Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! is the brainchild of Grammy- and Juno-nominated soloist, band leader, and
composer David Krakauer and South African pianist Kathleen Tagg. Krakauer is a key innovator in
modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music. He frequently appears with the world’s finest
orchestras including the Amsterdam Sinonietta, Orchestre de Lyon, Dresdener Philharmonie, A Far Cry
and the Seattle Symphony. Krakauer’s discography includes The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac Blind
(Nonesuch), The Twelve Tribes (Label Bleu), and Paul Moravec’s Pulitzer Prize-winning composition
Tempest Fantasy (Naxos). His unique sound can be heard in Danny Elfman’s score for the Ang Lee film
Taking Woodstock and throughout Sally Potter’s The Tango Lesson. Tagg has performed with an array of
instrumentalists and singers in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Space.
She is becoming known for her distinctive sound and unique language at the piano, made up of
techniques she has developed and experimented with to expand the piano into a full electro-acoustic
orchestra.