Polina Shepherd

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.

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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 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:

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:

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:

Yiddish Song Workshop for all. Brighton, UK
2025-02-16 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | One Church, Florence Rd, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6DL, United Kingdom
Yiddish Song Workshop for all

Learn and continue the rich Yiddish culture and tradition. Find its relevance to today.
No knowledge of Yiddish or singing experience required.
Free, no registration required. Donations will be collected on the day for an independent project in Gaza building tent schools for children.
3-5pm. One Church. Florence Rd, BN1 6DL, Brighton.

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:

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.

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From the Steppes to the Shtetl: A Vocal Workshop in Berkeley, CA.
2025-02-03 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Grace Lutheran Church, 15 Santa Fe Avenue, El Cerrito, CA, 94530, United States
Broaden your singing horizons, and strengthen your voice by exploring Yiddish and Slavic folk song traditions .
BOOK HERE
Dive into an explosive mixture of songs from the Steppes and the Shtetl. And extra flavor with spices from a Tatar Bazaar, and wash them down with an Odessa fisherman’s tune: Yiddish folklore and popular songs, the powerful and the profound wordless songs – nigunim, traditional Slavic songs and Art songs in harmonies. Tune up your whole body and mind with your voice in full. Develop new ways for your voice to flow – free, inspiring, exciting. This workshop will also include a meditative sound bath, some fun folk rituals and simple circle dances. We will look into connecting with other cultures through singing, learn new repertoire and style and enjoy the depth and beauty of singing together. Open to all!
Polina’s teaching utilises a rich combination of her two blood cultures learnred at the source. She uses vocal experimentation with particular attention to the personal and emotional aspects of our musical creativity. Each group is different, so the songs we learn, the pace and the energy of the week will be very fluid and dependant on who we have. The workshop is very interactive and flexible. We can go into history and culture of the music and we can work with voices and bodies, the songs can be short and easy to learn or complex and challenging. Usually, there is a bit of everything!
Anyone can join and there will be benefits for professional singers, experienced choristers as well as for those who consider themselves home singers or have never sung in their lives. Willingness to explore is, however, essential.
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. She 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.
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 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 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.
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 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 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 Stranniki in Washington DC. SOLD OUT
2025-01-25 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Private club BardElEuro, 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, DC, MD20895, United States
Read in Russian below – SOLD OUT
Private club BardElEuro
Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895Doors – 6.45pm, concert starts – 7.15pm.TICKETS – $45.

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.

PSOY KOROLENKO (US) POLINA SHEPHERD (UK) The Stranniki is a collaborative project by Polina Shepherd (UK) and Psoy Korolenko (US), two multilingual, multi-genre artists who have been prominent on the Jewish music scene for over two decades. Central to their joint program are the themes of the road and the wanderer. The Stranniki draw on poetry and songs from Jewish and Russian literature, folklore, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, seamlessly weaving in their own original material. Polina Shepherd is a singer, composer, educator, choir leader, and organizer of several festivals. Psoy Korolenko is a songwriter, performer, teacher, and one of the organizers of the JetLAG festival. Having already performed together in 2016, they now present their first joint album with a significantly updated repertoire, revealing a unique continuity of texts, melodies, paths, and destinies—resonating meaningfully today, perhaps even more than ever before.

Please register by emailing bardachokdc@gmail.com.
To buy a ticket in advance, please transfer $45 via Zelle/paypal to t_larionova@hotmail.com.

ПСОЙ КОРОЛЕНКО (US) ПОЛИНА ШЕПЕРД (UK) The Stranniki — совместный проект Полины Шеперд (UK) и Псоя Короленко (US), 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.
https://www.polinashepherd.co.uk/projects/the-wanderers/rus/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94wFJDTZEjAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRkxQMlIAYs&t=5shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlBuNsd-xR4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYi1jN2eaBk

Private club BardElEuro – 4005 Lawrence ave, Kensington, MD20895Начало в 7:15pm; Двери открываются в 6:45 PM.Обратите внимание – TICKETS – $45.

Вино и чай в перерыве и после концерта. Как обычно potluck -так что захватите с собой то что вы любите кушать и пить. Если вы планируете взять с собой маленького ребенка, подумайте будет ли ему интересен концерт. У нас нет возможности занять детей отдельно от концерта.
Пожалуйста напишите нам если вы планируете прийти по емейлу bardachokdc@gmail.com.Заранее можно купить билет прислав деньги на Zelle/paypal на t_larionova@hotmail.com.
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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:

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

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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:

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' 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:

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:

Yiddish Song Songs that Tell Stories online-5.
2024-11-27 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Online
Songs that Tell Stories – Five 1,5 hour sessions online on 30 October, 6,13, 20, 27 November
from $77
Online Yiddish Song Course for the Workers Circle

Come to learn and share Yiddish songs that tell stories: ballads, personal narratives, Chassidic fables, folk tales converted into songs. Participants are invited to bring their own songs and share their memoirs, as well as learn material offered by the teacher. All singers are welcome, although you will need to be able to follow written music and/or be open to learning by ear.
BOOK HERE

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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:

Yiddish Song Songs that Tell Stories online-4.
2024-11-20 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Online
Songs that Tell Stories – Five 1,5 hour sessions online on 30 October, 6,13, 20, 27 November
from $77
BOOK HERE
Online Yiddish Song Course for the Workers Circle

Come to learn and share Yiddish songs that tell stories: ballads, personal narratives, Chassidic fables, folk tales converted into songs. Participants are invited to bring their own songs and share their memoirs, as well as learn material offered by the teacher. All singers are welcome, although you will need to be able to follow written music and/or be open to learning by ear.

Related Images:

Yiddish Songs that Tell Stories. Open Workshop. London, UK.
2024-11-17 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | The Electric Elephant Café, 07410 551 549, London, Walworth, SE17 3, United Kingdom
BOOK HERE
Stories that unfold in a song – ballads, love stories, Chasidic fables, folk tales… What do they tell us and what can we learn from them? Whilst singing these songs we can touch a medieval witch’s hand or feel the excitement of a young boy at a revolutionary barricade in 1917. We can talk to the stars with an old mystic and with all that experience, look into the future.
All welcome, knowledge of Yiddish is not necessary, just bring an open mind and heart.
Yiddish is a 1000-year-old language of the Jews of Eastern Europe. Yiddish folk songs are deeply rooted in spiritual traditions, also they have been influenced by many other East European cultures. They speak about people’s everyday life and express every colour of human emotion.
Led by Polina Shepherd, one of Europe’s leading musicians in this field, this workshop is open to all.
Come and have lunch at the cafe beforehand, it’s great food and coffee!
Start time: 3pm. The workshop will be about 1 hour 45 minutes.
DOWNLOAD THE SONG FILE FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE: Yiddish songs that Tell Stories workshop in London 17 November 2024 with Polina Shepherd
Art by Mikhail Achkinazi
Related Images:

Yiddish Song Songs that Tell Stories online-3.
2024-11-13 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Online
Songs that Tell Stories – Five 1,5 hour sessions online on 30 October, 6,13, 20, 27 November

Online Yiddish Song Course for the Workers Circle

BOOK HERE
Come to learn and share Yiddish songs that tell stories: ballads, personal narratives, Chassidic fables, folk tales converted into songs. Participants are invited to bring their own songs and share their memoirs, as well as learn material offered by the teacher. All singers are welcome, although you will need to be able to follow written music and/or be open to learning by ear.
Related Images:

Yiddish Song Songs that Tell Stories online-2
2024-11-06 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Online
Songs that Tell Stories – Five 1,5 hour sessions online on 30 October, 6,13, 20, 27 November
from $77
Online Yiddish Song Course for the Workers Circle
BOOK HERE

Come to learn and share Yiddish songs that tell stories: ballads, personal narratives, Chassidic fables, folk tales converted into songs. Participants are invited to bring their own songs and share their memoirs, as well as learn material offered by the teacher. All singers are welcome, although you will need to be able to follow written music and/or be open to learning by ear.
Related Images:

Yiddish Song Songs that Tell Stories online-1
2024-10-30 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Online

Hommage an Patrick Modiano. Osnabruck. Germany
2024-10-23 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Literaturbüro Westniedersachsen, Am Ledenhof 3-5, Osnabrück, 49074, Germany
READ IN ENGLISH BELOW

Place de l’ Etoile” und andere Texte mit Ronald Funke (Lesung) und Polina Shepherd (Gesang)

Lortzinghaus, An der Katharinenkirche 3
Mittwoch, 23.10.2024 / 19.00–21.00 Uhr

Patrick Modiano widmet sich in seinen Romanen vor allem seinen jüdischen Wurzeln. Entsprechend erhielt er 2014 den Nobelpreis auch „für die Kunst des Erinnerns, mit der er die unbegreiflichsten menschlichen Schicksale wachgerufen und die Lebenswelt während der (deutschen) Besetzung sichtbar gemacht hat.“ Der Roman „Place de l’Etoile” machte Patrick Modiano über Nacht berühmt: So offensiv wurde noch nie mit jüdischen und antijüdischen Klischees gespielt. Der Held Raphaël Schlemilovitch führt viele schillernde Leben, als Kollaborationsjude«, als Geliebter von Eva Braun, als jüdischer Mädchenhändler. Er kommt mehrfach zu Tode und reist durch Zeiten und Länder. Bis er schließlich auf der Couch von Dr. Freud im Wien der sechziger Jahre erwacht. Ein so unterhaltsamer wie provokanter Parforceritt – und ein literarischer Befreiungsschlag von antisemitischen Zuschreibungen. Aber auch in anderen Romanen wie „Die Gasse der dunklen Läden“, „Eine Jugend“ oder „Im Café der verlorenen Jugend“ beleuchtet Modiano poetisch feinfühlig die vielen Facetten der Erinnerung.
Die Texte werden gelesen von Ronald Funke, dem Osnabrücker Publikum bestens bekannt als festes Ensemblemitglied des Theaters Osnabrück. Musikalisch begleitet und gerahmt wird der Abend von der in Sibirien geborenen britischen Sängerin mit jüdischen Wurzeln Polina Shepherd, die in Rezensionen als „beindruckende Vokalistin mit einer vier Oktaven umfassenden Stimme“ (Forward) charakterisiert wird. 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.
Veranstalter: Deutsch-Französische Gesellschaft, die Freimaurerloge „Zum Goldenen Rade“ und das Literaturbüro Westniedersachsen

Anmeldung: über das Literaturbüro Westniedersachsen Am Ledenhof 3-5, Tel. 0541/202-7908 oder per email at LitOs-info@osnabrueck.de

ENGLISH:
The Deutsch Französische Gesellschaft Osnabrück e.V., the Freemason lodge “Zum Goldenen Rade” and the Literaturbüro Westniedersachsen invite you on Wednesday, 23. October, at 7 p.m. to a reading from texts by the French Nobel Prize winner Patrick Modiano in the Lortzinghaus, An der Katharinenkirche 3.
Patrick Modiano devotes himself in his novels above all to his Jewish roots. Accordingly, he also received the Nobel Prize in 2014 “for the art of remembering, with which he awakened the most incomprehensible human destinies and made the world of life visible during the (German) occupation.” The novel “Place de l’Etoile” made Patrick Modiano famous overnight: never before has Jewish and anti-Jewish clichés been played so offensively. The hero Raphaël Schlemilovitch leads many dazzling lives, as a collaborative Jew, as a lover of Eva Braun, as a Jewish girl dealer. He dies several times and travels through times and countries. Until he finally wakes up on the couch of Dr. Freud in Vienna in the sixties. A parforce ride as entertaining as it is provocative – and a literary liberating blow from anti-Semitic attributions. But also in other novels such as “Die Alless der dunklen Läden”, “Eine Jugend” or “Im Café der verlorenen Jugend” Modiano poetically illuminates the many facets of memory.
The lyrics are read by Ronald Funke, best known to the Osnabrück audience as a permanent ensemble member of the Theater Osnabrück. The evening is musically accompanied and framed by the Siberian-born British singer Polina Shepherd with Jewish roots, who is characterized in reviews as an “impressive vocalist with a four octave-ending voice” (Forward). Their singing is based on traditional forms, but is deeply rooted in Eastern European Jewish and Russian folklore. By growing up in Tatarstan, she also came close to Islamic ornament and timbre, which can be heard in her unique singing style.
The entrance fee is 10 euros. Reservations are possible via the Literaturbüro (Am Ledenhof 3-5, Tel. 0541 202-7908 or by mail at LitOs-info@osnabrueck.de)
Press contact: Dr. Jens Peters, Head of the Literature Office West Lower Saxony, 0152/53232276, peters.je@osnabrueck.de
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