The Madison Performance Series kicks off its 7th season of free community concerts with a festival of World Jewish Music. This exciting, outdoor family event at the Santa Monica Pier celebrates the rich and varied sounds of Jewish artistry—from the Schtetle to the Kibbutz and beyond. The eclectic afternoon features Stefani Valadez whose Ladino music expresses the Spanish and North African Sephardic tradition. The event also showcases the high-flying, irrepressible Klezmer Craze trio under the direction of Russian clarinetist Leo Chelyapov, as well as traditional Jewish folk dancing and a classical trio performing new and established work. This free family event is part of Santa Monica College’s new Music Academy and Performing Arts Center, which is presently under construction at 11th and Santa Monica Boulevard. The Center is scheduled to open in January 2007.