Meet the Musicians!

Posted by Washington Revels
November 14, 2019

A Winter Celebration with music, dances and tales from around the world…

Needs a Band of Master Musicians!

With so many artistic and cultural traditions on stage at once in this year’s Christmas Revels, music director Elizabeth Fulford knew “Celestial Fools” needed guest musicians who were masters of many styles and who could move flexibly from one to another in quick succession. It was a tall order, but of course she found them — and Washington Revels is so glad to feature Klezmer and world music specialists Seth Kibel, Vladimir Fridman, and Bob Abbott as the onstage band in our 2019 production!

Bob, Seth and Vladimir are all accomplished musicians in their own right, but — and we didn’t know this when we reached out to them individually — it just so happens that they perform together in a group called the Music Pilgrim Trio. We can’t think of any name more apt to describe the musical journey that we’re preparing for this December! Get to know these talented performers through the music they’ve shared below:

Seth Kibel, clarinet/flute

Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier woodwind specialists. He has worked with some of the best bands in klezmer, jazz, swing, and more, and has wowed audiences as a clarinetist, saxophonist, and flutist. Seth is the winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including “Best World Music Instrumentalist” (2003-11).

Hear Seth on clarinet in the concert video below. It’s a full concert so there’s not only plenty of great music, but you can also listen as Seth talks about the origins of Klezmer music (skip to 6:32) and tells stories behind the selections they perform!

The Seth Kibel Kleztet (full concert)


Vladimir Fridman, guitar

Vladimir Fridman was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. Trained in both music and civil engineering, he decided to pursue his real passion — guitar. Since his arrival in the United States in 1998, Vladimir has become widely known in music circles within the greater Washington area. He frequently appears as a soloist as well as with leading musicians. He is a member of two bands: Music Pilgrim Trio and TransAtlantic Duo. He can be heard on the WAMMIE Award-winning Gypsy Strings album Ole Guapa.

You can hear Vladimir’s virtuosity in his solo-performance video below, but we also want to share a very recent article from The Town Courier that illustrates his love of sharing music with people of all ages, whether when teaching children and teens, or when leading an audience on a musical journey that crosses national and cultural borders.

“If I Were A Rich Man” (arranged by Vladimir)


Bob Abbott, string bass

Freelance bassist Bob Abbott is much in demand as a sideman, arranger, and recording artist in the Mid-Atlantic region. He has performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Blues Alley, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as several DC embassies. In 2011 he had the honor of traveling and performing in Croatia and was a guest musician and judge at the Zagreb Guitar Show — in 2014 he returned to Croatia as a clinician and featured performer at the 2nd Annual River Jazz Festival. In addition to Bob’s career in music performance, he is the Guitar, Keyboard & Music Technology teacher at Arundel High School in Anne Arundel County.

In the video below, you can watch Bob performing in the Music Pilgrim Trio with Vladimir and Seth — be sure to catch his solo starting at 1:43. The musical selections in this year’s Christmas Revels will be different, of course, but the energy and musicianship that these three instrumentalists show here will resonate throughout Lisner Auditorium in just a few weeks, and we can’t wait to experience it with you!

Music Pilgrim Trio (Bob performing with Seth and Vladimir)

See The Christmas Revels: “Celestial Fools”

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