The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History will host a concert on Aug. 21, featuring performances by singer-songwriter Rachael Sage and local Philadelphia singer-songwriter Avi Wisnia.
Sage told Philadelphia Jewish Exponent they will be performing a “Nashville-style” song swap on stage, a format where each musician takes turns performing songs and sharing stories behind the music.
“We’ll each share a song and chat about it and perform it with our respective accompanist. I believe that [Avi] has a percussionist and I’ll have a wonderful cellist,” Sage said. “We’re each going to be playing a majority of original material and then maybe we’ll throw in a few surprises or some collaborations between us toward the end of the set. It’s basically going to be an evening highlighting our own original work as Jewish American composers and songwriters.”
Daniel Samuels, the director of public programs at the Weitzman and organizer of the event, said he had been wanting to host a concert with the two singers to explore Jewish American styles of music.
“Both of them bring unique Jewish stories and perspective into their music; sometimes it’s really deep,” Samuels said. “Avi, for example, [everyone knows] his family’s story. His dad was a rabbi; his grandfather was a rabbi and cantor and a survivor of the Holocaust. Avi played around the world with his grandfather, singing the music his grandfather sang, not only later in life after the war but early in life before the war, when he was a child.”
The two singer-songwriters were regularly featured at folk music festivals like the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, according to Samuels, and consider themselves to be good friends.
“Both of these voices are two pieces to the puzzle that expresses what it means to be Jewish in America in 2025. To really get the full understanding of how they fit into that story, you have to come and hear the artists,” said Samuels.
The concert highlights the museum’s mission to connect Jewish people to their heritage and preserve and celebrate Jewish history in America.
“It’s so important as artists, especially musicians, to use our voices, gather in community and make sure that we have these safe spaces to not only directly counterpoint and combat antisemitism but also [to have] somewhere to go, to be freely ourselves, to be able to celebrate who we. That, in a way, is a form of resistance,” Sage noted. “Just this idea of being able to walk in the world as ourselves without fear of hate or violence [is] something that I think only the arts and music can address in a way that feels safe for everyone. So, it’s like that universal language that hopefully can bring everyone together.”
While the message is rooted deep in cultural pride and connection, Samuels said the night will be “upbeat and light.”
“I think there’s going to be a lot of laughter and potentially a little bit of tears, as well,” Samuels said. “A great end-of-summer event, great music, great food and something to help us come back from summer slowly but surely. Hopefully then we’ll get excited for the many other great programs that we have coming up at the Weitzman this fall, winter and beyond.”
