The Bottom Line, Folk City, and the "Songwr ...

Jane Siberry Jane Siberry ( ; ; born 12 October 1955) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known for such hits as " Mimi on the Beach", "I Muse Aloud", "One More Colour" and "Calling All Angels". She performed the theme song to the television series ''Maniac Ma ...

and the Irish artists

Tommy Sands Thomas Adrian Sands (born August 27, 1937) is an American pop music singer and actor. Working in show business as a child, Sands became an overnight sensation and instant teen idol when he appeared on ''Kraft Television Theater'' in January 19 ...

and

Cathie Ryan Cathie Ryan is an Irish American singer-songwriter, who has released five CDs and tours steadily with her band performing at festivals, folk clubs, performing arts centers and with symphony orchestras. Known for "her crystalline vocals and ins ...

. Gukin also composed for the 2017 short film, ''Summer'', written and directed by

Pearl Gluck Pearl Gluck is an American filmmaker and professor. Her films, which explores themes of class, gender, and faith, have appeared as a part of the Sundance Lab, as well as played at Cannes Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and on PBS. Early ca ...

, and is the composer for Gluck's 2019 film, ''Write Me'', written by Pearl Gluck and Deborah Kahan Kolb. In 2019, Gutkin produced and recorded on ''

Indecent Inappropriateness refers to standards or ethics that are typically viewed as being negative in a society. It differs from things that are illicit in that inappropriate behavior does not necessarily have any accompanying legal ramifications. Co ...

(Original Broadway Cast Recording)''. Released by Yellow Sound Label on January 28, 2019, the album featured the return of the original Broadway cast for a full recording of all the compositions of Indecent and was produced by Gutkin herself, Michael Croiter, and Aaron Halva.

Partial discography

The Klezmatics (Albums which feature Lisa Gutkin)

Indecent Original Broadway Cast

Lisa Gutkin

Whirligig

Rod MacDonald (Albums which feature Lisa Gutkin)

Richard Meyer (Albums which feature Lisa Gutkin)

Filmography

References

External links

KlezmaticsAll Music Profile
*
Indecent on Broadway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutkin, Lisa Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American violinists American women violinists Place of birth missing (living people) Queens College, City University of New York alumni 21st-century violinists The Klezmatics members