The 10th annual San Diego Jewish Music Festival kicks off Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC), Jacobs Family Campus. Various concerts and special events run through May 12. “[The Jewish Music Festival] has an emphasis on Jewish performers and Jewish music — there’s a definite tie,” said Judith Anderson, JCC music festival publicist. Monday, March 23, violinist Zina Schiff will play “Classical Gems from the Jewish Folk Music Society of Russia” beginning at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m., Common Chords III, the Next Generation – A Celebration of Jewish and Muslim Music will take the stage. According to Anderson, Muslim rock star Salman Ahmad will join Indian tabla player Samir Chatterjee and the Jewish band Hot Pstromi. “What’s interesting there is the collaboration between Jewish and Muslim rock star and Indian musician,” Anderson said. “So you’ve got Jewish and Muslims together onstage.” Saturday, March 28 at 8:15 p.m., Jewish singer Debbie Friedman will play “Revivalist Joy.” Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m., Ostracized Music – From Germany to San Diego – is scheduled. “Another group that is really fascinating is Ostracized Music. They perform the music of Jewish composers who were sometimes eliminated by the Nazis,” Anderson said, adding that the group comprises young Germans “to make sure something similar never takes place again.” Steven Cassedy, Juilliard graduate and professor of literature at University of California, San Diego, will conduct a series of musical lectures discussing how sons of Jewish immigrants changed American music. Monday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m., Cassedy will play piano and lecture about George and Ira Gershwin, sons of Russian Jewish immigrants, through music and lyrics. Monday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., Cassedy will play piano and lecture about Richard Rodgers, the son of a successful Jewish doctor “best known as the musical half of the pairings Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein,” according to the press release. Monday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., Cassedy will play piano and lecture about Leonard Bernstein’s melodies, which he wrote in relation to his Jewish roots. Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m., the Omer Klein Trio will play music of “Africa and the Middle East with American Jazz.” The Omer Klein Trio includes pianist Omer Klein, Omer Avital (bass) and Ziv Ravitz (drums). The JCC is located at 4126 Executive Drive. Tickets are $14 to $30 for each concert. For more information, call (858) 362-1348 or visit www.lfjcc.org.