Steven Greenman
Steven Greenman is recognized internationally as one of the finest practitioners, composers and teachers of traditional East European Jewish klezmer violin music in the world today. Steven has performed internationally with several renowned klezmer ensembles including the Klezmatics, Kapelye, Khevrisa, Budowitz, and the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band. He has self-produced two landmark recordings documenting his original Jewish and klezmer compositions. Several of Steven’s Jewish compositions have been recorded by international artists and researched by scholars while two of his liturgical melodies have been recognized and published by the Shalshelet Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music. Steven is the featured performer and co-producer of Smithsonian Folkways’ only klezmer music recording, Khevrisa-European Klezmer Music.
In addition to his involvement with klezmer music Steven is known for his passionate performances of East European Romani (Gypsy) music. He is an accomplished performer of urban East European violin styles, in particular, Hungarian nota, Romanian lautari and Slovak folk music and has devoted his life to the study of East European violin style and ornamentation. A performer with the Harmonia ensemble, Steven's intense study of East European folk music has brought him into contact with professional folk musicians from the Balkans, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and Russia.
As a concert performer, Steven has been a regular guest soloist with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra performing his own arrangements of traditional East European Romani violin music in Cleveland's prestigious Severance Hall. In 2013, Steven explored classical Chinese music and was the violin soloist for the Cleveland premiere of the famous Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, performing with the Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra.
