Kugelplex is the West Coast's rockin’-est purveyor of klezmer and old-world music. Formed in 2001, the group plays wild, soulful dance music at concerts, festivals and jewish lifecycle events throughout the United States. We’ve performed with Joan Baez, the Oakland Symphony, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and Frank London, Linda Tillery, Jewlia Eisenberg, Nils Frykdahl, Kitka, Rumen Shopov, and other greats.
Kugelplex has received awards from the Zellerbach Family Foundation and San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, and has been klezmer-band-in-residence with the Oakland Symphony for over a decade.
Kugelplex is also ensemble-in-residence with the San Francisco Symphony, creating original compositions commissioned and performed with the Symphony, conducted by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser.
The ensemble features an all-star cast of Bay Area virtuoso musicians. Everyone in the ensemble tours internationally, performs/records with a wide range of bands, and then comes together as Kugelplex to play this music that we so deeply love. It is our mission to keep this old-world klezmer tradition thriving into the 21st century and beyond...
As a clarinetist, he’s performed with SF Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Joan Baez, Frank London, inkBoat, Kitka, San Francisco Mime Troupe, and many others. He co-founded festivals such as the International Body Music Festival and Hornucopia. Career highlights include a Creative Work Fund Award and American Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Award for the Bowls Project with Charming Hostess and an Isadora Duncan Dance Award in MUSIC/SOUND/TEXT for his work with Hiroko and Koichi Tamano. He is leader of two old-world klezmer ensembles: Kugelplex and Myrtle Street Klezmer.
For over two decades, Jason has worked with Bay Area arts organizations to produce projects and festivals, and create development and communication strategies. He is Founder and Executive Director of arts consulting firm, Narluga Arts – supporting cultural artists and organizations to realize their creative visions while working to further the field of socially-engaged arts.
(accordion/piano/saw/vocals/Musical Director) has been focused on the study of folk and popular music from Eastern Europe, as well as composing for film dance, and theatre. He has composed music for over thirty films, several plays, a variety of dance pieces and other eclectic performance events, winning an Emmy. Dan’s extensive group of collaborators includes recording with Tom Waits, touring with Joanna Newsom and guesting with the San Francisco Symphony. For three years he composed and recorded the soundtrack for Cartoon Network’s Misadventures of Flapjack. Learn more about Dan's work here.
(violin/vocals) became fascinated with the music of the Middle East and the Balkans in her early 20s and participated in a nationwide tour playing Turkish Sufi music with vocalist Latif Bolat. In addition to recording on many film and television productions, Lila has toured and performed extensively throughout the US, Japan, Europe, and the Middle East playing with such groups as Beats Antique, Bauhaus, Joanna Newsom, Rosin Coven, Bjork, The Quarta Dolce Quartet, Beulah, Gypsy Caravan, Sherefe, The Toids, and members of Cirque Du Soleil. Currently Lila lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and earns her living teaching, recording, touring, and performing. More about Lila here.
(percussion) Michael Pinkham has been a working bay area drummer since the early 90's (1st gig @ Berkeley Square yo!). He has played, recorded and toured nationally and internationally with many artists including: Peter Rowan's Big Twang Theory, Matt Montgomery & the Petty Troubles Orchestra, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, Samba do Coracao, Diego's Umbrella, Albino!, New Monsoon and the Circus Bella All-Star Band. He can be found rocking out with Physical Suicide Deterrent System Project, This Old Earthquake, the Lost at Home Drumline and of course; Kugelplex.
(guitar/sound tech) was a founder and composer in the legendary chamber music ensemble, Nano Operetta. These days, he lends his multi-string stylings to bands such as Lord Loves a Workingman, Rube Waddell, and Polkacide.
(upright bass) is a virtuosic player of many styles of upright bassness. Eric studied classical and jazz bass at the University of Michigan with Stuart Sankey and Rodney Whitaker. Eric is a founding member of the bands Transmission and Gojogo. He plays with many Bay Area bands and can be heard on Tom Waits’ “Alice”, “Orphans” and the soundtracks to “Shrek 2” and “La Tigre e la Neve”.
(lay cantor/vocals) was our beloved guest vocalist for many years. She was an internationally-renowned old-world diva, renegade radical feminist jewish scholar, and leader of Charming Hostess. Jewlia passed away in 2021, and we miss her dearly. More about Jewlia here.
is the wonderful photographer who took all the urban landscape images of the band featured on this website and oftentimes in the programs of our various performances. Check out more of his work here.