Biography
Musical Education
1967 – 1972
At the age of 5 the first piano lessons at the Belz School of Music
1972 – 1975
At the age of 10 emigration to Israel along with the parents,
Music lessons with the parents (father was a professional musician, mother –piano educationist)
1975 – 1988
Emigration from Israel, arrival in Vienna,
Studied Piano, Singing and Clarinet at the Vienna Konservatorium
Musical career
1977
First appearance of the Grinberg family at a Jewish wedding
in Vienna (with his father Ychil and brother Tony)
1981
First Jewish concert as an accordionist of the group “Geduldig & Thiman” in the ZDF Studios in Munich
1982
Foundation of the music group “Frejlechs” which had set its goal to make Jewish music accessible to a wider audience
1991
Production of the LP “Frejlechsolsajn!”
1993 – 1994
Overall management of the concert tour “Yiddish-jazz” on numerous Austrian stages
1995
Participation and overall direction for the musical theater production of “The Shtetl and so …”
1995
Singer of the new “Broadway Big Band”
1996
Concert series “Tribute to Frank Sinatra” at various Austrian concerts and festivals
1996
Composer for the City of Vienna of the musical “The Parry Sisters”
1997
Participation and overall direction of the musical theater production “Oj, just like”
1998
Participation and overall direction of the musical production „Eine schrecklich nette Mischpoche”
Participation as well as musical and dramaturgic direction of the “Jüdische Kulturtage” (Week of Jewish Culture) in Berlin.
Participation and overall direction of the musical production „Men seyt sich”
1999
Participation and overall management of the musical production “ schrecklich nette Mischpoche ’
Guest Performance “ Men seyt sich ” in Caracas, Venezuela.
Participation and overall direction of the musical production of „Frisch, gesund und meschugge” (fresh, healthy and meshugga)
2000 – 2001
Concert tour on numerous Austrian stages
Participation and overall direction of the musical production „Anonyme Jüdische Mütter” (Anonymous Jewish mothers)
CD “Oj, Frejlech is me!”
2002
Musical participation and overall management of the new version of the production “Eine schrecklich nette Mischpoche”
Since 2002
Artistic director and conductor of the Jewish Choir Vienna
Since then continuously active playing concerts at home and abroad
2003
Restructuring and reorganization of the Week of Jewish Culture in Vienna.
Artistic director of the festival “Tage der Weltmusik” (Days of World Music) at the „Wiener Festwochen” (Vienna Festival Week)
Participation in the Kazan International Jazz Festival “Jazzovyi Perekrestok ” as the only Austrian artist
2003 – 2004
Participation and the entire musical and dramatic direction of the musical revue
“Jidl mitn Fidl” at different theaters in Germany and Austria
2004
Participation in the Klezmer Festival in Chisinau, Moldova
Contribution to the “KlezFest04″ at the the 300th Anniversary of the city of St. Petersburg, Russia.
CD production „15 Jahre Wiener Juedischer Chor” (15 years – Vienna Jewish Choir)
2005
Musical director of „Vom Feinsten” (The Finest) at the Wiener Volkstheater
Musical director and actor in „Das Leben ist Lebenswert” (Life is worth living) at the Stadttheater Walfischgasse
Tour in Eastern Europe with the Jewish Choir Vienna and the ensemble “Sholem Alejchem”
Artistic director of the festival “Bessaraber Lid” in Chisinau, Moldova
2006
Musical Director and performer in „Heimat, Sweet Heimat” (Home, Sweet Home) at the Stadttheater Walfischgasse
2007
Conductor of the opening gala for the KlezMORE Festival in Vienna
Guest lecturer as an expert in Jewish Music for the international EU-Project “The Other Europeans”
Yiddish and music coach for the production “Ghetto” by Joshua Sobol at the City Stadttheater Klagenfurt
Concerts with the Israeli artists Israel Treistman and Gadi Yagil
Concert series “Yidl mitn Fidl” on various stages in Belgium
CD “Ose Shalom” with the Jewish Choir Vienna + Vienna Jazzklez
2008
Conductor of the concert “Bnai Torah” in Boca Raton, Florida
„Gebrochenes Wienerisch” (Broken Viennese), Festival Koid-Woam in Vienna
Participation in the “Akkordionfestival”(accordion festival) as the musical director of the project “Russkiy Standart”
Contribution to the ”DonaFest,” the Jewish Culture Festival in Moscow
ORF-TV production “A Bissele Glik”
Participation and musical direction of the festival „Jiddische Theaterwoche” (Yiddish Theatre Week) in Vienna
First Price at the International Jewish Music Competition „Goldene Hanukia” with the project Jerusalem Market” in Berlin
Musical director at the Festival of Jewish Culture in Voronezh, Russia.
Guest performance with a solo program in Havannah, Cuba
2009
Musical director and performer at „Hakoah führt” (Hakoah leads) at the Stadttheater Walfischgasse
Solo-concert series in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Tel Aviv, Moscow and Chisinau
Actor, singer and music director in the movie “Jud Suess”
Conductor of the anniversary concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus with Jewish Choir Vienna + Jazzklez
TV show “Kreuz und Quer”
Musical director for the “Festival für Kammermusik Allegro Vivo” (Festival of Chamber Music Allegro Vivo) in Horn
CD “A Bissele Glik” with the Jewish Choir Vienna + Vienna Jazzklez
Concerts with the Israeli artists and Israel Treistman and GadiYagil
Musical director of the project „Wiahin so ich geyn?” at the „Jiddische Kulturwoche” (Yiddish Culture Week) in Vienna
Musical director of the project “Jerusalem Marketplace” at the KlezMORE Festival in Vienna
Establishing the theater group „Mischpoche” , which set itself the goal of bringing Jewish themes from the past and present to a wider audience.
2010
Concert tour with Michaela Unger-Neuhardt through Israel (Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv)
Conductor at the festival “Musica Sacra” in Bielsko Biala, Poland
Conductor of the concert series “Frejlech sol sajn” on behalf of the City of Vienna
Musical „Was machst du mit dem Knie?” with Gabrielle Schuchter and Helmut Korhonen
Conductor of the concert „Undsere Lider” with the Jewish Choir Vienna in the Jewish community center
Conductor of the concert „Fargesene Lider” with the Jewish Choir Vienna + Jazzklez Vienna at the Wiener Konzerthaus
Multicultural Gala „Europa Erhören” (Hearing Europe)
Concert series with Aliosha Biz, Alexander Danilov and Tony Grinberg
Program Director of the „Jiddischer Kulturherbst 2010″ (Autumn of Yiddish Culture 2010)
Concert with Mendy Cahan at the Theater Center Forum
Gala Reception by the Mayor Dr. Michael Haeupl in the Vienna City Hall
Conductor of the concert „Fargesene Lider” with the Jewish Choir Vienna and guests at the Musikverein
Concert „S(w)ingt ojf Jiddisch” with Frank London in the “Wiener Metropol”
Musical-satirical revue „Vot ken you mach? Es is Amerike…” with the theater group „Mischpoche” in several theaters through Vienna
Kaiserball (Emperor’s Ball) in Vienna’s “Wiener Hofburg”
2011
Concert tour KLEZMOOD (Austria, Ukraine, Russia)
Conductor at the international Choir festival “Cracovia Cantans” in Cracow, Poland
Conductor of the concert „Kinder-Yorn” with the Jewish Choir Vienna + Jazzklez Vienna at the Wiener Konzerthaus
Special Guest of the Klezmer-Festival in Lviv, Ukraine
Special Guest of the international “Festival of Jewish Culture” in Birobidjan
Artistic Supervisor at the festival „Bejahad” in Opatja, Croatia
Conductor at the international Choir festival in Barcelona, Spain
Silver medal at the international Folk song Competition “Europe and its songs”
Conductor of the Opening Ceremony of the European Maccabi Games 2011
Artistic Supervisor of the festival „Jiddischer Kulturherbst 2011″
Conductor of the concert with the WJC, Arkady Gendler und Christian Dawid at the Wiener Konzerthaus
Concerts in Caracas, Venezuela, Special invitation of the Austrian Ambassador
Concert with Mendy Cahan at the Theater Center Forum
Concert „S(w)ingt ojf Yiddisch” feat. Tini Kainrath at the “Wiener Metropol”
Musical director of the theater play “Freud’s Neuroses”
Kaiserball (Emperor’s Ball) in Vienna’s “Wiener Hofburg”
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Discography
- 1991: Frejlech sol sajn
- 1995: Anita Ammersfeld – jiddische Lieder
- 2001: Oj, Frejlech is mir
- 2004: 15 Jahre Wiener Jüdischer Chor
- 2007: Ose Shalom
- 2009: A Bissele Glik
- 2010: In the Klezmood - Live in Concert (order via email)
- 2011: (work in progress) – Arkady Gendler
- 2012: (work in progress) – Belzer Sisters
