Joel Rubin

Joel Rubin is an Associate Professor and Director of Music Performance at the McIntire Department of Music, University of Virginia. He earned his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from City, University of London (2001).

• Academic Focus: Jewish musical traditions, improvisation, music and trauma, diaspora studies
• Performance Career: Internationally acclaimed klezmer clarinetist with multiple recordings, including Poyln: A Gilgul (2015)
• Key Publications: Co-authored foundational works on klezmer traditions, contributions to award-winning anthologies

His research explores intersections of Jewish musical practices with identity, religion, and diasporic experiences. Recent publications analyze klezmer music in postwar German culture and early 20th-century New York Jewish communities. Rubin’s archival work on historical klezmer recordings (1908-1913) highlights his commitment to preserving and reinterpreting traditional modal practices. As a performer, he bridges academic rigor with contemporary artistic innovation, collaborating with ensembles like Veretski Pass to explore musical hybridity in Balkan, Turkish, and Middle Eastern traditions.

His current project, Klezmer in New York in the Early Twentieth Century (forthcoming 2020), extends his analysis of Jewish immigrant musical professionalism and urban cultural exchange.