Polina Shepherd

USA. The Village Harmony World Music Ensemble tour
2024-07-05 - 2024-07-21
5 – 21 July – New England

A teen singing camp followed by a concert tour around New England organised by Village Harmony. Open to young singers ages 12 to 18. Rehearsal location: Stump Sprouts Lodge, Hawley, MA. Read more .
12 – 21 July.
The Village Harmony World Music Ensemble Concert schedule. Village Harmony, the remarkable teen music ensemble, presents polyphonic singing traditions from around the world. Music leaders: Sinead O’Mahoney (USA), Bongani Magatyana (South Africa), Polina Shepherd (Tatarstan (Russia)/UK).

Friday, July 12 – Calais, VT: Maple Corner Community Center, 84 W County Rd

Saturday, July 13 – Montpelier, VT: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St

Sunday, July 14, 3:00pm – South Hero, VT: Congregational Church, 24 South St

Monday, July 15 – Shrewsbury, VT: Community Church, 88 Lottery Rd

Tuesday, July 16 – Worcester, MA: Workshops and performance at MA-ACDA conference. Concert at 6:30pm is free and open to public. Assumption University

Wednesday, July 17 – Belfast, ME: Unitarian Universalist Church, 37 Miller St

Thursday, July 18 – Blue Hill, ME: Central Hall, 306 Falls Bridge Rd

Friday, July 19 – Lexington, MA: First Parish, 7 Harrington Rd

Saturday, July 20 – Hadley, MA: Wesley United Methodist Church, 98 North Maple St

Sunday, July 21, 3:00pm – West Cummington, MA: Congregational Church, 27 West Main St

Vermont-based Village Harmony, the remarkable teen world music ensemble, presents its first concert program of the summer. The group is led by Sinead O’Mahoney, Bongani Magatyana from South Africa, and Polina Shepherd from the UK. The 22 brilliant teen singers come from seven states plus Canada and France. Village Harmony, a non-profit umbrella organization based in Vermont, promotes the study and performance of ethnic singing traditions from around the world. For more than thirty years they have organized teen ensembles each summer in New England and ensembles for mixed-age and adult singers in numerous foreign countries. Each Village Harmony ensemble develops its own unique sound with a different team of leaders. All share common traits: a powerful, natural, unrestrained vocal sound; a remarkable variety of vocal styles and timbres appropriate to the ethnic and traditional music; and a visible, vibrant community among the singers and audience as they share in a joyful celebration of music. Admission is by donation at the door. For further information visit www.villageharmony.org or email villageharmony@gmail.com.

Related Images:

Caravan Orchestra and Choir. Weimar, Germany
2024-07-26 - 2024-08-07
26 July – 11 August. (7-11 August will be concerts.)
Weimar. Part of Yiddish Summer Weimar.
PROJECT WEB SITE
Caravan is now in its 7th year in bringing together young musicians from different traditions and backgrounds with the common goal of the exploration of East European Jewish, East Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music traditions. Every year, we build a learning community that relies on curiosity, transcultural experience and a general understanding of friendship and partnership. All instrumentalists and singers who live in Germany or Israel (independently of your nationality) are invited to apply.
What to expect from your participation in Caravan? In the summer of 2024, we will look at the connection between Yiddish (East-European Jewish) music and musics that derive from the Ottoman heritage of Greece and Turkey. We have found a wonderful shared repertoire (instrumental melodies, songs, dances) of these traditions and will study their common heritage and their own musical live in different cultures in Europe and Asia minor. We will learn a lot of music by ear and improvisation will play a major role in our music making. The faculty consists of renowned practitioners of Yiddish, Turkish, Greek and Ottoman traditions with decades of teaching expertise in projects like Caravan.
Concerts

Saturday, August 3d, 2024 Germany, Essen, Alte Synagoge Essen, Edmund-Körner-Platz 1, 45127 Essen, time TBA
Thursday, August 8th, 2024 Germany, Leipzig, Marktplatz, Leipziger Markt Musik, 8 PM, free admission
Friday, August 9th, 2024 Germany, Eisenach, Wandelhalle, 8 PM, ticket link
Saturday, August 10th, 2024 Germany, Weimar, Herderplatz, 6:30 PM (with many other bands), ticket link
Sunday, August 11th, 2024 Germany, Erfurt, Western fassade of the „Alte Synagoge,“ 7 PM (with other bands) free admission

Read more here
Part of Yiddish Summer Weimar.
The 2024 Caravan Orchestra and Choir will take place from July 26 in the morning to August 11 in the evening (beginning date is approximate, end date is definite; stay tuned for updates). We will spend the entire time together in Weimar during Yiddish Summer Weimar.
While we will sing in many languages, English will be the main language of communication.
We will ask a 200 EUR fee for participation in Caravan Orchestra & Choir. In return, we will cover your travels, tuition with great teachers, some food, and we will – hopefully with your help – find accommodation for participants.
For participants living in Weimar: please get in touch if you can offer accommodation for fellow band members from Haifa or Germany. In these cases, we can waive the participation fee for you.
Polina Shepherd (Russia/UK; artistic director) leads choirs, collaborates with bands, orchestras, soloists, ensembles and performs internationally. Her compositions, including music for choirs, theatre, song settings for Yiddish poems are performed all over the world. She taught Caravan Choir in 2021 and was the artistic director for Caravan Orchestra & Choir in 2022 and 2023. She will again serve as artistic director of Caravan Orchestra & Choir in 2024.
Mehmet Ali Orman (TR; artistic co-director) was born in the small seaside town of Gemlik, Turkey. He grew up immersed in his own culture and with a strong interest in other cultures as well. He began dancing at the age of 7 and started playing clarinet at the age of 15. He attended the İstanbul Technical University Turkish Folk Dance department to in order to make music and dance his profession. He has participated in folk dance and music festivals in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Japan, Lithuania, Denmark, France as both a dancer and a musician.

Zoë Aqua (USA; artistic co-director) is a violinist, educator and composer. She was awarded a Fulbright research grant for the 2021-’22 and 2022-’23 academic years to study Transylvanian folk music pedagogy in Cluj, Romania. In 2022, she released an album of original compositions recorded with Eastern European musicians entitled “In Vald Arayn” (Into the Forest). Zoë is a co-founder of klezmer bands Tsibele and Farnakht, and served as the full-time understudy for the Klezmatics’ Lisa Gutkin in the Broadway production of “Indecent”. An in-demand teacher known for her warm and accessible style, she holds two degrees in music education.

Eftychia Mitritsa (GR; artistic co-director) is a singer/songwriter who moves between the genres of traditional music, rebetiko and contemporary, greek, popular music. She has recorded three albums under her own name as well as participating in many different artists‘ recording projects. At the beginning of her career she studied with composer Nikos Mamagakis. Ever since, she has collaborated on stage with distinguished Greek singers, instrumentalists, and composers.
She studied classical piano, voice performance, advanced theory and harmony and holds a Master’ s degree in Musicology (National University of Athens). For the last 20 years, she has been teaching piano and singing at Secondary Music Schools and since 2021 she also teaches voice lessons to actors.

If you have any questions please get in touch with project managers Andreas or Anna:
andreas.schmitges@othermusicacademy.eu
or +49 177 6017686 (WhatsApp/Telegram)
anna.gruenhardt@othermusicacademy.eu
Related Images:

Caravan Orchestra & Choir in Essen
2024-08-03 20:00 - 21:30 UTC | Alte Synagoge Essen, Edmund-Körner-Platz, Essen, 145127, Germany
SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLISH INFO… FREE concert

Jiddische, osmanische & arabische Musik im DialogEintritt frei, um Voranmeldung unterinfo@alte-synagoge.essen.de wird gebetenwww.caravanorchestra.eu
Es ist wie Purim und Roshashone, Zuckerfest und Weihnachten zusammen! Das mit dem Shimon-Peres-Preis ausgezeichnete Caravan Orchestra & Choir ist auch -und gerade- in diesem Sommer mit einem neuen Programm unterwegs und kommt zum ersten Mal nach Essen!
Das jedes Jahr neu entstehende 40-köpfige Ensemble spielt ost-europäisch-jüdische, osmanische und arabische Musik und vor allem jene Melodien und Lieder, die in all diesen Musikkulturen zugleich vorkommen!
Die Musiker*innen könnten multikultureller nicht sein:Musikstudierende aus Deutschland mit vielen kulturellen und religiösen Hintergründen treffen jüdische, christliche und muslimische Israelis aus der Gegend um Haifa. Sie engagieren sich alle im Caravan Orchestra, weil das Ensemble großartige Musik spielt, faszinierende Klänge schafft und ein Forum für unvoreingenommenes Aufeinanderzugehen bietet, sowohl musikalisch als auch sozial.
Caravan Orchestra & Choir wendet sich immer neuen Klängen zu und findet immer wieder Verbindendes zwischen den angeblich so unterschiedlichen religiösen und kulturellen Welten Europas und des Nahen Ostens.
Sie dürfen sich auf einen berauschenden, groovigen und immer spontan bleibenden Abend freuen!
Besetzung:Polina Shepherd – künstlerische GesamtleitungMehmet Ali Orman – künstlerische Co-Leitung OrchesterZoe Aqua – künstlerische Co-Leitung ChorEftychia Mitritsa – künstlerische Co-Leitung ChorMitglieder des Caravan Orchestra und des Caravan Choir

The Caravan Orchestra & Choir is in its seventh year of musical exchange between the diverse communities of Weimar and Haifa. Young musicians from both places explore a program of Yiddish, Ottoman, Greek and Middle Eastern music in a multicultural and diverse environment. The program focuses on finding the connections that already exist between musical traditions that are often seen as unrelated, as well as celebrating the varied musical and cultural backgrounds that participants themselves bring to the ensemble. This year, the Caravan Orchestra & Choir is once again led by Polina Shepherd alongside the international team of Eftychia Mitritsa, Mehmet Ali Orman and Zoë Aqua.
Related Images:

Caravan Orchestra & Choir in Leipzig, Germany
2024-08-08 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | Marktplatz, Leipziger Markt Musik, Markt, Leipzig - Zentrum, 04109, Germany
PROJECT WEB SITE
The Unbroken Circle: Keeping music and friendship alive between Haifa & Weimar.Caravan Orchestra & Choir is in its seventh year of musical exchange between the diverse communities of Weimar and Haifa. Young musicians from both places explore a program of Yiddish, Ottoman, Greek and Middle Eastern music in a multicultural and diverse environment. The program focuses on finding the connections that already exist between musical traditions that are often seen as unrelated, as well as celebrating the varied musical and cultural backgrounds that participants themselves bring to the ensemble. This year, the Caravan Orchestra & Choir is once again led by Polina Shepherd alongside the international team of Eftychia Mitritsa, Mehmet Ali Orman and Zoë Aqua
Concerts

Saturday, August 3d, 2024 Germany, Essen, Alte Synagoge Essen, Edmund-Körner-Platz 1, 45127 Essen, time TBA
Thursday, August 8th, 2024 Germany, Leipzig, Marktplatz, Leipziger Markt Musik, 8 PM, free admission
Friday, August 9th, 2024 Germany, Eisenach, Wandelhalle, 8 PM, ticket link
Saturday, August 10th, 2024 Germany, Weimar, Herderplatz, 6:30 PM (with many other bands), ticket link
Sunday, August 11th, 2024 Germany, Erfurt, Western fassade of the „Alte Synagoge,“ 7 PM (with other bands) free admission

Read more here
Part of Yiddish Summer Weimar.

Related Images:

Caravan Orchestra and Choir in Eisenach, Germany
2024-08-09 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | Wandelhalle, Wartburgallee 53, Eisenach, 99817
The prize-winning, 40-piece Caravan Orchestra & Choir is in its seventh year of musical exchange between the diverse communities of Weimar and Haifa. Young musicians from both places explore a program of Yiddish, Ottoman, Greek and Middle Eastern music in a multicultural and diverse environment. The program focuses on finding the connections that already exist between musical traditions that are often seen as unrelated, as well as celebrating the varied musical and cultural backgrounds that participants themselves bring to the ensemble.
This year, Caravan Orchestra & Choir is once again led by Polina Shepherd alongside and excellent international team of Eftychia Mitritsa (vocals, Athens), Mehmet Ali Orman (Clarinet & Dance; Istanbul and Zoë Aqua (violin; USA).
Admission: €20.00 / €10.00
register >>>

Location: Wandelhalle, Wartburgallee 53, 99817 Eisenach
Contact: info@yiddishsummer.eu, +49(0)15776463340

Hear a wonderful shared repertoire – instrumental and vocal – East European Jewish and East Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music traditions. Performed by a youth orchestra formed only ten days before the concert, bringing young musicians from Israel and Germany. The repertoire is unique in every concert: a lot of it is improvised on the spot.

Related Images:

Caravan Orchestra and Choir in Weimar, Germany
2024-08-10 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | Herderplatz, Herderplatz 14, Weimar, 99423, Germany
PROJECT WEB SITE

The Unbroken Circle: Keeping music and friendship alive between Haifa & Weimar.Caravan Orchestra & Choir is in its seventh year of musical exchange between the diverse communities of Weimar and Haifa. Young musicians from both places explore a program of Yiddish, Ottoman, Greek and Middle Eastern music in a multicultural and diverse environment. The program focuses on finding the connections that already exist between musical traditions that are often seen as unrelated, as well as celebrating the varied musical and cultural backgrounds that participants themselves bring to the ensemble. This year, the Caravan Orchestra & Choir is once again led by Polina Shepherd alongside the international team of Eftychia Mitritsa, Mehmet Ali Orman and Zoë Aqua
Concerts

Saturday, August 3d, 2024 Germany, Essen, Alte Synagoge Essen, Edmund-Körner-Platz 1, 45127 Essen, time TBA
Thursday, August 8th, 2024 Germany, Leipzig, Marktplatz, Leipziger Markt Musik, 8 PM, free admission
Friday, August 9th, 2024 Germany, Eisenach, Wandelhalle, 8 PM, ticket link
Saturday, August 10th, 2024 Germany, Weimar, Herderplatz, 6:30 PM (with many other bands), ticket link
Sunday, August 11th, 2024 Germany, Erfurt, Western fassade of the „Alte Synagoge,“ 7 PM(with other bands) free admission

Read more here
Part of Yiddish Summer Weimar.

Related Images:

Caravan Orchestra and Choir in Erfurt, Germany.
2024-08-11 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | Alte Synagoge Erfurt, Waagegasse 8, Erfurt, 99084, Germany

Osnabrück, Germany. Solo concert.
2024-10-22 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Felix Nussbaum Haus, Museumsquartier Osnabrück, Lotter Strasse 2, 49078
Welcome to Yiddishland – travel with Polina Shepherd through a land full of beautiful ballads and powerful songs.
SEE EVENT MAIN PAGE
Solo concert at Felix Nussbaum Haus, Museumsquartier Osnabrück, Lotter Strasse 2, 49078 Osnabrück, Germany. 7pm.

Eintritt: AK 20,- / VVK 19,- / erm. 17,-€
VVK: concert2210@plukker.de und im
Museumsladen zu den Öffnungszeiten (nur Barkasse)
Mit ihrem atemberaubenden Gesang wird Sie Polina Shepherd entführen in ein Land voller wunderschönen Balladen und kraftvollen Liedern. Polina Shepherd singt und spielt originell und einfühlsam eigene Kompositionen, Arrangements und bekannte Melodien. Freuen Sie sich auf ihr einziges Solo-Konzert in Norddeutschland im Jahr 2024.
Polina Shepherd ist Komponistin, Performerin, Pädagogin und Kulturaktivistin. Sie stammt ursprünglich aus Sibirien und lebt jetzt in Brighton im Vereinigten Königreich. Ihr Gesang basiert auf traditionellen Formen, ist aber tief in der osteuropäischen jüdischen und russischen Folklore verwurzelt. Durch ihr Aufwachsen in Tatarstan kam sie auch der islamischen Ornamentik und Klangfarbe nahe, was in ihrem einzigartigen Gesangsstil zu hören ist.
In Kasan (Hauptstadt von Tatarstan, Zentralrussland) studierte sie an der staatlichen Akademie und schloss sich der ersten Klezmer-Band Russlands nach der Perestroika an, Simcha (1990-2000). Bald wurde sie zur wichtigsten jiddischen Chorleiterin der ehemaligen Sowjetunion, komponierte Originalmaterial für große Stimmgruppen und ging mit ihrem Quartett Ashkenazim (1991-2007) auf internationale Tournee.
Als Solokünstlerin präsentiert sie eine Vielzahl von Liedern, darunter ihr Soloalbum Three Centuries Ago, das zum Teil mit eigenen Gedichten versehen ist. Im Jahr 2023 trat Polina dem GRAMMY®-prämierten Barockorchester Apollo’s Fire (Cleveland, USA) als Gastsängerin bei der Exile & Resilience-Tournee durch die USA und Europa bei. Neben Dutzenden von Projekten arbeitete sie als Sängerin mit dem Remix-Künstler Max Pashm an Never Mind the Balkans, der rumänischen Roma-Brass-Band Fanfara und zuletzt an der Gecko Theatre-Produktion Kin (2022).

Related Images:

Ballads of Eastern Europe. Solo concert. Brighton.UK
2024-11-22 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | Brighton Unitarian Church
Singer, composer and klezmer musician Polina Shepherd (voice & piano) invites you on a musical journey with Yiddish and Russian songs from Eastern Europe. Hear a few ballads, grandfather’s tales, Art songs mixed with dreamy folklore and energetic melodies for the audience to join in.

Read more here.

Concert: 12.30-1.15pm – £5 suggested donation on the door – cash or card
Tea, coffee & biscuits available in the church hall from 12 noonon a pay-as-you-feel donation basisOur Friday lunchtime concerts are diverse – mostly classical but also contemporary, jazz and folk, with many showing off our beautiful Steinway piano.
The performers are a mixture of top local talent and touring musicians from across the globe. These affordable concerts are the perfect way to spend your Friday lunchtimes, enjoying a rich variety of music within the reverberant walls of our beautiful Grade II listed church, with your donations helping us to maintain our welcoming sacred space in the cultural heart of the city.
Enjoy a hot drink before the concert starts, browse our craft stall selling home-made gifts and cards to raise funds for the church, and get to know your fellow concert-goers.
Wheelchair accessible venue.
Everyone welcome.

Related Images:

Film, Q&A w/ director and singer P. Shepherd. Brighton.UK
2024-11-27 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | Duke of York’s at Komedia Picturehouse, 44_47 Gardner Street, Brighton & HOve, BN1 1UN, United Kingdom
British-Jewish Life on Film + Q&A with local Yiddish singer Polina Shepherd and director Benjamin Till
129 mins

BOOK HERE

An evening of poignant and entertaining short films exploring British-Jewish life. Includes Benjamin Till’s mesmerising and moving new musical film, Psalms, exploring what unites us in an increasingly divided world. Filmed in the UK’s most iconic and spiritual locations, including Glen Coe, Hadrian’s Wall, the Peak District, the Neolithic stones at Rollright, and performed in Hebrew, Yiddish, Welsh, Gaelic, Irish and English dialects, this stunning 35-minute, entirely a capella cinematic journey shows how ancient Jewish themes resonate with modern day life. Session also includes ‘My Neighbour’s Ass’ starring Maureen Lipman as the owner of a pet donkey who terrorises the residents of the cul-de-sac where it lives. Plus ‘Friday Night Flop’ where Tracy-Ann Oberman is a mother losing touch with her reclusive, gambler daughter.

Related Images:

Slavic Voices' Christmas Concert. Lewes, UK
2024-12-07 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Westgate Chapel, 92A High Street, Lewes, BN7 1XH, United Kingdom
Organised by Lewes Live Literature
SOLD OUT
PLEASE COME TO OUR NEXT NEAREST CONCERT: BRIGHTON, 15 MARCH.

Slavic Voices presents music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, beautiful classics by Tchaikovsky, Schnittke and others, refined XVIII-XIX-centuries Art songs and gritty folklore from the far corners of Siberia to the banks of the Black Sea. The repertoire is sung mainly in Russian but also in Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belorussian, adding a guest visit by a song in Yiddish or Georgian. It brings together over thirty singers of many backgrounds united by the love of music.

Slavic Voices choir was founded in Brighton and London in September 2023. In their first season they presented five concerts in London, Brighton and Steyning. This included joint concerts with a Macedonian Folk Duo Filip Arilon and Stojan Stojanov from Macedonia, Maspindzeli Georgian choir (London) and a collaboration with Buffo’s Wake – a Brighton Klezmer-punk Carnival Chaos band.Led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist.

Related Images:

Slavic Voices. Christmas in Chelsea. London.
2024-12-08 17:30 - 20:00 UTC | Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4SR, United Kingdom
8 December – Christmas in Chelsea. https://www.christmasinchelsea.co.uk/

Slavic Voices London and Brighton choir will perform three 20 minute sets as part of Christmas in Chelsea Festival.Times are 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

From the haunting beauty of orthodox chants to the raw energy of folklore, their performance promises to transport you on a magical journey from the far corners of Siberia to the banks of the Black Sea.
Catch this unforgettable performance on Sunday, 8th December, and let their captivating harmonies fill the Chelsea air with festive spirit.Christmas in Chelsea transforms the iconic Royal Hospital Chelsea into a dazzling winter wonderland from Wednesday 4th – Sunday 29th December 2024.Stroll through our beautiful light trail in the historic Ranelagh Gardens, explore our festive market, enjoy daily pop up choirs and join our seasonal workshops. From families to friends – it’s the perfect event for all this Christmas.Read more and book here: https://www.christmasinchelsea.co.uk/

Related Images:

Slavic Voices at Royal Pavilion Music Room. Concert in Brighton.UK
2024-12-15 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Brighton Royal Pavilion, Royal Pavilion & Garden, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1FN, United Kingdom
SLAVIC VOICES choir will entertain those present in the Royal Pavilion Music Room with an informal programme. It will include music of many styles from the Slavic world and sung in different languages: Croatian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Polish and others, led by their musical director Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd.
The famous Royal Pavilion in Brighton was the seaside pleasure palace of King George IV, who in 1815 commissioned John Nash to transform his previous modest villa into the magnificent oriental palace we see today. George was fascinated by the mythical orient and so chose Chinese objects and furniture and hand-painted Chinese wallpapers for the palace’s interior. Music and dancing were a key part of life at the Royal Pavilion and in the iconic Music Room Chinese-inspired decoration met acoustic perfection under a glorious domed ceiling.
You can be present when Slavic Voices sings simply by purchasing an entry ticket to the Royal Pavilion for that day. You’ll then be able not only to listen to the choir but also combine it with visiting the rest of the Royal Pavilion (either before the singing or afterwards). Don’t miss the Banqueting Room, the Great Kitchen, the Saloon and the Royal Bedrooms…

Entry to the Pavilion can be booked here.
Brighton & Hove resident (with proof of address such as a utility bill) – £14.50
Students at local universities or MET College (with proof of status) – £13.50
Non-resident of B&H – £19
Please note no formal seating in the Music Room.
Related Images:

Winter Warmer with Fran & Flora - Brighton, UK
2025-01-18 12:00 - 16:00 UTC | Jubilee Library, Jubilee Street, Brighton, BN1 1GE
Fran & Flora , Polina Shepherd and Anna Lowenstein as part of Best Foot Music’s Winter Warmer at Jubilee Library – an afternoon packed with music of music from around the world, via some of the UK’s finest musicians. Some great new acts plus some of everyone’s favourites…
See full details here

Music Programme 12.15 – 4.00

Klezmer Quartet

Kareem Samara

Trio Akima

Ilesh Patel and Jayesh Vaduhul

Mavka Singer

Related Images:

Double Klezmer Duo at The Folklore Rooms, Brighton, UK.
2025-01-18 19:30 - 23:00 UTC | The Folklore Rooms, 12 North Street, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, BN1 3GJ, United Kingdom
This event is now sold out
ANNOUNCEMENT!
Sadly, due to unforeseeable circumstances, Merlin Shepherd will be unable to join us for this performance. We will instead have the inimitable Anna Lowenstein joining us on violin. Please get in touch if you wish your ticket to be refunded.

Flora Curzon (violin/voice)
Francesca Ter-Berg (‘cello/voice)
Anna Lowenstein (violin) – NOTE the change from previously announced Merlin Shepherd (clarinets)
Polina Shepherd (voice, piano)

The Folklore Rooms
12 North St, Brighton BN1 3GJ

Come and hear the first time these four outstanding players come together as a quartet.They will blend east European instrumental and vocal traditions pushing boundaries and expectations. All whilst staying close to the roots. A tradition brought up to date.This will be an evening of spontaneity, flare and fun.Expect to be on the edge of your seat. Or better still, up and dancing.

Multi-award-nominated experimental/folk duo Fran & Flora captivate audiences with their reinventions of traditional Eastern European melodies and songs. Francesca Ter-Berg (cello/vox) and Flora Curzon (violin/vox) draw inspiration from archival recordings, recovered manuscripts and studying with traditional masters, infusing source material with drones, loops, free improvisation and electronics to create a “border-defying” aesthetic (Mojo).

Anna Lowenstein is one of the UK’s most sought-after musicians of the Klezmer fiddle tradition. Appearances have included live sessions on BBC Radio 3’s Music and an onstage role in the highly critically acclaimed production of Indecent alongside Musical Director and Clarinettist Merlin Shepherd. She has gigged, toured and taught across London and the UK, including Cecil Sharp House, Southbank Centre’s Friday Tonic series and The Jazz Cafe , Bridgewater Hall, Sage Gateshead, and multiple tours for the National Rural Touring Forum. She performs widely as part of Klezmer trio Loshn and has made up the faculty on both national and international workshops including Fiddlers On The Move – Belgium, Klezfest – London, KlezNorth – Derbyshire, Friling Festival – Austria. Her debut album, Through The Walls, is currently in production.
Despite the change, we are sure that the concert will be wonderful as we are making a double effort to make this spontaneous programme very exciting.
Polina Shepherd (voice, piano) grew up in a Russian Jewish home where songs were frequently sung at family celebrations. When living in Tatarstan and studying at the State Academy, she played Russia′s first klezmer band after Perestroika, and toured the world with her own quartet Ashkenazim. Now living in the UK, she leads choirs, collaborates with bands, orchestras, soloists, ensembles and performs internationally. Her compositions, including music for choirs, theatre, song settings for Yiddish poems are performed all over the world.
Expect an evening of improvisation, flare and fun. Those of you looking for heart-felt and passionate songs will be thrilled too. Performing both traditional and new compositions, they merge sounds of the Old World with sounds of the New.

Related Images:

The Stranniki in Philadelphia, USA
2025-01-26 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Sweeney’s Station Saloon, 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19116, United States
The Stranniki is a collaborative project of Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, two multilingual, cross-genre artists and authors, prominent in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades.
BOOK HERE
25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.
Soon after their initial mini-tour and presentation at the conference “Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age” at Dartmouth College (2016), the duo embarked on a cross-US tour, followed by more international concerts, including JetLAG Festival, featuring the program “Schlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl.”
Central to their repertoire is the concept of a “strannik” (wanderer; literally “wandering stranger,” “strange-nik”), roughly translatable into Yiddish as “navenadnik” (vagabond), and the associated archetype of “doroga” (Russian for road, path). The Stranniki draw upon, feature, and fuse elements of poetry and songs from Yiddish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically weaving in their own original material. Their first mutual album unveils a distinctive continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies, inspiring and informing in the peculiar 2020s as much as it ever has—if not more so.
the stranniki
Related Images:

The Straniki in New York, NY.
2025-01-28 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
THE STRANNIKI Polina Shepherd & Psoy Korolenko in concert. Elebash Recital Hall at the CUNY Graduate Center. Free and open to the public.
7pm – 9pm
Register here

25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.

The Stranniki is a collaborative project of Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, two multilingual, cross-genre artists and authors, prominent in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades. Soon after their initial mini-tour and presentation at the conference “Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age” at Dartmouth College (2016), the duo embarked on a cross-US tour, followed by more international concerts. Central to their repertoire is the concept of a wanderer, and the associated archetype of “road/path.” The Stranniki draw upon, feature, and fuse elements of poetry and songs from Yiddish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically weaving in their own original material. Their first mutual album unveils a distinctive continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies, inspiring and informing in the peculiar 2020s as much as it ever has – if not more so.
Polina Shepherd is a Siberian-born, UK-based composer, singer, choir leader and educator, specializing in Yiddish and Russian music. Her unique style blends East European Jewish, Slavic and Turkic influences. She has collaborated with her husband, klezmer clarinetist and band leader Merlin Shepherd, Lorin Sklamberg of The Klezmatics and Psoy Korolenko, among others. She has served as program director for many festivals, including the large pandemic-time online project Step Forverts, featuring over 50 artists from around the world. She also co-produced Undzer Yiddishkayt, a collection of new songs by Eurasian klezmer artists. Polina is the artistic director of the Caravan Orchestra, a German-Israeli/Palestinian youth collaboration. Her work spans choral direction, improvisation and theatre, advancing Jewish music worldwide.
Psoy Korolenko (Pavel Lion) is a multilingual singer-songwriter, translator, journalist and scholar, currently a Visiting Lecturer at Dartmouth College. He is a former scholar/artist-in-residence at Trinity College (Hartford, CT), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and Dickinson College. He has released numerous albums, both solo and in collaboration, as well as several books of essays, lyrics and translations. His style blends Soviet urban folk, guitar poetry, Yiddish theater songs, French chanson, Tropicalia and more. A Recording Academy voting member, Psoy co-organizes the international festival of music and arts JetLAG in NY state and co-created the Grammy-nominated Yiddish Glory, a project reviving lost WWII-era Yiddish songs from Ukraine in collaboration with the historian Anna Shternshis, Professor of Yiddish Studies at the University of Toronto.
Address & directions: CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk.

Related Images:

The Stranniki in San Diego, CA.
2025-01-30 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hillel of San Diego, 9009 La Jolla Scenic Dr. N, La Jolla, 92037, United States
THE STRANNIKI Polina Shepherd & Psoy Korolenko
Venue: University of San Diego.
Organised by Institute of Arts & Humanities

BOOK HERE

25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.

Related Images:

The Stranniki in Los Angeles (Encino), CA. House concert
2025-01-31 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
THE STRANNIKI Polina Shepherd & Psoy Korolenko
Venue: Casa Masha in Encino – private house, please get in touch for information or join Casa Masha group on Facebook
Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm.

25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.

The Stranniki is a collaborative project of Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, two multilingual, cross-genre artists and authors, prominent in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades.
Soon after their initial mini-tour and presentation at the conference “Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age” at Dartmouth College (2016), the duo embarked on a cross-US tour, followed by more international concerts, including JetLAG Festival, featuring the program “Schlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl.”
Central to their repertoire is the concept of a “strannik” (wanderer; literally “wandering stranger,” “strange-nik”), roughly translatable into Yiddish as “navenadnik” (vagabond), and the associated archetype of “doroga” (Russian for road, path). The Stranniki draw upon, feature, and fuse elements of poetry and songs from Yiddish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically weaving in their own original material. Their first mutual album unveils a distinctive continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies, inspiring and informing in the peculiar 2020s as much as it ever has—if not more so.
Related Images:

The Stranniki in San Diego, CA. House concert.
2025-02-01 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
THE STRANNIKI Polina Shepherd & Psoy Korolenko
Scroll down for ENGLISH

Venue: 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129
Doors – 7pm
Двери открыты с 19.00

25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.

The Stranniki — совместный проект Полины Шеперд (Великобритания) и Псоя Короленко (США), двух многоязычных и мультижанровых артистов, известных на сцене еврейской музыки уже более двух десятилетий. Центральными мотивами их совместной программы являются дорога и странник. The Stranniki обращаются к поэзии и песням из еврейской и русской литературы, фольклора и популярной культуры XIX и XX веков, органично вплетая в них собственный оригинальный материал.
Полина Шеперд – певица, композитор, преподаватель, руководитель хоров, организатор ряда фестивалей.
Псой Короленко – автор и исполнитель песен, преподаватель, один из организаторов фестиваля JetЛАГ.
Они уже выступали у нас совместно в 2016 году, теперь же представят свой первый совместный альбом, с существенно обновлённым репертуаром, в котором раскрывается уникальная преемственность текстов, мелодий, дорог и судеб, вдохновляющих и несущих смысл сегодня, возможно, даже больше чем когда-либо.
The Stranniki is a collaborative project of Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, two multilingual, cross-genre artists and authors, prominent in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades.
Soon after their initial mini-tour and presentation at the conference “Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age” at Dartmouth College (2016), the duo embarked on a cross-US tour, followed by more international concerts, including JetLAG Festival, featuring the program “Schlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl.”
Central to their repertoire is the concept of a “strannik” (wanderer; literally “wandering stranger,” “strange-nik”), roughly translatable into Yiddish as “navenadnik” (vagabond), and the associated archetype of “doroga” (Russian for road, path). The Stranniki draw upon, feature, and fuse elements of poetry and songs from Yiddish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically weaving in their own original material. Their first mutual album unveils a distinctive continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies, inspiring and informing in the peculiar 2020s as much as it ever has—if not more so.
Related Images:

The Stranniki in Mountain View, CA, USA
2025-02-02 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Samovar Hall, Palo Alto, United States
THE STRANNIKI Polina Shepherd & Psoy Korolenko
18:00 at Samovar Hall.
More info and BOOKING HERE

25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.

The Stranniki is a collaborative project of Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, two multilingual, cross-genre artists and authors, prominent in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades.
Soon after their initial mini-tour and presentation at the conference “Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age” at Dartmouth College (2016), the duo embarked on a cross-US tour, followed by more international concerts, including JetLAG Festival, featuring the program “Schlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl.”
Central to their repertoire is the concept of a “strannik” (wanderer; literally “wandering stranger,” “strange-nik”), roughly translatable into Yiddish as “navenadnik” (vagabond), and the associated archetype of “doroga” (Russian for road, path). The Stranniki draw upon, feature, and fuse elements of poetry and songs from Yiddish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically weaving in their own original material. Their first mutual album unveils a distinctive continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies, inspiring and informing in the peculiar 2020s as much as it ever has—if not more so.
Related Images:

The Stranniki in Berkeley, CA.
2025-02-04 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life.
6pm

Register here

25 January – 4 February 2025. The Stranniki USA tour dates
25 January – Washington DC. Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895. Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm. More here.
26 January – Philadelphia, PA.
Sweeney’s Station Saloon 13639 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19116. Concert – 6pm. Read more and book here. Please note venue change.
28 January – New York, NY. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Elebash Recitall Hall is located on the first floor of the CUNY Graduate Center, to the left past the security desk. 7-9pm. Register here.
30 January – San Diego, CA. Organised by the Institute of Arts & Humanities, University of San Diego. Venue – Hillel of San Diego in La Jolla. 4 p.m. More here. Book here.
31 January – Los Angeles, CA. House concert at Casa Masha in Encino, doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. Get in touch for details.
1 February – San Diego, CA. House concert at 8512 Donaker Street, San Diego, CA 92129. Doors – 7pm, concert – 8pm. See event page here and Facebook event (in Russian) here. Get in touch for details.
2 February – Mountain View, CA. Samovar Hall. 1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, Doors – 6pm. Read more and book here
4 February – Berkeley, CA. The Magnes Museum of Jewish Art and Life. Concert – 6pm. Register here.

The Stranniki is a collaborative project of Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, two multilingual, cross-genre artists and authors, prominent in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades. Soon after their initial mini-tour and presentation at the conference “Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age” at Dartmouth College (2016), the duo embarked on a cross-US tour, followed by more international concerts. Central to their repertoire is the concept of a wanderer, and the associated archetype of “road/path”. The Stranniki draw upon, feature, and fuse elements of poetry and songs from Yiddish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, organically weaving in their own original material. Their first mutual album unveils a distinctive continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies, inspiring and informing in the peculiar 2020s as much as it ever has—if not more so.

Sponsors:
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
Berkeley’s Center for Jewish Studies
Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Psoy Korolenko (Pavel Lion) is a multilingual singer-songwriter, translator, journalist and scholar, currently a Visiting Lecturer at Dartmouth College. He is a former scholar/artist-in-residence at Trinity College (Hartford, CT), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and Dickinson College. He has released numerous albums, both solo and in collaboration, as well as several books of essays, lyrics and translations. His style blends Soviet urban folk, guitar poetry, Yiddish theater songs, French chanson, Tropicalia and more. A Recording Academy voting member, Psoy co-organizes the international festival of music and arts JetLAG in NY state and co-created the Grammy-nominated Yiddish Glory, a project reviving lost WWII-era Yiddish songs from Ukraine in collaboration with the historian Anna Shternshis, Professor of Yiddish Studies at the University of Toronto.
Polina Shepherd is a Siberian-born, UK-based composer, singer, choir leader and educator, specializing in Yiddish and Russian music. Her unique style blends East European Jewish, Slavic and Turkic influences. She has collaborated with her husband, klezmer clarinetist and band leader Merlin Shepherd, Lorin Sklamberg of The Klezmatics and Psoy Korolenko, among others. She has served as program director for many festivals, including the large pandemic-time online project Step Forverts, featuring over 50 artists from around the world. She also co-produced Undzer Yiddishkayt, a collection of new songs by Eurasian klezmer artists. Polina is the artistic director of the Caravan Orchestra, a German-Israeli/Palestinian youth collaboration. Her work spans choral direction, improvisation and theatre, advancing Jewish music worldwide.

Related Images:

Welcome Spring with Vezanitsa and Slavic Voices in London
2025-02-15 14:30 - 16:30 UTC | St Mary’s Primrose Hill, Elsworthy Road, London, NW3 3DJ, United Kingdom
Bulgarian dance group Vezanitsa and Slavic Voices choir in a double bill concert
BOOK HERE

Venue: Church of St. Mary-the-Virgin, Primrose Hill, 2 Elsworthy Road, London NW3 3DJ. 2.30pm.
Songs and dances from thousands of miles away welcome you into Spring and are brought to your doorstep Slavic Voices choir and Bulgarian dance group Vezanitsa. Experience an amazing array of repertoire from cultures that meet at the Black Sea and spread like rays of the year’s first sunshine.
Bulgarian Dance Group Vezanitsa is a vibrant community uniting people from diverse backgrounds across Sussex. Traditional Bulgarian dance offers a rich repertoire, with each region of Bulgaria having its own style of dance, distinctive for their subtle rhythms and intricate footwork. Vezanitsa hosts weekly dance classes and performs at local events celebrating Bulgarian culture through festivals and social gatherings. Whether learning traditional steps or simply enjoying the joy of movement, Vezanitsa fosters connections and celebrates diversity, proving that dance is more than art — it’s a bridge to belonging. www.facebook.com/bgbrightondance.
Slavic Voices (London and Brighton & Hove) presents music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, classics by Tchaikovsky, Schnittke and others, refined XVIII-XIX-centuries Art songs and gritty folklore from the far corners of Siberia to the banks of the Black Sea. The choir’s repertoire is sung mainly in Russian but also in Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belorussian, and adding a guest visit by a song in Yiddish or Romanian. It is led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist.
Join us on the journey to explore and share this culturally unique and musically diverse repertoire with the wide world. www.polinashepherd.co.uk/choirs/slavic-voices/
Related Images:

Celebration of Yiddish Song, solo concert in Ilford, Essex. UK
2025-03-09 15:00 - 16:15 UTC | Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue, Oaks Lane, Newbury Park, Ilford, Essex, IG2 7PL, United Kingdom
More information here. Book here.
Join us for a breathtaking firework of songs to celebrate the joyous Purim. We are encouraged to be proud during Purim as we are reminded of the current struggles. The Purim story calls us to resist the forces that divide us, Purim gives us a beautiful sense of unity. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire.
The history of Yiddishkeit is also a story of salvation. Despite attempts to eradicate its existence during the Holocaust, Yiddish, the 1000-year-old language is flourishing. People young and old, Jewish and non-Jewish, explore its rich cultural heritage all over the globe.
Polina Shepherd is one of the leading forces of the so-called Yiddish Revival, a composer, performer and cultural activist. She performs for audiences of different backgrounds and promotes building bridges and unity through music. She invites you celebrate Purim in a weave of folk songs, drinking songs, ballads, grandparents’ tales mixed with a few songs for us all to participate in.
Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue
Oaks Lane, Newbury Park, Ilford, Essex IG2 7PL
Related Images:

Welcome Spring with Vezanitsa and Slavic Voices in Brighton
2025-03-15 14:30 - 16:30 UTC | BHASVIC, 205 Dyke Road, Hove, BN3 6EG, United Kingdom
Bulgarian dance group Vezanitsa and Slavic Voices choir in a double bill concert
BOOK HERE

Songs and dances from thousands of miles away welcome you into Spring and are brought to your doorstep by Slavic Voices choir and Bulgarian dance group Vezanitsa. Experience an amazing array of repertoire from cultures that meet at the Black Sea and spread like rays of the year’s first sunshine.
Bulgarian Dance Group Vezanitsa is a vibrant community uniting people from diverse backgrounds across Sussex. Traditional Bulgarian dance offers a rich repertoire, with each region of Bulgaria having its own style of dance, distinctive for their subtle rhythms and intricate footwork. Vezanitsa hosts weekly dance classes and performs at local events celebrating Bulgarian culture through festivals and social gatherings. Whether learning traditional steps or simply enjoying the joy of movement, Vezanitsa fosters connections and celebrates diversity, proving that dance is more than art — it’s a bridge to belonging. www.facebook.com/bgbrightondance.
Slavic Voices (London and Brighton & Hove) presents music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, classics by Tchaikovsky, Schnittke and others, refined XVIII-XIX-centuries Art songs and gritty folklore from the far corners of Siberia to the banks of the Black Sea. The choir’s repertoire is sung mainly in Russian but also in Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belorussian, and adding a guest visit by a song in Yiddish or Romanian. It is led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist.
Join us on the journey to explore and share this culturally unique and musically diverse repertoire with the wide world. www.polinashepherd.co.uk/choirs/slavic-voices/
Related Images:

WeltMusik Chorwoche. Residential workshop and concerts near Hamburg. Germany.
2025-03-17 - 2025-03-22 | Schullandheim Haus Lankau, Vossbergweg 38, Lankau, 22115, Germany
See main event web page in German
BOOK HERE

Experience a week of choral singing in Haus Lankau on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal finishing with concerts in Mustin and Hamburg. Enjoy songs from all over the world (including Georgia, USA, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe) and body-oriented voice training. Attend final concerts in Mustin and in Hamburg.
More information (in German) here: https://www.nathanieldamon.com/chor/Further information: nathanieldamon@gmail.com
Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist. She comes from Siberia and now lives in Brighton, UK. Nathaniel Damon comes from the USA, lives in Hamburg, where he founded the World Music Choir almost 20 years ago. He is a choir director, multi-instrumentalist, clown, improvisation and life artist. Together they will guide you through an evening choral week in the Schullandheim Haus Lankau on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal near Mölln.Accommodation: The Schullandheim Haus Lankau is wonderfully located in the most beautiful nature, on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal in between Mölln and Ratzeburg (approx. 60 minutes by car from Hamburg. There is full vegetarian/vegan catering. In the Schullandheim there are mainly 4-bed rooms with shower/bath. There is only a very limited double room for a surcharge (12 € per person/night)

Payment according to self-assessment: (Sliding Scale): each person pays within one if possible given framework of €1000 – €600. In order for the workshop to be financially viable, it is important that everyone pays the full contribution.Workshop starts on Monday 17 March, arrival at 11am – 12pm, the first meal is at 12:00, the first workshop starts at 13:00Workshop ends on Saturday around 8:30 p.m. after the final concert (concert starts at 7 p.m.)Workshop language: mainly English, with selective translation into German if needed.Vegetarian full board: first meal is on Monday at 12:00. Last meal: Breakfast on Saturday.Additional meals: The following meal must be self- financed: Saturday lunchDrive to Hamburg: The trips to Mustin on Friday evening and on Saturday in Hamburg are financed by the participants themselves (we organize carpooling with public transport and cars).Leaders’ biogs:

Nathaniel DamonNathaniel comes from the US state of Vermont, where he sang as a teenager with the World Music Ensemble Village Harmony. He studied singing at the HfMT in Hamburg and founded the World Music Choir Hamburg in 2005, which currently consists of 60 singers. He gives choir workshops on improvisation & World music, accompanies dance events as a multi-instrumentalist & singer and has been composing his own choral music since 2018. His choral work is characterized by his inner desire for Community and inclusivity. Since he started contact improvisation with his wife Angela-Mara in 2011, he has combined the insights and methods from these physical experiences with his choral work.
Polina Shepherd was raised in a Cossack / Jewish family in Tatarstan, Russia. Whilst studying in Kazan State Academy in the 1990s, she toured with Russia′s first klezmer band after Perestroika, Simcha. By her early 20s she was a Yiddish choir and klezmer band leader, composer, touring musician, educator and festival organiser. Moved to the UK in 2003. Her recent work includes touring with Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland (OH, USA) Grammy-winning baroque orchestra and ‘Folk-Cabaret’ The Stranniki with Psoy Korolenko (UK-USA). As a pianist, she plays live accompaniment to B&W silent films from the 1910-1930s in The Sound & Light Cinematic Duo. In cinema, she recorded for The Windermere Children and appears conducting and soloing in TV series The Crown. In theatre, most recently she’s been Music Adviser and recorded for National Theatre co-production of Kin by Amit Lahav; Music Adviser and arranger for a A Secret About Joy, by Sarah Brown in Sibiu, Romania. Polina’s choral work has been published internationally, most recently in Edition Peters Yiddish Choral Series. Music Director of Caravan Orchestra and Choir, an international project for young musicians with classical, jazz and Arab music backgrounds.Cancellation conditions:– general: processing fee of 50 €– from 4 weeks before the festival: 100 €– from 7 days before the festival: full amountImage / sound recordings: Sound recordings, photos, live filming of the concert will be made. By participating in the workshop, you agree that this material can be used e.g. for advertising of further events on the website of Nathaniel Damon and on social networks. Please speak to Nathaniel if this is a problem for you.Your data: for the purpose of arranging carpooling and to network socially/privately, I will share a list with the email addresses, telephone numbers and home addresses of all participants before the course begins. If you do not want to be included in this, please send me an extra email with a clear subject. Thank you!

Room layout / accommodation: There are mainly 4-bed rooms with shower/bath. There is only a very limited double room for a surcharge (12 € per person / night – to be paid in cash on site). If you absolutely need a double room or would like to share a room with certain other people, please let us know below.

Bed linen: Please take three-part bed linen with you.

Related Images:

Weltmusik Project Choir concert in Mustin, Germany
2025-03-21 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/Paris)
Maria-Magdalenen-Kirche
Dorfstraße 20, 23911
MUSTIN, Germany

FREE, donations on the door

Come and hear a lovely programme of songs from all over the world (including Georgia, USA, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe presented by a group of singers after a week of choral singing – WeltMusik Chorwoche – in Haus Lankau on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal. The choir will be sharing their repertoire learnt from two international choir leaders Nathaniel Damon and Polina Shepherd.
Read more (and join us!) about the WeltMusik Chorwoche here.

Nathaniel Damon comes from the USA, lives in Hamburg, where he founded the World Music Choir almost 20 years ago. He is a choir director, multi-instrumentalist, clown, improvisation and life artist.

Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist. She comes from Siberia and now lives in Brighton, UK.

Related Images:

Weltmusik Project Choir concert in Hamburg, Germany
2025-03-22 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/Paris)
St. Petri Kirche Altona
Schmarjestraße 28, 22767
Hamburg, Germany

FREE, donations on the door.

Come and hear a lovely programme of songs from all over the world (including Georgia, USA, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe presented by a group of singers after a week of choral singing – WeltMusik Chorwoche – in Haus Lankau on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal. The choir will be sharing their repertoire learnt from two international choir leaders Nathaniel Damon and Polina Shepherd.
Read more (and join us!) about the WeltMusik Chorwoche here.

Nathaniel Damon comes from the USA, lives in Hamburg, where he founded the World Music Choir almost 20 years ago. He is a choir director, multi-instrumentalist, clown, improvisation and life artist.

Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist. She comes from Siberia and now lives in Brighton, UK.

Related Images:

Surrey Voices Festival-Contest for young musicians. Guildford. Surrey, UK
2025-05-17 10:00 - 17:30 UTC | Rydes Hill Preparatory School, Aldershot Road, Guildford, GU2 8BP, United Kingdom
For the second time, a festival of Slavic music for children is being held in Guildford. Young (under 18) amateur vocalists, violinists, pianists, choirs and music theatre groups are invited to participate.
The Festival strives to share and popularise Slavic music to the wide UK audience primarily in Surrey. The First Festival took place in 2024 and was met with great enthusiasm in the area.
Winners of the Contest will get small cash prizes. Despite this being a Contest, the organisers believe that everyone should be celebrated and encouraged for their effort to prepare for the event, to become musicians in the long run – so there will be souvenir awards for everyone.

The judges (TBC)
Piano – Eralys Fernandez (UK) and Brigitte Subkov (UK) – pianoVocal soloists, ensembles and choirs – Polina Shepherd (UK)Violin – Elena Savchenko (Italy)

The contest starts for vocalists, pianists and violinists simultaneously in different venues of the school at 2pm (start time may change slightly due to the number of participants).
Music theatre groups and theatre plays are admitted directly to the final after selection by video recordings.
Final of all contestants and gala concert 4pm. Open to public.

Participation fee – £30 per performance item.Applications are accepted via e-mail: choir@rusch.com
Booking fee for the Gala concert for public: £5
Organised by the Russian School and Choir in Guildford.
Read full information here (in Russian, English will be added soon): https://www.ruscg.com/festivals

Related Images:

Slavic Voices - Polina Shepherd choral workshop. Bristol.
2025-06-14 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | St Mary Redcliffe, St Mary the Virgin Church Redcliffe, Bristol, BS1 6RT, United Kingdom
Join us for a workshop and concert in the stunning setting of St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol together with Heartwood Chorus. Organised by PitchBlend. There will be an open to public choral workshop before the concert and participants will be invited to join Slavic Voices in a few songs in the concert.
SEE EVENT ON St Mary Redcliffe website
BOOK HERE

Sat 14th Jun 12:00pm – 2:00pm

St Mary Redcliffe church undercroft, The Parish Office, 12 Colston Parade, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6RA, UK map

Slavic Voices workshop is open to all. Come and learn some songs from Slavic Voices’ repertoire, ranging from ancient Slavic pagan ritual songs to a Macedonian ballad and a classical Orthodox score. Teaching both by ear and with sheet music. Participants will have the option of joining Slavic Voices choir in concert.
Time: 12 to 2pm
Led by Slavic Voices choir director Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist. Originally from Siberia, Polina now lives in Brighton. She grew up singing at family gatherings where she accompanied her grandfather, a WWII veteran and her whole Cossack / Jewish family from the age of seven. Since moving to the UK in 2003 Polina has been performing, teaching, composing and touring with various projects internationally.
Download workshop sheet music here 14 June Bristol workshop materials, Workshop with Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd. Bristol. Lyrics only
“Polina is a brilliant and talented teacher and coach… We all learned and sang with new freedom; we were encouraged to create harmonies, and together made music that I suspect was only possible due to Polina.”
Carol D, residential workshop participant
“Most enthusiastic and inspiring. Also extremely knowledgeable – not only about music. A great introduction to Slavic culture…”
BW, workshop participant
”Polina’s an expert and experienced choir leader and her enthusiasm for choral singing is infectious.”
NK, workshop participant
“Wonderful music from some very unique genres, much of which has been new to me. Polina’s style of teaching and selection of music have provided an amazing opportunity to listen and learn from an incredibly talented musician.”
NT, online workshop participant

Related Images:
