The Stranniki concert in New York, NY, USA.
2026-04-04 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Davidzon Radio, 2508 Coney Island Avenue, FL 2 Brooklyn, New York, NY, 11223, United States
BOOK HERE

The Stranniki is a collaboration between Polina Shepherd and Psoy Korolenko, renowned multilingual artists in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades. Since 2016, the duo has toured the U.S. and internationally, performing programs like Schlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl. Their work centers on the concept of the wanderer, the nomad, and the folklore archetype of the road (path), blending Yiddish and Russian poetry, folklore, and music from the 19th and 20th centuries with their own compositions. Their first album connects themes of journeys, culture, and history, resonating today more than ever. Last year they completed a cross-America tour in various venues and universities.

Psoy Korolenko (Pavel Lion) is a multilingual singer-songwriter, translator, journalist, and scholar. Since 2023, he has been a Visiting Lecturer at Dartmouth College, hosted by the Jewish Studies Program, co-teaching the course “Jewish Folklore.” A former artist-in-residence at several U.S. universities, he has released numerous albums and books. His eclectic style combines Soviet urban folk, Yiddish theater songs, French chanson, and more. A Recording Academy voting member, he co-organizes the JetLAG festival in New York and co-created the Grammy-nominated Yiddish Glory, reviving WWII-era Yiddish songs from Ukraine in collaboration with historian Anna Shternshis.

Polina Shepherd, a Siberia-born, UK-based composer and singer, specializes in Yiddish and Russian music, blending East European Jewish, Slavic, and Turkic influences. She has collaborated with artists such as Merlin Shepherd, Lorin Sklamberg and Psoy Korolenko. During the pandemic, she launched Step Forverts and released Undzer Yiddishkayt, showcasing new songs by Eurasian klezmer artists. As artistic director of the Caravan Orchestra, a youth initiative fostering collaboration across cultures, her work spans choral direction, improvisation, and theatre, promoting Jewish music globally.

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Yiddish Song Workshop and Concert, Boston, USA + online
2026-04-05 15:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Boston Workers Circle, 6 Webster Street, Brookline, MA, 02446, United States
Workshop 3pm
Concert 4pm
Venue: Boston Workers Circle, 6 Webster Street, Brookline, MA, USA
BOOK HERE

Polina Shepherd is a world-class performer, composer, educator, and cultural activist originally from Siberia, now living in Brighton UK.
Her singing cuts a sound deeply rooted in east European Jewish and Russian folk. Growing up in Tatarstan also placed her close to Islamic ornamentation and timbre, which can be heard in her unique vocal style.

– …a stunning vocalist with a four octave range and no slouch on piano, either. – Forward

Cost: $20 or pay what you can. Please use the Pass-the-Hat donation form to pay for tickets, and choose Yiddish Committee/Events when prompted on the form.
This event is cosponsored by A Besere Velt and the Yiddish Committee.
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Polina Shepherd & Red Thread. Minneapolis, MN, USA
2026-04-08 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | MetroNOME Brewery, 385 Broadway St, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
BOOK HERE

Red Thread
“Ingrained with generational storytelling, Red Thread fuses the past into the present with gorgeous harmonies and folk sensibilities. Their music harkens to the importance of ancestry, culture, and traditions still present in our lives.” – Music in Minnesota.com

Red Thread is a woman-fronted ensemble playing folk music exploring and exploding Yiddish, Balkan, Irish, and Scandinavian vocal traditions. With the tight harmonies of a family band and lush, innovative instrumentation, the ensemble shares traditional and new music with warmth and humor. Frontwoman Sarah Larsson is known as a member of The Nightingale Trio and a co-founder of Klezmer on Ice; The Nightingale Trio performed on the Cedar stage and on “A Prairie Home Companion” and has been called “a revelation” by Minnesota Public Radio’s Steve Staruch. Ensemble members in winter 2026 include Twin Cities luminaries: Kat Parent, Rada Kolarova, Pat O’Keefe (clarinet), Jacqueline Ultan (cello), and Toby Ramaswamy (drums).

Red Thread’s teachers include Ethel Raim (NEA National Heritage Fellow 2018), Michael Alpert (NEA National Heritage Fellow 2015), and musicians working in the lineage of Flory Jagoda (NEA National Heritage Fellow 2002). Red Thread has performed with & opened for: The Klezmatics, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Maryna Krut, Humbird, Roe Family Singers, and Spencer LaJoye. Red Thread, with Sarah Larsson, was a Cedar Commissions artist in 2024. https://www.redthreadsings.com/

Polina Shepherd
Russian-born and UK-based Polina Shepherd is a central figure in global innovation of contemporary Yiddish music. Shepherd’s solo performances weave together 19th–20th century folklore with original compositions exploring themes of travel, identity, and cultural fusion, infused with humor, heart, and mesmerizing improvisation.
Born into a Russian Jewish family in Novosibirsk, Polina was then an active young Jewish leader in Tatarstan during the 1980s and 1990s, as Jews in the Soviet Union began to reconnect with their roots. At just 17, she joined Russia’s first professional klezmer band after Perestroika, Simcha, touring the former Soviet Union while studying her musical heritage. Since moving to the UK in 2003, Polina continues to lead choirs and collaborate with various bands, orchestras, and soloists, performing internationally.
“Shepherd’s performance, like all the best ones we’ve heard this week, was not about kitsch, sentimentality, or nostalgia. This wasn’t singing around the campfire. Delivering the prayer inimitably, with ornamentation reflecting her immersion in the chant of the muezzin as much as in the cantorial tradition, it was about transcendence via art. It was a cry from her own heart, an act of creation, and a transformation of time and space into.” – Forward

Date:April 8
Time:
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Cost:$30.00

Venue

MetroNOME Brewery

385 Broadway St
Saint Paul, MN United States

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City of Berkeley Holocaust Remembrance - ONLINE
2026-04-12 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Denver) | Online
Organised by City of Berkeley

Online event
The Urgency of Testimony in a World of Denial
REGISTER HERE

Experience the power of personal stories as a holocaust survivor shares her experiences at the City of Berkeley Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Experience the power of personal stories as a holocaust survivor shares her experiences at the 23rd Annual City of Berkeley Holocaust Remembrance Day program. This year’s 2026 program features Anna Rabkin, child survivor from Lviv, Poland. Anna’s inspirational story is an example of extraordinary strength, courage and resilience in the face of life-threatening circumstances.
A central element of the program includes music and candle lighting by survivors.
Featuring Yiddish songs performed by Polina Shepherd.
Register for this free online event and we’ll send you the youtube link to watch it when it premiere’s on Sunday April 12th at 11am.

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The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance. Berkeley, CA, USA
2026-04-12 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94702, United States
ADVANCE REGISTRATION HERE
MAIN EVENT PAGE HERE
Join the October-May monthly series celebrating The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance! Great for musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts to meet, learn, play, shmooze, or simply to take in the beauty of these rich traditions. Bring your instruments and dancing shoes.
For this session, music will be taught by Polina Shepherd. Read more about our instructors below.
Session format: During the first 2 hours, participants choose between instruction in vocal and instrumental music taught by Polina or dance taught by Bruce Bierman corresponding to the music. Then after a short snack break, musicians and dancers join to share what they’ve learned in a fun dance party setting.
Session format: During the first 2 hours, participants choose between instruction in vocal and instrumental music taught by Polina or dance taught by Bruce Bierman corresponding to the music. Then after a short snack break, musicians and dancers join to share what they’ve learned in a fun dance party setting.
Basic instrumental proficiency is recommended for musicians. All instruments, singers, and dancers are welcome.
Tickets are $25 – $54 sliding scale. Online ticket sales will end on Friday, April 10 at noon. If not sold out, tickets may be purchased at the door. Kids 18 and under can attend free. No one turned away for lack of funds. Arrange volunteer/trade or reduced-price entry in advance, or with the person at the door.
Additional donations are welcome to help sustain, grow, and cover the cost of this series.
The series is made possible by volunteer time and expertise of organisers Mike Perlmutter, Zina Pozen, and Bruce Bierman, as well as the financial support of Noah Youngs, Amos Lans, and other generous individuals, fiscal sponsorship and support by KlezCalifornia. We are grateful to our past host Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud and the JCC East Bay, and to our new hosts at Congregation Netivot Shalom.
Direct questions about the series to: JOY@KlezCalifornia.org
Bruce Bierman is a celebrated Jewish dance leader and maven known for his joyful, inclusive, and whimsical approach to teaching. With warmth, humor, and a deep love of tradition, Bruce gets everyone on the dance floor—circling, spiraling, and connecting through dances rooted in Yemenite, Mizrachi, Chasidic, Sephardic, Klezmer and classic Israeli traditions. His transformative dance workshops have brought communities together across the West Coast, inviting dancers of all backgrounds to rediscover the ecstasy and soul at the heart of Jewish culture. Where there is Bruce, there is truly a party—and an unforgettable experience of movement, music, and connection.
Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist originally from Siberia, now living in Brighton, United Kingdom. Polina is a powerhouse pianist vocalist with a deep repertoire and a four-octave singing range. 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…
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Interwoven: Phoebe Vlassis, Polina Shepherd & Members of Kitka. Oakland, CA, USA
2026-04-12 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | St Paul Lutheran Church, 1658 Excelsior Avenue, Oakland, CA, CA 94602, United States
An evening of songs inspired by textile arts.

The Kitka Institute and Glenview Classical Series present
INTERWOVEN
An evening of songs inspired by textile arts.
BOOK HERE
Artwork: Hung Liu, Woman Working: Loom (1999) National Museum of Women in the Arts

INTERWOVEN brings together three visionary forces in an evening of music inspired by the artistry of textile traditions. Greek weaver-musician Phoebe Vlassis transforms her loom into a percussive instrument, spinning rhythm and song into a living tapestry of sound. Siberian-born composer and vocalist Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd reimagines East European Jewish, Slavic, and Tatar folk heritage through original compositions and daring, spinning improvisations. Joining them are members of Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, Oakland’s renowned women’s vocal ensemble celebrated for forty-five seasons of fearless exploration of Balkan, Baltic, Caucasian, Mediterranean, and Slavic vocal traditions. Together, these artists weave voice, rhythm, memory, and innovation into a radiant sonic fabric—where ancient threads are interlaced with bold contemporary expression.
Audience members will be invited to raise their voices and become a part of the sonic tapestry.
$30 per person suggested donation. Please consider a more generous pay-it-forward contribution if you are able, otherwise, pay what you can. NOTAFLOF, but a donation is required to reserve a seat.

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KlezNorth. Youlgrave, Derbyshire, UK
2026-04-17 - 2026-04-19 | Youlgrave Village Hall, Holywell Lane, Youlgrave, DE45 1UT, United Kingdom
KlezNorth is an annual festival of Klezmer music, dance and song welcoming both Jewish and non-Jewish people to the wonderful world of Klezmer. KlezNorth is based in Derbyshire, but in this context, “North” regularly includes the Midlands, the Southwest, Wales and Scotland, the North East, East Anglia, and, dare we say, London and the South East. We have a few overseas participants as well.
Read more and book here.
Led by brass player Frank London, all the way from the USA, and singer Polina Shepherd we have Gica Loening on fiddle, Avia Moore teaching dance, Szilvia Csaranko on accordion and the always amazing Michael Alpert.
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KlezNorth AllStar Concert. Youlgrave, UK.
2026-04-19 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | Youlgrave Village Hall, Holywell Lane, Youlgrave, DE45 1UT, United Kingdom
KlezNorth 2026 will be held in the beautiful Peak District village of Youlgrave. Musical Directors are Frank London and Polina Shepherd supported by Micheal Alpert, Avia Moore, Szlivia Csaranko and Gica Loening.
The weekend ends with a public concert – tickets available from our online box office.

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Songs of the Spring Meadow with Slavic Voices. St Leonards-on-Sea, UK
2026-04-26 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | kino-teatr, 43-49 Norman Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN38 0EG, United Kingdom
Kino-Teatr, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0EQ

Sunday 26th April 2026 3:00PM
BOOK HERE

Slavic Voices Brighton choir presents music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, beautiful classics by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, 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, Czech, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belorussian, sometimes even Yiddish or Romanian. Slavic Voices perform in a way that is rarely encountered in the choral world. There is freedom and spontaneity in their approach to folklore as well as precision and deep focus in their classical repertoire, presented with great attention to cultural context, history and style. Led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist.
by @ManjaWilliams

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Midsummer Sounds. Slavic Voices and Paprika Balkan band. London.
2026-07-04 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | James Allen’s Girls’ School (JAGS), 144 East Dulwich Grove, London, Greater London, SE22 8TE, United Kingdom
BOOK HERE

Join us for a fiery celebration of culture and diversity, featuring the performances of SLAVIC VOICES LONDON & BRIGHTON CHOIR and the Balkan band PAPRIKA. This concert invites you to immerse yourself in a tapestry of sounds, featuring the mesmerising Slavic Voices and the dynamic Paprika. From the rich harmonies of Eastern European choral traditions to the exuberant beats of Balkan rhythms, prepare for a night that promises to uplift your spirit and ignite your passion for music.
SLAVIC VOICES LONDON & BRIGHTON CHOIR present music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, beautiful classics by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, 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 in Russian, Polish, Slovak, Serbian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Czech, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belorussian, Bosnian, sometimes even Yiddish or Romanian. Slavic Voices perform in a way that is rarely encountered in the choral world. There is freedom and spontaneity in their approach to folklore as well as precision and deep focus in their classical repertoire, presented with great attention to cultural context, history and style.
PAPRIKA is one of the UK’s leading Balkan bands whose line-up consists of two accordions, violin, guitar, bass guitar, and percussion. This electrifying group fuses together Eastern European, Balkan, Gypsy and classical music in a whirlwind performance of frenzied virtuosity. Fiery melodies and foot-tapping rhythms are interspersed with lilting laments in high-energy sets from this exciting group. Specialising in bringing rare or lost traditional Balkan music back to life, both the curious listener and the well-versed aficionado are sure to enjoy a host of surprises and fast-paced entertainment.

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Caravan Orchestra & Choir. Germany.
2026-07-25 - 2026-08-16 | East Sussex
Caravan Orchestra and Choir is an international young musicians exchange project between Yiddish Summer Weimar, the Department of Music of the University of Haifa and F. Liszt University of Music, Weimar, exploring East European Jewish, East Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music.
APPLICATIONS FOR 2026 ARE NOW OPEN HERE.
Performance schedule will be published in late spring.
Every year, the Orchestra invites around 40 young musicians from Israel / Palestine and Germany to for an intensive rehearsal period and concerts – originally in both countries, as well as fun social activities, workshops and excursions. Together with the artistic directors, participants explore both East European Jewish (Yiddish), East Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music traditions. It is the synthesis of those cultures that makes the sound of the Caravan Orchestra unique. While having clear differences in the repertoire and style, these traditions share some forms, tonal material and, most importantly, a performance philosophy with similar approach to improvisation, ornamentation, modality and many other concepts that we discover again each time.
Polina Shepherd is the Artistic Director of the project.
In 2026, she will be joined by these colleagues:
Veronika Varga is a Budapest-based Hungarian folk singer and double bass player, primarily representing both traditional and urban music from the Balkans and the Greek Mediterranean, in Hungary and abroad, as a member of various bands and as a soloist, over the past decade.
Josh “Socalled” Dolgin is a pianist, accordionist, journalist, photographer, puppet maker, rapper, composer, magician, teacher and producer based in Montreal, Quebec. He has lectured and led master classes in music festivals around the world, from Moscow to Paris, from London to LA, and from Krakow to San Francisco, and has performed on every continent. With 8-ish solo albums (and one with Vulfpeck’s Jack Stratton and Michael Winograd as Yiddishe Pirat) and 6 produced musical comedies to his name, he has performed solo or with his band all over the world for more than 25 years.
We are currently talking to one more specialist for Turkish music who will join the team soon.

Caravan Orchestra and Choir 2025 by Shendl Copitman
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Her:Kol – Yiddish Women’s Song Cultures. Weimar. Germany
2026-08-01 - 2026-08-08 | East Sussex
Her:Kol – Yiddish Women’s Song Cultures. New musical settings of Yiddish women’s poetry by contemporary women composer / performers of Yiddish music. This will be part of Yiddish Summer Weimar Festival week. Polina Shepherd will be one of the featured artists. Watch this space for more.
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Dresden klemer event. Germany. TBA
2026-09-05 - 2026-09-06 | East Sussex
This event is now in the planning. Please come back later for more information.
Saturday 5 September
10:00 – 13:00
Ilya Shneyveys +Tayfun Guttshtadt with instrumentalists
Polina Shepherd’s vocal class:
Between Steppe and Shtetl – the Yiddish-Slavic Connection
Come and experience this international Yiddish/Eastern European choir as an instrument of beauty and power. Learn new repertoires and styles. Open your heart and energise your mind.
Rooted in folklore, spiritual traditions, theatre and Art music, these songs describe people’s stories, struggles and resistance, hopes and celebrations. Songs that also echo the themes and melodies of their geographic hosts and neighbouring cultures: Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and many more. We will be singing in Yiddish and some of the other East European languages, exploring the “macaronic” tradition of interweaving tunes, themes and languages.
This workshop will introduce some specific musical elements of these styles – ornamentation, phrasing, modes, timbres etc.
With this multilingual and cross-cultural approach, we will explore the enduring power of Eastern European song and celebrate the connectedness of cultures and communities.
14:30 – 16:00 Together or separate Ilya + Tayfun / Polina with singers
16:30 – 18:00 – Polina with all students – big orchestra and choir
20:30 Karayam dance concert
Sunday 6 September
10:00 – 14:00 Ilya Shneyveys +Tayfun Guttshtadt with instrumentalists. Polina Shepherd with vocalists.
15:00 – 16:30 rehearsal with Polina and soundcheck
17:00 – 18:00 Student Concert
19:00 Lucidarium concert
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Festival of Song concert in Lewes, UK. TBA
2026-10-31 21:00 - 23:00 UTC | East Sussex
Merlin and Polina Shepherd Duo concert for Festival of Song
Late night series
More information is coming soon
Klezmer music and more.
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