Michael Bridge, performing in Ladom Ensemble, released their third studio album, “Sofreh-Tisch”, digitally, on May 30, 2025—focusing on Persian- and Ashkenazi-influenced music for accordion, piano, cello and hand percussion. Their Album Launch concert takes place on June 2, 2025 @ Lula Lounge, Toronto.
Ladom Ensemble (excerpts from their website} is a mini-orchestra made up of four musicians who play a kind of acoustic fusion drawn from Western classical, klezmer, rock, tango, jazz, east coast traditional and classical Persian influences – music that is distilled into something distinctly Canadian.
All are classically trained, all fearlessly virtuosic. They believe in taking improvisational risks, in listening deeply and responding spontaneously to one another. They value friendship, mutual respect and great food.
Here is one of the selections from “Sofreh-Tisch”:
“Distance Suite – II. Exchange”
https://ladomensemble.bandcamp.com/track/distance-suite-ii-exchange
Composed by Pouya Hamidi, Distance Suite is a three-movement work inspired by the separation imposed on human beings, whether by natural forces or human-made circumstances such as oppressive regimes. These emotional or mental distances can exist even without physical separation. Distance Suite reflects on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of separation.
The first movement, Hope, embodies the desire for positive change in difficult times. It opens with the sound of raindrops, symbolizing the uniting of forces for transformation. This effect is created through extended piano techniques mimicking droplets from inside of the piano and finger-tapping on the accordion to evoke the sound of rainfall. A recurring hopeful theme weaves throughout the piece, gradually building momentum as the movement reaches a climactic and abrupt end.
The second movement, Exchange, is the battleground. Different forces trade exchanges with each other. Although there are contrasting textures, there is a constant stream of quick notes linking it all together and simmering underneath. As the movement unfolds, a moment of delicate sonority emerges, inspired by the impressionistic colors of Ravel and Debussy. The energy, once tightly wound, is finally released in a swirling motion around the piano, bringing the movement to a fluid-like resolution.
Ladom was founded nearly 20 years ago by a pair of music students at the University of Toronto. It grew into a quartet and took its current configuration in 2018.
Pouya Hamidi, piano, was born in Tehran and is the only remaining member of the original duo. Adam Campbell, percussion, is from Summerside, PEI. Michael Bridge, accordion, grew up in Calgary. Beth Silver, cello, is from the Toronto area. All have obtained advanced degrees in music.
This is a music video animated by Jewish-Canadian artist Yoel O. Fellow (Adam Silver). Its music is an arrangement of part of a well-known (within the niche community) collection of klezmer violin pieces, the Rumanische Fantasien, made known by Josef Solinski. Beth Silver has extensively studied klezmer music and made several extended trips to Eastern Europe to research and enrich her traditional musical practice. Adam immersed himself in Ashkenazi folklore to inform him in creating the original story for the video, its synopsis: Inspired by Ashkenazi folklore, a young girl is cautioned by her grandmother before heading into the woods to forage. In the forest she encounters the wintry cryptid Lekhoet, which possesses the ability to replicate its prey by conjuring soulless doppelgängers. Ladom Ensemble’s music is a backdrop in her scramble to help her village outsmart the monster.
Outside of Ladom, they work as composers, arrangers, studio musicians, teachers and soloists. Ladom has played countless shows across Canada and has worked with choreographers, animators and visual artists.
“Ladom can play really detailed and complex and tight notes and follow the score,” says Pouya. “And we can also let go and improvise in the moment. It becomes an intersection of ideas and connection on a human level. And everything we do is underpinned by genuine friendship.” Their second album, “The Walls Are Made of Song” released in 2019, was inspired by Rumi poetry and includes classical arrangements of Prokofiev, Bach and Chopin.
This is a song about longing. A son comes of age and leaves his mother, away over the mountains, and they do not know when they will see each other again. Written in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by the journalist Nikola Škrba, it features our accordionist Michael Bridge. For this project we worked with an incredible Toronto-based visual artist, Nevena Niagolova. She created inspired digital artwork overlayed on top of our video. Film maker Robert DiVito put it all together—filming us on a secret beach in Toronto, and producing this special video!
Their newest album, Soft-Tisch” reflects the Canadian ensemble’s spirit of friendship and artistic exchange. Is a journey that carries the listener from the striking shores of the Caspian Sea to the verdant plains of Transylvania, through the vibrant musical traditions of the Eastern European Jewish diaspora and even to the heart of The Bronx of the 1950s.
The Persian word sofreh (سفره) refers to a spread or a tablecloth traditionally used in celebrations and weddings, its cultural significance bearing a sense of gathering and coming together. Tisch (טיש), its literal translation being “table”, is comparatively the Yiddish equivalent; a gathering of merriment and storytelling before a special occasion or traditional wedding. In Hasidic context, it can refer to a feast for rabbis and their followers in which they recite texts and sing nigunim – songs without words. The fact that both cultures have this concept of coming together around a table to share so much more than food, and at the same time, an idea that beautifully embodies the spirit of the ensemble, was an opportunity that we couldn’t resist. Infused with elements of hope, Sofreh Tisch is a celebration of dance, folklore, and shared human experience, where the music resonates with the rhythms of history and tradition within a contemporary interpretation.
The album is available in various formats including Limited Edition Compact Disc {CD} + Digital Album. It includes unlimited streaming of Sofreh Tisch via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Download available in 24-bit/96kHz. And ships out within 5 days
All tracks are performed by:
Michael Bridge – accordion
Adam Campbell – percussion
Pouya Hamidi – piano
Beth Silver – cello
Producer and album editing: Peter Cook
Additional album editing: Pouya Hamidi
Future performances include:
Jun 2 Mon; Lula Lounge @ 7:00 PM; Toronto, ON, Canada
Jun 14 Sat; Ladom Ensemble at Home of Michele Mele and Luciano Tauro @ 2:00 PM
Downtown Toronto, ON, Canada
Jul 5 Sat; Ladom Ensemble • Havdalah on the Porch @ 7:00 PM
Toronto, ON, Canada
For more information: Ladomensemble@gmail.com
