June 24, 2008
KlezKanada 2008 will be AWESOME!!
KlezKanada 2008 will take place from August 18 through 24,2008.Everything looks fantastic. Klezkanada has a world-class faculty and a fantastic program of concerts, lectures, films and hands-on workshops scheduled.
You can download all of the information at www.klezkanada.com or click here for brochure in pdf.
May 12, 2008
Toronto Jewish Folk Choir Celebrates Yiddish and Israel's 60th
TORONTO JEWISH FOLK CHOIR CELEBRATES YIDDISH MUSIC & ISRAEL’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY IN ITS 82nd SPRING CONCERT JUNE 1A Yiddish work celebrating the joy of playing the fiddle, and a salute in song to the State of Israel on its 60th anniversary highlight the 82nd annual spring concert of the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir. Canada’s oldest continuing choral body performs Sunday, June 1, 2008, 2 p.m. at the Leah Posluns Theatre, 4588 Bathurst St., Toronto.Alexander Veprinsky conducts the 30-voice Choir.
Tickets are $23; seniors and students, $19; children 12 and under, free. For information and ticket reservations, e-mail tjfolkchoir@sympatico.ca or call 416-636-0936 (evenings, weekends) or (416) 593-0750. Information is also available at www.winchevskycentre.org/institutions/choir.html.
Pianist is Lina Zemelman, with soloists Miriam Eskin, soprano; Artour Razgoev, tenor; David Weiss, baritone; and Herman Rombouts, bass. An instrumental ensemble is also featured.
The choir marks the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in a mélange of evocative tunes, mostly in Hebrew, along with the beloved Sephardic song Adio Querida, sung in Judeo-Spanish. Included is the heartfelt appeal Hand in Hand – A Song For Peace (Shir L’Shalom), a copy of which was found on Yitzchak Rabin the day he was assassinated.
Centrepiece is Oifn Fidl (On the Fiddle), by Russian-born, American-Jewish composer Vladimir Heifetz (1893-1970). The lively work is based on an autobiographical short story by the great Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916), about a boy’s passion for the violin, despite his father’s misgivings. In addition to David Weiss as baritone soloist, the performance features four teenaged musicians – violinists Lyrit Milgram and Eitan Postavsky, cellist Hannah Belvedere, and flutist Chris James – along with clarinetist Alexander Fedorovsky.
The orchestration is by Maestro Veprinsky, who has also arranged a Yiddish tango and some Yiddish favourites for the choir. An operatic chorus and French folksong complete the program.
The June 1 concert is presented with the assistance of the Toronto Arts Council and the Ben and Hilda Katz Charitable Foundation.
More information on the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir may be found at www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003439
February 03, 2008
KLEZKANADA BRINGS KLEZMER TO MONTREAL'S 'ULTRA-HIP' NEIGHBOURHOOD
Montreal, QC - KlezKanada presents a World-Class Klezmer Concert and Dance Party. The event takes place Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 9pm at Kola Note (5240 Avenue du Parc, Montreal).KlezKanada, Canada's largest organization dedicated to Yiddish/Jewish culture and the arts, brings an evening of music and dance to Montreal's historic Jewish neighbourhood. KlezKanada is known for exciting events that appeal to all ages and interests. The event is part of KlezKanada's Winter-Session, a weekend of workshops, cabarets, jam sessions and performances. This exciting evening features a line-up of internationally acclaimed klezmer musicians.
Doors will open at 8:30 pm, the show will commence at 9 pm. General admission tickets $20, student tickets $10. Available at the door. For sponsorship tickets, please call 514.993.2842. A partial tax receipt will be issued. For more information, contact Avia Moore by email at avia.moore@gmail.com or by phone 514.993.2842.
From Montreal to New York, from concert halls to nightclubs, these performers create a buzz wherever they appear. Grammy award-winning trumpeter Frank London is famous for his work with klezmer supergroups The Klezmatics and The Klezmer Brass Allstars. Renowned Yiddish singer Michael Alpert has been a pioneering figure in the renaissance of Klezmer and Yiddish music for the past 30 years. Cookie Segelstein and Josh Horowitz are founding members of Veretski Pass and loved for their virtuosic traditional style. The dynamic Strauss/Warschauer Duo features two of the most astonishing and popular performers and teachers in the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene. Special guests for the evening include cello visionary Matt Haimovitz, the first classical musician to play at NY's notorious CBGB club. Also Montreal's Shtreiml, New York's fastest rising young clarinet star Michael Winograd and more! Dancing will be led by Avia Moore and Michael Alpert. One show only, Saturday, February 23, 2008 at Kola Note, 5240 Avenue du Parc, Montreal.
January 13, 2008
The Dybbuk Project Opens in Montreal
January 24 and 26. workshops. MontrealJANUARY 24TH AND 26TH 2008 AT 7:30 P.M.
SEGAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS
5170 CeTE-STE-CATHERINE
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, H3W 1M7
TEL. 514-739-2301 FAX 514-739-9340
The Dybbuk Project, opera by Ofer Ben Amots. Sheri Wills, scenery.
Based on the classic Jewish play by S. Ansky, this new 3-Act opera features renowned international artists, and combines music, drama, dance, realtime video projections, and more. The world premiere of this production will be held in Montreal at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. The Dybbuk has been often described as Romeo & Juliet meets The Exorcist. Indeed, the play?s subtitle, Between Two Worlds, indicates the duality, which is both the center and source of the haunting drama of life vs. death, demonic vs. angelic, the natural vs. the unnatural, the ancient customs vs. modernity. Channan and Leah are betrothed to each other by their fathers even before their birth. But the two are denied their fate when Leah?s father breaks the marriage contract and offers his daughter to a richer man. Chanan attempts through mysticism and magic to regain Leah, but weakened from prolonged prayer and fasting, he dies and enters the spirit world. In this chamber opera, Ofer Ben-Amots characterizes the separate realms of the two central characters by having Leah carry the vocal role - singing, reciting, and acting - while the role of the other main character, Channan, is performed wordlessly entirely on the carinet. In Hebrew and English.
THE DYBBUK PROJECT - BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
A CHAMBER OPERA BY OFER BEN-AMOTS
DIRECTOR - THOMAS LINDBLADE
VIDEO ART & DESIGN - SHERI WILLS
COSTUME DESIGNER - GYPSY AMES
LEAH - YAHLI TOREN, SOPRANO
CHANNAN - XAVIER BROSSARD-MeNARD, CLARINET
RABBI - JEREMY WILHELM, BARITONE
MUSIC - ENSEMBLE QAT
XAVIER BROSSARD-M?NARD, CLARINET
CHANTAL BERGERON, VIOLIN
SHEILA HANNIGAN, CELLO
SONIA WHEATON DUDLEY, PIANO
JANUARY 24TH AND 26TH 2008 AT 7:30 P.M.
SEGAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS
5170 CeTE-STE-CATHERINE
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, H3W 1M7
TEL. 514-739-2301 FAX 514-739-9340
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MAISON DE LA CULTURE C?TE-DES-NEIGES
15$
October 21, 2007
Milton Barnes Tribute in Toronto
Hosted by his sons Micah and Daniel Barnes, a concert tribute to the important Canadian Jewish composer Milton Barnes will take place tomorrow, Monday, October 22, at the Al Green Theatre - MNJcc - 750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto. Featuring: trio Lyra - Erica Goodman, Mark Childs, Suzanne Schulman; David Wall, Marilyn Lerner, Artie Roth, Martin van de Ven, Renee Bouthot, Lenka Lichtenberg, Brian Katz. 8pm. Tickets $20, 416-924-6211, ext 0.August 20, 2007
KlezKanada 2007 Starts Tonight
KlezKanada, in Lanier, Quebec Canada is starting tonight, Monday August 20th. This is the 12th year of the annual camp program. This year, the all star faculty is amazing, the students are superb, and the excitement is palpable. If you're not here this year, make sure to mark this week on your calendar for next. Looks like the first newsletter, by Ari Davidow, greeted the attendees as they arrived. Each day of camp, there's a camp newsletter published in 3 languages which might be any combination of Yiddish, English, French, Spanish, German or Russian. You never know who will get around to writing an article and each are published in the native language. KlezKanada is a music camp for families or individuals. There's a tremendous amount of talent present and we're hearing it already. If the internet connectivity holds up, perhaps the JMWC will do more reports from here. You can view materials about the camp at their website. http://www.klezkanada.comJuly 11, 2007
KlezKanada 2007 in Quebec
KlezKanada 2007 will take place from Monday, August 20 through Sunday, August 26, 2007.Go to www.klezkanada.com for updated information, and to download the KlezKanada brochure and Hands-On Workshop listings and registration.
January 22, 2007
Denise Williams CD Release 'Walk Together Children'
Soprano Denise Williams is launching her imaginative Black-and-Jewish CD, Walk Together Children,Sunday, February 11, 2007
3 p.m.
in the Al Green Theatre,
Miles Nadal JCC
750 Spadina Ave. (at Bloor)
Admission is $20. For tickets and information, call 416-924-6211, ext.0,
or visit www.denisewilliamssoprano.com.
Copies of the CD will be available for sale, with Denise available to sign them following the concert.
Denise will perform a wide range of music. The program ranges from folk songs in English, Creole, African languages, Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino to spirituals and classical. Joining her are some of the artists featured on the recording - Brahm Goldhamer, piano; Nina Shapilsky, keyboards; Sam Donkoh, percussion; and Tonian Morgan, guitar. The Antiguan-Canadian choir Voices of Paradise, led by Eulalie Walling-Sampson, will also appear, along with members of the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir.
January 17, 2007
Shtreiml on the Move this Winter '07
Shtreiml in Ardmore, PA w/Susan WattsThursday February 1, 2007 7PM
Milkboy Coffee
2 E. Lancaster Ave.
Armore, PA
http://www.milkboycoffee.com/
Shtreiml in Ottawa, ON w/Ismail Fencioglu, Susan Watts, Michael Winograd
Saturday March 10, 2007 8PM
Soloway JCC
21 Nodolny Sachs Pr.
Ottawa, ON
http://www.jccottawa.com
http://www.shtreiml.com
October 25, 2006
MUSICA ANTIGUA DE EDUARDO PANIAGUA playing around Canada this Fall
MUSICA ANTIGUA DE EDUARDO PANIAGUA, a group dealing with Spanish medieval music, will perform soon in Canada. On October 26th at the Outaouais Festival de Musiques Sacrées with the program "Three Cultures (Jewish', Muslim' and Christiian' Spanish medieval music and song)". and on Oct. 28th at the Quebec Festival de Musiques Sacrées with the program "Sefarad in Al-Andalus (music and poetry from Hispano-Jewish Golden Age)".On November 4th the group will play the "Three Cultures" program at Givatayim Theater (Tel-Aviv, Israel), and on Nov 6th at the Jerusalem International Oud Festival, with the program "The Andalusian Oud".
On Nov 22th the group travels to Germany where they will present "Sefarad in Al-Andalus" at the Cervantes Institute of Munich, as part of thehttp://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=99752 "Jüdische Kulturtage".
Contact Klezmer Sefardi. Jorge Rozemblum for details. rozemblum@yahoo.es
September 01, 2006
Toronto Jewish Folk Choir at Ashkenaz
The Toronto Jewish Folk Choir is performing Sunday, September 3, 1 p.m. in the Brigantine Room at the Ashkenaz festival in Toronto. Free admission.This will be the second performance of In Amerike, for choir and klezmer band by Sid Robinovitch - a terrific piece that was a big hit at its premiere in June. Beyond the Pale is joining the choir, and Sid is coming in from Winnipeg to play the piano part. Toronto Jewish Folk Choir also doing a few other numbers, including a choral version of the beautiful lullabye, Rozhinkes mit mandlen (Raisins and Almonds). Alexander Veprinsky will conduct the concert, including excerpts from a medley he created for our 80th anniversary concert.
May 23, 2006
SISTERS OF SHEYNVILLE CELEBRATE THE START OF SUMMER
Toronto, Ontario: The high-energy female sextet Sisters of Sheynville
will be performing their upbeat Yiddish, English and original material
at the Al Green Theatre located in the Miles Nadal Jewish Community
Centre, Thursday May 25, 2006, at 8:30pm.
The Sisters are: Lenka Lichtenberg and Isabel Fryszberg (vocals), Fern Lindzon (vocals and piano), Kinneret Sagee (clarinet, Lorie Wolf (drums), and Rachel Melas (double bass).
Tickets are available $12 in advance and $15 at the door, Sun - Fri
(8:30am until evening hours) -from the Front Desk at the MNjcc, (Bloor & Spadina)
or at the door one hour before the performance.
FOR MORE TICKET INFORMATION CONTACT the Al Green Theatre
Info Line at 416 924-6277 ext. 143 or email harriet@mnjcc.org.
Celebrate the start of Summer at the MNjcc with the sensational all-women Yiddish band The Sisters of Sheynville.Come and enjoy a fun-filled night of foot-stomping swing and klez tunes, arranged with zest and imagination that will make you smile and dance - and a Yiddish dance animator will show you the steps!This month, the band is celebrating its first birthday - a culmination of a busy year which has seen the band push the boundaries of their vintage Yiddish swing to include more jazz, improvisation, and original material centered around lush 3-part harmonies. Notable performances in often sold out houses include Distillery Jazz and Toronto City Roots festivals, Leah Posluns Theatre, the Rex Jazz Bar and the Toronto Centre for The Arts.
May 17, 2005
TORONTO JEWISH FOLK CHOIR GIVES 79TH SPRING CONCERT
SUNDAY, JUNE 5, with the TORONTO MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA
The Toronto Jewish Folk Choir marks the 60 anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the Nazi death camps in its 79th annual spring concert, Sunday, June 5, 7 p.m. at the Leah Posluns Theatre, 4588 Bathurst St. (parking available). Alexander Veprinsky conducts, with Lina Zemelman on piano, and the
Toronto Mandolin Orchestra as guest artists. Tickets, $22, $18 seniors and
students, are available at the door, or in advance from Jewish bookstores or by
calling 416-593-0750. Children under 12 are admitted free; group rates are
available on request. Information may also be obtained via www.winchevskycentre.org
(click on Institutions) or by e-mailing tjfolkchoir@sympatico.ca.
The major work is Di Naye Hagode (The New Saga), a choral tone poem by Jewish-American composer Max Helfman (1901-1963), orchestrated by Maestro Veprinsky. The work commemorates the heroic Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that began on the first night of Passover, April 19, 1943. The text is from the long narrative poem Shotns fun varshever geto (Shadows of the Warsaw Ghetto) by martyred Soviet Yiddish poet Itzik Feffer (1900-1952). Along with the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, the work features soprano Miriam Eskin, tenor Steve Szmutni, and narrator Ruth Borchiver. Also on the program is an eclectic mix of songs on Jewish themes in Yiddish and Hebrew. Included are a new medley of songs by the great Yiddish songwriter Avrum Goldfaden arranged by Maestro Veprinsky, choruses in Italian and Russian from Verdi's Nabucco and Borodin's Prince Igor, Gershwin's Fascinating Rhythm, and a French-Canadian folksong. Solos are sung by sopranos Miriam Eskin and Belva Spiel, and bass Herman Rombouts. As well, the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra will perform orchestral medleys of Jewish and Ukrainian songs, arranged by Maestro Veprinsky. The TJFC gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, the Ben and Hilda Katz Foundation, the Miransky Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and Jim Buller.
November 04, 2004
NEW YIDDISH/ENGLISH OPERETTA: Ballad of Monish
Marty Green productions introduces:
The Ballad of Monish
a one-man musical play
written and performed by Marty Green
Sunday Nov. 21 Berney Theater 123 Doncaster St. Winnipeg 2:00 pm/8:30 pm
Tickets: 2 for $25.00
Multi-talented Winnipeg-based interpreter of Yiddish culture Marty Green
introduces his latest offering in the form of a two-hour musical play, "The
Ballad of Monish", based on a classic poem by I. L. Peretz. What starts out
as a Jewish retelling of the classic Faust legend quickly turns into a
rollicking, satirical look at traditional Jewish attitudes towards religion,
sex, and the non-Jewish world. Marty Green has taken this epic ballad and
adapted it to a lively jazz-klezmer setting, interleaving his own
razor-sharp English translations with the original Yiddish lyrics. There is
more info on the show at http://www.onforeignsoil.com/monish.htm
including an audio clip of the opening number.
Marty Green first appeared on the Yiddish scene in the year 2000 with the
publication of On Foreign Soil, his masterful translation of the memoirs of
Falk Zolf, with a twist: the translation starts in English and gradually
turns back to Yiddish as you read it. In 2003 he followed this up with his
first CD, A Boy Named Sureh, which includes Yiddish translations
of such popular songs as A Boy Named Sue, Little Jimmy Brown (The Three
Bells), and My Way. With The Ballad of Monish, Green hopes to introduce the
humor, charm and poetry of Yiddish to a wider audience with no previous
knowledge of the language. For more information on Marty Green and his
creative works, call 204-774-4932
or visit his website at
www.onforeignsoil.com
September 05, 2004
Toronto Jewish Folk Choir
The Toronto Jewish Folk Choir is accepting new members for its 2004-05 season. The SATB choir was featured at this year's Ashkenaz Festival and begins rehearsals for the new season on Wednesday, September 29, 7:30 p.m. at the Morris Winchevsky Centre, 585 Cranbrooke Avenue (just east of Bathurst, five blocks north of Lawrence), Toronto. Interested new members are welcome to take part. For further information, call Jean Shek at 416-489-7681 or e-mail Howard Kaplan at tjfolkchoir@sympatico.ca .
This is the 79th season for the choir, and its third under the inspiring leadership of conductor Alexander Veprinsky, a graduate of the Mykola Lysenko Lviv State Conservatory in Ukraine in operatic and symphonic conducting. Moscow Conservatory-trained Lina Zemelman is returning for her 28th season as pianist. The choir's repertoire this year will include music on Jewish themes, mostly in Yiddish, but also in Hebrew, Russian, Judeo-Spanish and English, as well as classical works on Jewish themes, and music of other cultures. While it is not necessary to read music, members may tape rehearsals and are encouraged to learn their parts at home between rehearsals.
August 31, 2004
Ashkenaz Canadian Cabaret
Ashkenaz, A Festival of New Yiddish Culture 2004 a festival of music in Toronto Canada this weekend. The Canadian Cabaret, taking place late Saturday night (10pm), Sept. 4th, is again hosted by Theresa Tova (she was very funny and effective last time), who is otherwise involved in a number of key programs and not to be missed.
The Canadian Cabaret brings together a considerable number of Toronto performers, and is usually very well received. A few brand new projects: firstly, new yiddish music by the Toronto Yiddish (and English, and Hebrew) poet Simcha Simchovitch set to music by Lenka Lichtenberg with arrangements by the multi-talented Brian Katz who will be playing with Lenka. Mr. Simchovitch will be there as well. Secondly, another female singer, Isabel Fryszberg, and Lenka are launching a "Barry Sisters" act in another part of the program.
May 06, 2004
TORONTO JEWISH FOLK CHOIR’S 78TH SPRING CONCERT
Choir with BEYOND THE PALE, SUNDAY, MAY 16
The Toronto Jewish Folk Choir adds the infectious klezmer sounds of Beyond the Pale to its 78th annual spring concert Sunday, May 16, 3 p.m. at Lawrence Park Collegiate, Lawrence Ave. W., two blocks east of Avenue Road (limited free parking at the school).
Tickets, $22 ($18 seniors and students; children under 12 free; group rates on request), are available at the door, or in advance from Jewish bookstores, or by calling 416-489-7681. More information is at http://www.winchevskycentre.org/choir.html and...
Now in his second year as conductor, Alexander Veprinsky directs the Choir, soloists and Beyond the Pale in an afternoon of memorable melody. Soloists are soprano Miriam Eskin, tenor Mark Fox and bass Herman Rombouts. Pianist is Lina Zemelman.
Highlight is the choral ballade Benyomin der driter (Benjamin the Third) by Max Helfman (1901-63), a musical adaptation of the classic novel by the “Grandfather of Yiddish Literature,” Mendele Moikher Sforim. Maestro Veprinsky has created an original orchestration for the musicians. TV personality Larry Solway will knit the sections together with narration in both English and Yiddish - his first venture into Yiddish narration.
Also on the program is an eclectic mix of songs on Jewish themes, in Yiddish, Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, Russian and English.
The concert is dedicated to the memory of three people associated with the choir, who died in February 2004 – Canada’s music man Nicholas Goldschmidt, who showcased the Choir in three music festivals in recent years; long-time Toronto Symphony Orchestra cellist Robert Spergel, who arranged a spiritual the Choir performed in 2003; and Bella Shek, who was an ardent singer and executive member from her arrival in Canada in 1934 until into her 90s, and who died just short of her 103rd birthday.
Conductor Alexander Veprinsky graduated from the Mykola Lysenko Lviv State Conservatory in Ukraine in operatic and symphonic conducting. He is also a gifted pianist and arranger. Arriving in Canada in 1993, he became assistant conductor, and in 1995 musical director, of Toronto’s Shevchenko Ensemble and the driving force behind its School of Performing Arts, founded in 1996. He joined the Folk Choir in 2002.
The TJFC gratefully acknowledges the support of the Toronto Arts Council, the Ben and Hilda Katz Foundation, the Miransky Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and Brina Harris
April 30, 2004
KlezKanada
KlezKanada's website at www.klezkanada.com has been updated for this year's session. Klezkanada is located in Lantier Quebec, just north of Montreal.Sessions for musicians take place August 23-29. For everyone else, camp takes place August 25-29.
February 25, 2004
KLEZKANADA GROYSER KONCERT
AN EVENING OF KLEZMER MUSIC, SONG, AND COMEDY
TO BE HELD IN MONTREAL FOR FIRST TIME
February 29, 2004
The GROYSER KONCERT is coming to Montreal.
A popular feature of the KlezKanada Festival of Yiddish/Jewish Music and Culture held annually in the Laurentians, the GROYSER KONCERT is relocating to Montréal and the first concert will take place Sunday, February 29 at the Monument National Theatre, 1182 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. ...
Three internationally acclaimed groups will headline the program: New York-based Brave Old World , which has stood at the forefront of the Klezmer revival around-the-world for over two decades; Beyond the Pale, a Toronto group that has been winning raves across North America for its contemporary approach to traditional Klezmer music; and Montreal’s Shtreiml , just back from a successful European tour that won raves for its Klezmer, gypsy and jazz music.
Broadway singing star Joanne Borts and Yaela Hertz, violinist and concertmaster emerita of the McGill Chamber Orchestra, will also be featured. Michael Wex, the celebrated author, raconteur and itinerant teacher of Yiddish, will be the MC.
Jointly sponsored by KlezKanada, the YM-YWHA Montreal Jewish Community Centres and the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, the GROYSER KONCERT signals the beginning of a collaborative relationship between the organizations, with the intent of creating a permanent base for Klezmer music in Montréal.
Proceeds help support KlezKanada’s unique youth scholarship fund and the cultural programming of Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts.
Patron tickets at $250 and Supporter tickets at $100 are available with partial tax receipts. General admission (Balcony seats) is $36 and tickets are on sale at the Saidye Bronfman Centre Box Office, 5170 Côte Ste-Catherine Road, or by telephone at (514) 739-7944.