About Us
Elana
Elana Salzman has spent her life immersed in Jewish music, having Yiddish songs sung to her as a child and singing Israeli songs from a young age. A versatile vocalist with both classical and theatrical training, she was a soloist in the Arbel Chorale and Anna Crusis Women's Choir, and has sung and played in jazz and Hawaiian trios as well as old-time and Irish groups. Prior to joining the Moody Jews of Boise, she performed and recorded with the Lafayette Klezmorim, the oldest and longest-running klezmer band in Indiana. When she is not singing with the Moody Jews, she can be seen playing with the acoustic roots duo Briar Boots, or chasing after her two young klezmorim in training.
Oliver
Oliver Thompson started playing classical violin as a kid and progressed to bluegrass, blues and rock and finally jazz when he earned a B.A. in Music from San Jose State University. While studying East Indian music in the San Francisco Bay area, he started to develop his interests in world music styles. He has recorded with several artists including Bob Culbertson, Mondo Raga Samba, Amuma Says No, and Steve Fulton. In addition to performing and recording with The Moody Jews of Boise, Oliver currently plays in Serenata Orchestra and with the Basque group Kalimotxo Cowboys.
About Us
Danny
Danny Beal has has performed music his whole life, touring the greater Northwest. During his career, he has made people smile with Bach, Rock and anything else you could want to hear on a piano. You can catch Danny Friday nights at the Brickyard in downtown Boise.
Grant
Grant Green is an accomplished world percussionist, specializing in Latin hand percussion and rhythm. You can catch him performing from Boise to Seattle with a variety of groups.
Taggart
Taggart Lewis is a clarinet teacher and performer. He plays in Serenata Orchestra and Afrosonics. He started playing klezmer when his dad raved about this crazy genre and began listening to as many albums as he could get his hands on from the local library. Taggart is proud to share klezmer with klezmer lovers and not-yet klezmer lovers alike!