Molly Picon: Star of the Yiddish Theater!

In a musical salute to "Molly Picon, Star of the Yiddish Theatre!” Dr. Cypkin tells—through English narration—the life story of this exciting First Lady of the Yiddish Stage, through the countless Yiddish songs she sang and often wrote during her many, many years on the Yiddish stage.  Indeed, the concert is a cornucopia, a beautiful bouquet, of tangos, waltzes, and fox-trots, that will have you humming for days.  In sum, the concert is a tribute to a legend!   

The event is FREE, however, advance registration is recommended.

About the participants:

Dr. Diane Cypkin (Performer) has appeared in many Yiddish language musical productions spanning more than three decades.  She was Sheyne, opposite Joseph Buloff in Ossip Dymov’s Yoshke muzikant (Joseph the Musician) at the Folksbiene Playhouse; Beylke, David Opatoshu’s daughter, in Sholom Aleichem’s  Dos groyse gevins (The Big Winner) at the Eden Theatre; Gitale in Ben Bonus’s production of Light, Lively, and Yiddish at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre; and Tsirl in the Mary Soriano presentation Di yidishe tsigaynerke (The Jewish Gypsy) at Town Hall in New York.  Dr. Cypkin has done a great deal of concert work.  Indeed, she first did this concert at the Lincoln Center Library’s Bruno Walter Auditorium in conjunction with her exhibition at Lincoln Center entitled, Molly Picon: Yiddish Star, American Star.  In Washington DC, she gave a concert of her father’s—Abraham Cypkin’s—songs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum when they presented an exhibition on the Kovno Ghetto of Lithuania.  Diane is a child of survivors.  In 1981, she sang at the World Gathering of Holocaust Survivors in Jerusalem, Israel.  Dr. Cypkin has worked in the English-speaking theatre as both singer and actor. She has directed productions of The World of Sholom Aleichem, The Theatre of Peretz, and Green Fields. 

           On the academic side, Dr. Cypkin, B.A., M.F.A., Ph.D., curated the aforementioned exceptionally well-received 2007 exhibition at Lincoln Center, New York on Molly Picon.  For almost ten years she was Yiddish Theatre Consultant at the Museum of the City of New York curating the highly successful exhibition, A Celebration: 100 years of Yiddish Theatre in New York.  Dr. Cypkin reviews books for Martyrdom and Resistance, a newspaper published by Yad Vashem.  Dr. Cypkin is an award-winning Professor of Media, Communication, and Visual Arts at Pace University in New York.  She is a recipient of the Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence and the Pace University President’s “Extra Mile” Award .

Lena Panfilova (Pianist) is a Graduate of the Moscow Conservatory.  She has performed as a collaborative pianist with many musicians and has given solo and chamber concerts in Russia, across Europe, and in America.  For many years she has been a beloved piano teacher.  Ms. Panfilova is exceptionally proud of her numerous talented students.

All events are FREE and subject to change or cancelation without prior notice