Wiley Hausam, Director
Daniel Gurskis, Dean, College of the Arts
PEAK Performances presents
Nefesh Mountain Band
Thu., October 16, 2025, 7:30pm
ALEXANDER KASSER THEATER
Running Time: 90 mins, No intermission
About the Artist
Doni Zasloff - Vocals
Eric Lindberg - Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Banjo, Vocals
Danny Fox - Piano, Keyboards
Jackson Earles - Violin
Andrew Ryan - Bass
David Berger - Drums
The New York based Progressive Americana group Nefesh Mountain Band has been hailed as one of the formative boundary-pushing ensembles in roots music. The band's creators and dynamic husband and wife team of Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff have created a world and sound all their own; blurring the lines between Americana, Bluegrass, Folk, Jazz and Blues with a masterful hand as songwriters, instrumentalists and composers alike. The band, declared “A Powerhouse Unit” by Rolling Stone and "Introspective lyrics and world class musicianship” by American Songwriter, takes the listener on a deeply personal journey that embodies their own wild nature and unbridled free spirits, bridging compositional prowess and prolific songwriting with deft instrumentals and jams.
Since their formation nearly a decade ago, Nefesh Mountain has been proudly open and vocal about their background and heritage as Jewish Americans, and are among the first preeminent Americana / Bluegrass bands to infuse Jewish tradition and soul into the beautifully diverse tapestry of American roots music. For them the music is wholly American, freely expressing their own identities while at the same time addressing the hate, discrimination, anti-semitism and racism that still remains at large in America and the World today.
The band has recorded and shared the stage with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, John Doyle, Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers), Mark Schatz (Bèla Fleck, Nickel Creek), Mike Gordon (Phish) and Tony Trischka among others. The Troubadours along with their band continue to forge new paths in unknown territory, armed with Zasloff and Lindberg’s strong, smokey, and folksy vocals and Lindberg’s soulful and masterful skills on guitars and banjo alike.
In 2021 they made their debut at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN and in recent years have performed various Festivals, PACs, and countless venues including Mountain Stage, Merlefest, Wintergrass, Ossipee Valley, Kaw River Roots, Thomas Point Bluegrass and more. Through the years Nefesh Mountain has officially showcased and been a proud member of AmericanaFest, Folk Alliance, and the IBMA.
PEAK Performances
Wiley Hausam | Director
Taliyah Bethea | Marketing Assistant
Susan Case | Program Book Coordinator
Patrick Flood | Graphic Designer, Art Director
Martin Halo | Website Development
Michael Landes | Membership Coordinator
Amanda C. Phillips | Marketing Manager
Peg Schuler-Armstrong | General Manager
Jacob Stepansky | Company Manager
Blake Zidell Associates | Media Representative
College of the Arts
Daniel Gurskis | Dean
Ronald L. Sharps | Associate Dean
Christine Lemesianou | Associate Dean
Amanda Gonzalez Carcione | Assistant Dean
Zacrah S. Battle | College Administrator
Nicole Archer | Chairperson, Department of Art and Design
Shea Scruggs | Director, John J. Cali School of Music
Kathleen Kelley | Chairperson, Department of Theatre and Dance
Wiley Hausam | Director, Arts + Cultural Programming
Hillery Makatura | Director, Performance Operations
Patricia Piroh | Director, Broadcast and Media Operations
Megan C. Austin | Director, University Galleries
Staff Credits
College of the Arts
Performance Operations
Hillery Makatura | Director
Cubby Terry | Facilities and Events Manager
Marlene Hamm | Interim Production Manager
Colin Van Horn | Technical Director
Kevin Johnson | Senior Production Engineer
Jason Flamos | Lighting Supervisor
Laurel Brolly | Business Manager
Jeff Lambert Wingfield | Box Office Manager
Jade Thomas | Patron Services Manager
Rayne Collins | Front of House Coordinator
Aboubacar Cisse, Abigail Drueding, Jacqueline Mancia Hernandez, Shantel Maysonett, Ashley Wallis | Lead Ushers, Season 2025–26
Andrea Armando, Riona Askins, Aboubacar Cisse, Jacqueline Mancia Hernandez, Audrey Lassanske, Shantel Maysonett, Ben Renfrow | Box Office Lead Associates, Season 2025–26
Coming Soon
We respectfully acknowledge that Montclair State University occupies land in Lenapehoking, the traditional and expropriated territory of the Lenape. As a state institution, we recognize and support the sovereignty of New Jersey’s three state-recognized tribes: the Ramapough Lenape, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, and Powhatan Renape nations. We recognize the sovereign nations of the Lenape diaspora elsewhere in North America, as well as other Indigenous individuals and communities now residing in New Jersey. By offering this land acknowledgement, we commit to addressing the historical legacies of Indigenous dispossession and dismantling practices of erasure that persist today. We recognize the resilience and persistence of contemporary Indigenous communities and their role in educating all of us about justice, equity, and the stewardship of the land throughout the generations.
Programs in this season were made possible, in part, by the Alexander Kasser Theater Endowment Fund and PEAK Patrons.
PEAK Performances develops, presents, and produces a broad range of world-class dance, film, master classes, music, opera and music theater, talks, and theater in the Alexander Kasser Theater on the campus of Montclair State University for students, faculty, staff, and the general public. We are building community through live performance. PEAK Performances is a program of the university’s Arts + Cultural Programming Department.