Two accomplished musicians, who happen to share the same first name, come together in a performance celebrating their love of the rich Ukrainian and Jewish music traditions.
The two Myrons – Myron Kurjewicz and Myron Schultz – perform on Thursday as part of the Music N Mavens daytime concert and lecture series at the Rady JCC.
“We both had businesses and we both had a musical background,” says accomplished accordionist Myron Kurjewicz, who worked professionally as a pharmacist on Selkirk Avenue.
At the opposite end of the same block, between McGregor and Andrews, Myron Schultz worked at the Wonderful World of Sheepskin and the two Myrons often found themselves swapping “war stories” after weekends performing, when Schultz would pop in to mail packages.
“Myrons talk to each other because nobody else will talk to us,” quips a joking Schultz.
A renowned clarinetist best known for his work with Finjan and the Black Sea Station, Schultz notes that the partnership was one years in the making. “One thing led to another and 40 years later we’re playing together.”
Ukrainian and Jewish folk music share many common idioms, making for a familiarity, a shared common language, spoken fluently by the two seasoned musicians.
“The musics are so intertwined,” says Schultz. Not only geographically but also culturally, it can be a challenge to discern which tunes belong to which culture, Schultz explains, making for a true blending of sound – one he describes as a “mishmash,” a most appropriate word of Yiddish origin.
Kurjewicz adds that the program they have crafted strikes a “balance of music (that) gives an equal opportunity to listen both to Ukrainian and Jewish music” with neither element stealing the spotlight.
“The Two Myrons” takes place at the Rady JCC as part of the Music N’ Mavens daytime concert and lecture series on Thursday, February 23 beginning at 2 p.m.