(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – In conjunction with the critically acclaimed run of Fiddler on the Roof, Barrington Stage Company presents a mini festival of Yiddish Folklore and Music on July 8-9, 2012, featuring Yiddish Book Center founder Aaron Lansky exploring the deeper meaning behind Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye stories that form the foundation of the musical, and a concert by Yiddish-klezmer band Golem with an introductory talk by music critic and klezmer author Seth Rogovoy.

On Sunday, July 8, at 3pm, Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., offers “New Riffs on Everyone’s Favorite Yiddish Story” at Barrington Stage. Lansky explains, “Fiddler on the Roof is warm, familiar and fun – but it’s a far cry from the stories by Sholom Aleichem on which it’s based.” In this lively presentation, Lansky will explore the deeper meaning of those rollicking and often profoundly unsettling tales. Free (reservations recommended).

On Monday, July 9 at 7p.m., “Fiddler Off The Roof” features New York City Yiddish/klezmer band Golem and host Seth Rogovoy on the Mainstage at Barrington Stage.  Golem entertains with its brash, unique style of old-time klezmer, Yiddish theater music and Eastern European folk juiced with rock ‘n’ roll energy and a 21st century sensibility. Preceding the concert, host Seth Rogovoy puts the music of Fiddler on the Roof and Golem into context of hundreds of years of klezmer history in a multimedia program. This event is presented in coordination with the Yiddish Book Center’s YIDSTOCK: Festival of New Yiddish Music. Tickets: $30 and $25.

“A Celebration of Yiddish Folklore & Music” is supported in part by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and by a grant from the Wassermann-Streit Y’DIYAH Memorial Fund (administered by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation).