The Epstein Brothers Orchestra (also known as the Epstein Brothers) was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

musical quartet from the United States who mainly played

Klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

music. It consisted of the four

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

born brothers, Max Epstein (October 4, 1912 – March 18, 2000), William "Willie" Epstein (March 3, 1919 – July 2, 1999), Julius "Julie" Epstein (November 4, 1926 – July 25, 2015) and Isidore "Chi" Epstein (December 28, 1913 – November 9, 1986). In 1996 Max, William and Julius Epstein performed together in the documentary ''A Tickle in the Heart'' which told the story of the four brothers. Chi died in 1986. The Epstein Brothers were recipients of a 1998

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Since the death of William on July 2, 1999 and Max on March 18, 2000 in

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, Julius Epstein was the last surviving member of the band. He lived with his wife Esther in Sarasota, Florida until his death in July 2015.

References

External links

''Epstein Brothers''
at the NEA American instrumental musical groups Klezmer groups National Heritage Fellowship winners {{US-music-bio-stub