Polina Shepherd

Shaydveg -Crossroads concert, Weimar, Germany
2019-08-02 20:00 - 22:00 UTC
August 2 Fri 8 p.m. @mon ami
Shaydveg (Crossroads) Weimar
Crossing the frontier into Yiddish modernism then and now
Other Music Academy, Ernst-Kohl-Straße 23, 99423 Weimar, Germany
An evening of new songs composed and performed by three of today’s most important Yiddish songwriters – Daniel Kahn, Polina Shepherd and Efim Chorny – based on gems of Yiddish poetry from the period between WWI and WWII.
With Suzanna Ghergus, Aleksei Rozov, Jake Shulman-Ment, Merlin Shepherd and others.
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Pleytem tsuzamen (Refugees Together) - Weimar, Germany
2019-07-31 20:30 - 22:00 UTC
A new Joshua Waletzky Song Cycle. Concert.
A new, full-length song cycle by NYC composer and filmmaker Joshua Waletzky, using traditional Yiddish genres—anthem, ballad, lullaby, love song, drinking song and nign—with new music and texts that explore the dangerous, challenging era in world history in which we are now living in.
Sung by Sveta Kundish, Dan Kahn, Polina Shepherd, Efim Chorny, Sasha Lurje and Waletzky himself, with instrumental accompaniment by Merlin Shepherd, Beth Silver, Jake Shulman-Ment, Deborah Strauss, Ilya Shneyveys and others. More info here.
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Yiddish Summer Weimar concerts
2019-07-29 - 2019-08-03
Polina will be taking part in Yiddish Summer Weimar Festival Week as a performer and composer presenting her specially commissioned by YSW compositions for Yiddish poems from 1920-1930.
In 2019 we recognize the 100th anniversary of the beginnings of the Weimar Republic. To celebrate the almost unimaginable outpouring of creative energy throughout Europe in that era, our special topic next year will be “The Weimar Republic of Yiddishland” – an encounter between the Weimar Republic and the politically virtual but culturally very real Republic of Yiddishland.
Thanks to a generous grant from the German Federal Cultural Foundation, we will draw on this extraordinarily creative phase in Yiddish cultural history to create an impressive array of brand-new projects with a superb roster of international artists.
31 July – Weimar, Germany
Pleytim tsuzamen (Refugees Together) – A new Joshua Waletzky Song Cycle. Concert. Sveta Kundish, Dan Kahn, Polina Shepherd, Efim Chorny, Sasha Lurje, and Waletzky himself, with instrumental accompaniment by Jake Shulman-Ment, Deborah Strauss, Ilya Shneyveys, Aleksey Rozov and others. More info here.
AUGUST
2 August – Weimar, Germany
Shaydveg (Crossroads). Crossing the frontier into Yiddish modernism then and now Crossing the frontier into Yiddish modernism then and now. An evening of new songs composed and performed by three of today’s most important Yiddish songwriters – Daniel Kahn, Polina Shepherd and Efim Chorny. Other Music Academy, Ernst-Kohl-Straße 23. More info
3 August – Erfurt, Germany
Shaydveg (Crossroads) performance in Erfurt. Naye Lider – An Evening of New Yiddish Song.8 p.m. @Rathausfestsaal. More information here.
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Songs for the Soul in Spain
2019-07-20 - 2019-07-27
Songs for the soul. A singing week in a holiday center in the Andalusian mountains. More info TBA soon here.
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Four choirs concert in Brighton
2019-07-05 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | St. Luke’s Church, Queens Park Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 9ZB, United Kingdom
Four choirs present Songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl, concert at St. Luke’s Church, Queen’s Park, Brighton BN2 9ZB. 7.30pm.
Part of St. Luke’s Music & Wine Concert Series. More info coming soon. The Brighton & Hove Russian and Yiddish choirs joined by the London Yiddish and Russian choirs perform together.
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Russian Harmonies workshop, SOAS London
2019-06-29 11:00 - 17:00 UTC
Songs of the Steppes and the Cities:
Course Fee: £45 (Concessions £35) (course will run with a minimum of 15 participants)

Russian songs embrace the whole of the landscape and all of Mother Earth. Lyrical songs call to mind the vastness of Russian topography stretching toward a boundless horizon. Every snowflake and every blade of grass embodies the spirits of nature – and this connection is felt within each song for rituals, holidays, circle dances, laments, weddings, the Russian Art song (The Romance) and lyrical songs… Come and experience Russian harmonies through song. Music lovers of all backgrounds and singing levels are invited, no experience necessary. Learning by ear. With Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd

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Merlin and Polina Shepherd in Stockholm
2019-06-28 17:00 - 18:00 UTC
Merlin and Polina Shepherd Duo in concert, Stockholm Folk Festival. 5pm. More info coming soon.

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JetЛАГ Festival, Downsville, NY, USA
2019-06-22 - 2019-06-23
The Stranniki at JetLag Festival , Downsville, NY, USA
JETLAG IS THE LARGEST FESTIVAL OF RUSSIAN, SLAVIC, BALKAN, AND OTHER EAST EUROPEAN MUSICS IN THE USA.

Psoy Korolenko & Polina Shepherd with The Stranniki, Yiddish-Russian folk-cabaret and MANY other fantastic performers in June.
The Russian Allen Ginsberg and the Jewish Robert Plant united in a folk-cabaret The Stranniki (The Wanderers), fusing folklore and chamber song, Yiddish and Russian, classic and avant-garde, academia and circus. POLINA SHEPHERD (UK, formerly Kazan, Russia), singer, composer, choir leader and pianist, Notably, she is a descendant of a legendary wandering philosopher Grigory Skovoroda, whose wisdom spiritually “rhymes” a lot with Polina’s creative experience. She is first time at JetLAG, joining PSOY KOROLENKO), whose custom has always been to bring only something fresh and exclusive to JetLAG stage. “Welcome the ‘wAnderful” duo at Saturday night concert at SPELL-ART stage!
From the big names to new discoveries, at JetLAG you’ll hear everything from avant garde rock to Balkan wave and Klezmer; from psychedelic trance to Russian folk and sung poetry; reggae, rap, cabaret, experimental math rock, and if that’s not enough, we promise, it’ll get weirder.
Polina’s JetLag Lineup page

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Boston solo concert: My Goat is on the Roof!
2019-06-19 19:30 - 21:30 UTC
My Goat Is On the Roof ~ A new programme by Polina Shepherd

My Goat is on the Roof is about beauty in the heart surrounded by madness in the world, a mixture of original, classical, and folk songs mainly in Yiddish and Russian, including a few world premieres.
This new, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and multi-faceted weave of songs will take you on a deep emotional journey. Attention: the concert is interactive and you may find yourself singing and clapping along!
Sponsored by the Yiddish Committee of Boston Workmens Circle; don’t miss this opportunity to experience Polina’s music in the intimate setting of Third Life Studio! Due to the intimate size of the space, advance tickets are encouraged. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door (cash only).
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Merlin & Polina Shepherd - Brighton, UK
2019-06-07 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | St. Luke’s Church, Queens Park Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 9ZB, United Kingdom
Merlin and Polina Shepherd Duo in concert at St. Luke’s Church.
‘Polina and Merlin Shepherd – the Led Zeppelin of contemporary Yiddish music.’ – Seth Rogovoy, author, “The Essential Klezmer”
Сlarinetist, composer Merlin Shepherd, a uniquely innovative force in the klezmer renaissance, and Polina Shepherd, a virtuosic vocalist, pianist, composer originally from Siberia blend traditional and newly composed Yiddish and Russian song with klezmer and southern Mediterranean music. Full of passion, depth & subtlety not often encountered in our global village, their style which has its roots in traditional forms takes us to new dimensions.
https://merlinpolinashepherd.wordpress.com/
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Klezmer South - Brighton, UK
2019-06-07 - 2019-06-08
Come play, dance and sing with internationally acclaimed teachers and performers in Brighton where you can explore the bustling city or have tea on the sunny seafront. The first Klezmer South was held in Brighton in 2018, a very successful day of workshops in Klezmer music, Yiddish song and dance. The program concluded with a brilliant public concert in the evening. This year Klezmer South is extended to a full weekend of concerts, talks, workshops and fun!
Klezmer South Workshop will take place on Sunday from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Tickets for the evening concerts and events are booked separately. For full festival programme and please go azoy.uk
Friday 7 June.
7pm. Merlin and Polina Shepherd in concert at St. Luke’s Church. More information here. There is no online booking option for this event. Please pay cash on the door.
Saturday 8 June.
3.00-5.00pm. For Nostalgia’s Own End – An afternoon talk and Q&A session with Rohan Kriwaczek, an internationally acclaimed local composer, writer and performer. More info and booking here
6-8pm. A Havdalah (end of the Sabbath) Nigunim Evening at the Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue. Led by Polina Shepherd and other Klezmer South teachers plus members of the community. Bring a nign to share! Shul congregants are welcome to participate. Free to participants but suggested donations £7-10 to BHPS are very much appreciated.
Erev Shavuot Service with Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah will follow immediately afterwards, and then the Synagogue’s all night study marathon – which will conclude with our Shavuot Morning service on the beach at sunrise. Klezmer South participants are welcome to join. More information here
Sunday 9 June.
9.00 am – 4.30pm – All day workshop of Yiddish music, song and dance at the Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue. Book here

Door time: 7:30pm. Evening Concert – all faculty at The Brunswick: Fran & Flora, Rohan Kriwaczek, Merlin & Polina Shepherd, Vivi Lachs. Book here

The faculty include internationally acclaimed teachers and performers from the world of Jewish instrumental folk music of Eastern Europe (klezmer), Yiddish song and dance;
Francesca Ter-Berg (London) – Hackney-born cellist, composer and educator, international Klezmer, Transylvanian and Romanian music player.
Flora Curzon (London) – Modern and baroque violinist, Klezmer and other folk music, improvisation and movement enthusiast.
Vivi Lachs (London) – teacher, singer and researcher of East End Yiddish songs, ocial and cultural historian, Yiddishist, and associate research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London, authour.
Polina Shepherd (Kazan, Russia / Brighton) – world leading Yiddish Choir specialist, performer, composer, choir leader.
Merlin Shepherd (Brighton) – a uniquely innovative force in the klezmer renaissance, one of the world’s leading players of traditional klezmer clarinet style, composer, educator.
Workshop schedule:
9.30 Registration
9.45am Morning classes
1.00-1.30pm Lunch break
1.40pm Afternoon classes
4 – 4.30pm Final session
The lunch break is short so bring your own lunch, or pop down to the Western Road shops which are only two minutes away. Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided at the venue.

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Armenian and Russian Song concert, London
2019-06-01 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
St Cuthbert’s Church
50 Philbeach Gardens
London SW5 9EB
London based Armenian Klingen Choir and Cultural Association (KCCA) and London Russian Choir (LRC) are collaborating for the first time to present a spectacular programme of Armenian and Russian songs performed by both choirs at the magnificent St Cuthbert’s Church in Kensington.
Tenor, Conductor Sipan Olah from KCCA and Soprano, Conductor Polina Shepherd from LRC are going to conduct their choirs and perform unique solo pieces themselves. There will additionally be solo performances by soprano Hayarpi Yeghikyan and pianist Ingrid Chan.
Well known poetry recitalist and actress Jenia Nersisyan will present a poem by the great Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan. It is the 150th birth anniversary of the magnificent writer and most of the Armenian songs of this event are based on his lyrics to highlight his legendary literary heritage.
Acclaimed artist Leonei Pilart will present a picture series of 6 paintings on canvas in Armenian themes.
The concert will finish with two joint songs by the Armenian and Russian choirs performed in Armenian and Russian and will be followed by a reception during which people can enjoy the picture exhibition.
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Polina Shepherd in Berlin Werkstatt der Kulturen World Music
2019-05-17 21:00 - 22:30 UTC
Polina Shepherd and guests for Werkstatt der Kulturen World Music Series. Freitag 17.05.2019 21:00 | Club
Eintritt: 15,- / 10,- (erm.) / 5,- € (mit Berlinpass) | Kinder bis 14 J: frei
Veranstalter/-in: Werkstatt der Kulturen
Die Konzertreihe WorldWideMusic steht für globale Sounds in Deutschland. Jeden Freitag spielen Bands und Solokünstler*nnen Genre-Mix, transmusikalische Fusionen und Crossover-Experimente und entwickeln eine neue, aufregende, bislang ungehörte Musiksprache!
We celebrate sound diversity: Von BalkanSka, Afrobeat Beatbox, New Anatolian Traditionals über Cumbia Crossover, Chinese Ethno Sound bis zu Poetischem Persian Jazz, Brasil Progressiv Rock.
Alle Konzerte findet ihr im WorldWideMusic-Spielplan und auf der WorldWideMusic Facebook-Fanpage!
Band-Anfragen an:
Anette Heit
Tel. +49 (0)30 60 97 70-17
anette.heit@werkstatt-der-kulturen.de
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Merlin & Polina Shepherd in Dublin
2019-05-01 20:30 - 22:00 UTC
1 May – Dublin, Ireland
Merlin and Polina Shepherd in concert. Bello Bar,1 Portobello Harbour, D8. 8.30pm Organised by http://www.kaleidoscopenight.com/
Please watch this space or sign up for monthly updates for more information.
Described by The Irish Times as a “genre-blind mini festival” and the “capital’s premiere salon series”, Kaleidoscope has long been acclaimed as a hugely important pillar of Dublin musical life. Founded in 2009 by violinist Cliodhna Ryan and cellist Kate Ellis, the series sought to take classical music out of its typical setting and transplant it into an informal and intimate alternative.
What happened as a result was a kind of musical revolution- a monthly musical revolution. 7 years later and the series is still held up by audiences and performers alike as the number one go-to place for a sociable evening of lesser-heard, rarely-heard or never-heard small-ensemble music performed by the country’s top professionals.
An event is presented in Dublin’s BelloBar on the first Wednesday of every month, now curated by violist Karen Dervan and cellist Lioba Petrie, and the series regularly undertakes national touring.
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Yiddish Song workshop at Maidenhead Synagogue, UK
2019-04-28 13:00 - 16:00 UTC
Yiddish Song workshop at Maidenhead Synagogue.

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KlezNorth concert, Darbyshire
2019-03-24 15:00 - 17:00 UTC
KlezNorth concert with Michael Alpert, Merlin Shepherd and others. Youlgrave Village Hall, Derbyshire, 3pm.
For our 10th Anniversary we are delighted to announce that the weekend will culminate in a concert from our wonderful team of visiting tutors: Michael Alpert, Merlin Shepherd, Gica Loening and Polina Shepherd. We don’t always have the time to sit back, and listen to performers of this calibre, hailing from Brighton to Fife, though originally from USA to USSR. This concert will also be open to the public to showcase the wonderful world of Klezmer, now in Derbyshire. KlezNorth participants get a very substantial discount on the ticket price.
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KlezNorth, Peak District, UK
2019-03-22 - 2019-03-24
KlezNorth
A Weekend of Klezmer in the Peak District 22-24 March 2019
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.
Over the years, we have kept the size the same, enabling us to retain the huge advantages of being based in Youlgrave – a wonderful location, low cost and self-contained… and beautiful too! We have also been able to retain the ethos of doing things ourselves; it is very much a participant event, but also each year have been able to supplement our home-grown tutors with people of national and international renown.
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Four choir evening: London and Brighton Russian and Yiddish choirs in concert
2019-03-10 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | The Parish Church of St Mary-the-Virgin in Primrose Hill, London, Elsworthy Road, London, NW3 3DJ
LONDON: The Parish Church of St Mary-the-Virgin
Just finishing celebrating Maslenitsa, the much loved Russian Butter Week and in preparation for Purim, the most fun Jewish holiday of the year, four choirs come together to perform a concert of East European folk and classics.
Participating choirs:
The London Russian choir
The Brighton & Hove Russian choir
The London Yiddish choir
The Brighton & Hove Yiddish choir Chutzpah
Led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd (Russia / UK)
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Spiel - International music night: klezmer, Greek, east Europe
2019-03-09 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | The Brunswick Pub, 1 Holland Rd, Brighton & Hove, BN3 1JF
The Rebets of Brighton, Brighton & Hove Chutzpah Choir, Karandash
The latest offering from Spiel will showcase three fantastic acts that perform traditional folk music from Central & Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Greece.
The Rebets of Brighton
Greek folk music
https://www.facebook.com/BrightonRebets/
Brighton & Hove Chutzpah Choir
Yiddish language choir led by the fantastic Polina Shepherd
The Brighton & Hove Yiddish Choir

Karandash
Balkan and eastern European songs
www.karandashmusic.com
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Sklamberg & The Shepherds Tour - Europe
2019-02-03 15:00 - 2019-02-18 22:00 UTC
For more info go to the trio website
European Tour FEBRUARY 2019
3 February – London, UK. (TBC)
3-5pm., door 2.30pm £14.50 online, £18 on the door, students discounts available. Book here. Address: UCL, Haldane room, Gower St, Kings Cross, London. WC1E 6H
5 February – London, UK
Richmond synagogue, Lichfield Gardens, Richmond TW9 1AP, UK. 7pm. Tickets on the door. More information here.
6 February – Brighton & Hove, UK
The Brunswick. More info
Book tickets here
7 February – Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Joods Cultureel Centrum MerkAz. More information and booking here.
10 February – Chisinau, Moldova.
Get in touch for details.
12 February – Brussels, Belgium.
Concert at UPJB. Booking here . 15,00€ More information here. This concert is now sold out. Please get in tough with the organisers about a possible second concert.
13 February – Paris, France Le Passage vers les Etoiles More information and booking here.
14 February – Luxembourg. Concert at Neinmunster. Information and booking here.
15 February – Leipzig, Germany.
Budde-Haus. BuddeHaus Soziokulturelles Zentrum Leipzig-Gohlis. Lützowstraße 19, 04157 Leipzig, Germany. Part of Klezmer with Friends series. More info here. 20.00-22.00. Watch this space for a booking link.
16 February – Munich, Germany.
Fraunhofer with a guest performer Andrea Pancur. More information and booking here.
17 February – Munich, Germany
Klezmer meets Bairisch workshop with the trio and Andrea Pancur, open to public. 10.30 – 17.30. More info here.
18 February – Hamburg, Germany.
Goldbekhaus e.V. 20.00. Book here
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The London Russian Choir resumes weekly sessions
2019-01-10 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
The London Russian choir resumes weekly sessions near Pimlico / Victoria station.
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Yiddish choirs resume weekly sessions
2019-01-08 11:00 - 20:30 UTC
Brighton & Hove Chutzpah choir and London Yiddish Choir resume weekly sessions.
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Brighton & Hove Russian Choir resumes weekly sessions
2019-01-07 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
The Brighton & Hove Russian Choir resumes weekly sessions., 7-9pm.
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Songs for the Soul in a holiday center in the Andalusian mountains
2018-12-29 14:00 - 2019-01-05 10:00 UTC | Cortijo Romero, Apartado de Correos 31, Orgiva, Granada, 18400, Spain
Singing In The New Year
Inspiring Eastern traditions – with added Spanish sunshine.
From Saturday Dec 29, 2018 to Saturday Jan 05, 2019
Most people familiar with choral singing know the wonderfully rich, very different sounds of Russian and Eastern European choirs – and if you have never heard them, you are in for an ear-opening way to a joyous community experience.
You don’t have to be Russian to do it; this is for anybody who wants to have a go, regardless of previous experience or musical knowledge. The content will be drawn from traditional Christmas and New Year songs, ritual music for pagan holidays, wedding and folk dance songs, Cossack music and beautiful lyrical pieces. While others look fearfully at foreign cultures, discover the riches of one!
There will also be time for all the usual holiday activities; massage, yoga, dance, walking in glorious nature, quiet times and more.
Course Leader
Born in Siberia, Polina Shepherd (Skovoroda) started her musical training as a child around the family table. Whilst studying at the State Academy in Russia, she toured the dark Soviet theatres and performed to Boris Yeltsin and to the World in 1998-2002. As a programme director, educator and performer she has been involved in music festivals, conferences and seminars in eastern and western Europe, the USA and Brazil. Now living in Britain and with over 20 years of professional experience, Polina leads several choirs and continues to tour internationally.
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The Stranniki in Monreal
2018-12-18 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | La Vitrola, 4602 St. Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, H2T 1R3, Canada
From Arts Against Humanity:
Dear friends, cheers from New York! I take great pride in announcing my next bilingual, actually – multilingual (English/French/Russian/Yiddish etc.) music event to take place this fall in Montreal – a collaboration between my two most favorite “new klezmer” or “klezmer punk” (as you wish) musicians – Polina Shepherd (London, UK) and Psoy Korolenko (Moscow, Russia)! Details about the project can be found below. And while I have your attention, please take note of the date and the place: December 18, 2018 at 8PM @La Vitrola. Tickets are $25 reg, $15 student and $35 VIP (reserved seating).
Good news: the venue sells alcohol.
(And to New Yorkers all I can say is: keep your eyes and ears open for Dec 12 and stay close to South Brooklyn)))
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Iowa city: Polina Shepherd in concert with Oleg Timofeev (seven string guitar)
2018-12-17 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
Iowa, USA Agudas Achim Synagogue, 401 Oakdale Blvd, Coralville, Iowa 52241
7pm
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY FOR RUSSIAN MUSIC, ARTS, AND CULTURE (IARMAC) and @Agudas Achim Congregation IC PROUDLY PRESENT
SONGS OF THE STEPPES AND THE SHTETL – Poli.na Shepherd (UK) in concert
For her ONLY concert in Iowa, the Yiddishe Diva will be joined by Oleg Timofeyev (Russian seven-string guitar) and Natalia Timofeyeva (cello).
Polina Shepherd was born in Siberia and grew up in a home where songs were regularly sung at a family table. Now an internationally renowned singer, she brings the songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl up to date with passion and haunting soul. Her singing, though based on traditional forms, cuts a sound deeply rooted in east European Jewish and Russian folk. Growing up in Tatarstan also placed her close to Middle-Eastern ornamentation and timbre, which can be heard in her unique vocal style and four-octave range.
While the concert is free and open to the public, suggested donations are $15 (general) and $10 (students and seniors).

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The Stranniki in Chicago
2018-12-16 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | 210 Live, 210 Green Bay Rd, Highwood, IL, 60040, United States
THE STRANNIKI https://www.facebook.com/lzevent/– די װאָגלערס
What? The Russian word Stranniki means to us World wanderers, but why wander?… You and I, your folks and mine, us human souls, pilgrims of continents and witnesses of time? In the 21 century?… Why? Don’t we have the internet at home?
An “avant bard” & “wandering scholar” Psoy Korolenko (Russia/US) & an etherial singer Polina Shepherd (Russia/UK) present their take on the Wandering Jew and the Russky Brodyaga (Vagabond).
Psoy and Polina have both been at the forefront of the international Ashkenazi music scene for many years. After a mini tour in NY in 2015 & a show at the conference Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age at Dartmouth College in 2016, the duo toured the USA from Washington CD to LA in December 2017 with a programme Shlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl. Watch video here
This collaboration defines original & fresh repertoire based on their original Yiddish and Russian songs as well as multilingual interpretations & translations. They create a balance between serious listening and popular music, avant-garde & classics, folklore, chamber music, theater song & cabaret, reflecting the multi-cultural and international nature of diverse world & Jewish cultures. Rooted in Russian and Yiddish folk, their multilingual journey starts in the Steppes and the Shtetl, then takes us to the new world and other planets.
Pavel Lion, a.k.a. Psoy Korolenko, is a Moscow based singer/songwriter, translator, scholar and journalist. Picture a jetlagged Allen Ginsberg hopped up on a double espresso: a polyglot people-pleaser, a born performer, a half-serious shaman…. a practitioner of what he calls “spell art,” which is to say art that casts a spell on its befuddled, bemused, blissed-out audience. (“Forward”).
He has been referred to as a ”wandering scholar” and an ”avant-bard”. His multilingual one-person cabaret-esque show balances folk and klezmer music, free-style poetry and intellectual comedy. Psoy writes and sings in English, Russian, Yiddish, and French.
On stage since 2000, he has published one book of selected essays and song lyrics ”The Hit Of The Century”, and 14 CDs – some of them in collaboration with active Jewish and Klezmer musicians (“Opa!”, Daniel Kahn, Igor Krutogolov, “Oy Division”).
Psoy is a member of the organizing committee for a Russian American music festival JetLAG, a guest of many klezmer music festivals, and an ex-artist in residence at the Trinity College (Hartford), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA). An author of insightful and sophisticated Russian sung poetry, Psoy is also known for his keen and explorative vision of the art of translation, “tradaptation” and what he calls Spell-Art (i.e. playing with foreign text, emphasizing linguistic distances, multilingual songs etc).
POLINA SHEPHERD (vocals, piano):
“The Robert Plant of klezmer” (Seth Rogovoy, The Essential Klezmer), performs an explosive mixture of songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl spiced up by Tatar Bazaars and washed down with an Odessa fisherman’s tune: Russian and Yiddish, folklore and fakelore, the powerful and the profound.
“Русский Аллен Гинзбург” ПСОЙ КОРОЛЕНКО и “еврейский Роберт Плант” ПОЛИНА ШЕПЕРД объединились в новый проект ‘’THE STRANNIKI’’!
ПОЛИНА ШЕПЕРД (Брайтон, Великобритания, ранее Казань, Россия), певица, композитор, пианистка, руководитель хоров, объединяющая восточно-европейские, балканские, тюркские, русские и еврейские музыкальные традиции в ряде сольных и совместных проектов под общим названием The Polina Shepherd Vocal Experience. Интересная деталь: по материнской линии она потомок семьи легендарного странствующего поэта и философа Григория Сковороды.
ПСОЙ КОРОЛЕНКО, “молодежный филолог и акын”, “бродячий учёный”, “авантбард” и “современный скоморох”, автор, переводчик и исполнитель песен, так же, как и Полина, многие годы участвует во многих совместных проектах, связанных определёнными музыкально-поэтическими традициями и общей внутренней творческой логикой. Кстати, поскольку его настоящее имя Павел, то можно сказать, что они с Полиной тёзки!
THE STRANNIKI – дуэт, который существует уже два года, и впервые будет представлен в Чикаго. В этом экспериментальном фолк-кабаре замысловато переплетаются русский и идиш, фольклор и камерная песня, оригиналы и переводы, старинное и современное, лёгкость и серьёзность, классика и цирк. Ключевые темы – дом, дорога и один необъятный большой мир. Внимание: некоторые песни очень громкие!
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THE 210 LIVE EXPERIENCE: 210 Live is not just a music venue. It’s not just a restaurant. It’s not just a bar. It truly is an experience. People walk in and feel the energy in the place. It’s something special…some even say magical. It’s a place that people fall in love with, and want to return to again and again.
DINING: Chef Peter McCarthy serves up an eclectic mix including phenomenal smoked dry-rub chicken and ribs, seafood, vegan options and delectable desserts.
SEATING: Patrons can dine at tables or couch seating–the same seating where they will see the show.
VENUE: 210 Live offers the best live entertainment and dining on the North Shore Wednesday through Sunday. The urban chic ambience creates a perfect setting for live music and private parties, with clear site-lines and great acoustics throughout.
VALUE: Get $5 off your first visit by joining our loyalty program. Just click “Join Loyalty” on the homepage at 210live.com. For more information, email info@210live.com.
https://www.exploretock.com/210live/search?date=2018-12-16&size=2&time=19%3A00&fbclid=IwAR3ULn66hoQDd7QiccRrqfhZlENwoEyyRdM-SPmzuSJiGrfypGtPFL3xMOA
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The Stranniki in Boston
2018-12-14 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
The Stranniki in concert. LEXINGTON, MA, USA
Please get in touch for venue and booking details, number of tickets is strictly limited.
An “avant bard” & “wandering scholar” Psoy Korolenko (Russia/US) & an etherial singer Polina Shepherd (Russia/UK) present their take on the Wandering Jew and the Russky Brodyaga (Vagabond).
This collaboration defines original & fresh repertoire based on their original Yiddish and Russian songs as well as multilingual interpretations & translations. They create a balance between serious listening and popular music, avant-garde & classics, folklore, chamber music, theater song & cabaret, reflecting the multi-cultural and international nature of diverse world & Jewish cultures. Rooted in Russian and Yiddish folk, their multilingual journey starts in the Steppes and the Shtetl, then takes us to the new world and other planets.
Pavel Lion, a.k.a. Psoy Korolenko, is a Moscow based singer/songwriter, translator, scholar and journalist. Picture a jetlagged Allen Ginsberg hopped up on a double espresso: a polyglot people-pleaser, a born performer, a half-serious shaman…. a practitioner of what he calls “spell art,” which is to say art that casts a spell on its befuddled, bemused, blissed-out audience. (“Forward”).
POLINA SHEPHERD (vocals, piano):
“The Robert Plant of klezmer” (Seth Rogovoy, The Essential Klezmer), performs an explosive mixture of songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl spiced up by Tatar Bazaars and washed down with an Odessa fisherman’s tune: Russian and Yiddish, folklore and fakelore, the powerful and the profound.
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New Jersey: Lorin Sklamberg & Polina Shepherd in concert
2018-12-13 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bashenniki, 431 Harmon Cove Towers. Tower 3, apt 431, Secaucus, NJ, 07094, United States
December – New Jersey, USA По-русски читайте ниже
Lorin Sklamberg – voice, guitar, accordion, piano (New York, USA)
Polina Shepherd – voice, piano (Brighton, UK)
431 Harmon Cove Towers (Tower 3, apt 431), Secaucus, New Jersey
The Izba, the Shtibl and the Global Village: A melange of Russian song and Yiddish / klezmer with the lead singer of the Grammy winning Klezmatics and a Siberian-born British singer
Russian Art songs (Romance), folk and Soviet melodies in Yiddish, bilingual Odessa songs, Russian lyrics put to klezmer tunes, Soviet collective farm songs from a century ago and original material exploring the connection between the Steppes and the Shtetl.
Read more
По-русски:
ЕДИНСТВЕННЫЙ КОНЦЕРТ УНИКАЛЬНОГО ДУЭТА. НЕ ПРОПУСТИТЕ!
Как всегда, башенники вступают в очередной праздничный
сезон во всеоружии. Вас ожидает уникальная песенная программа на русском, идиш и английском под названием “Изба, штибл и мировая деревня” с участием Лорина Скламберга (Lorin Sklamberg), солиста легендарной группы The Klezmatics (Grammy Award 2016), и русской певицы-сибирячки Полины Сковороды-Шеперд (Polina Shepherd) из Татарстана. Завсегдатаи башенной площадки помнят Полину по аншлаговому выступлению в дуэте The Stranniki c Псоем Короленко. На этот раз вашему вниманию предлагается другой дуэт с ее участием, тоже русско-идишский с вкраплениями английского, в котором, однако, бОльшее внимание уделяется гармонии голосов и тембров.
Полина и Лорин известны в качестве “золотых голосов” всемирного движения Klezmer Revival. При этом оба имеют многолетнюю репутацию активистов и отщепенцев, позволяющих себе исполнять «Серенаду» Шуберта на идише, идишские гимны на русском, а пропагандистскую колхозную песню 1920-х годов — да хоть на трех языках, и уж точно на четырех инструментах… Лорин о себе заявляет, что будучи евреем, геем и коммунистом, он трижды отщепенец. Полина восстает против социума по-другому, представляя современный мир как большую и бездумную машину, но не теряя надежды, что Красота таки спасет Мир.
“Когда мы поем песни, то должны верить в то, что поем”, – говорит Скламберг. Может ли родившийся в Лос-Анджелесе верить в то же, что и уроженка Новосибирска? Изба и еврейский домик, штетл и русские поля? Далеко или близко? Бабушке и дедушке Полины удалось избежать Катастрофы, переехав из Киева и Одессы в Сибирь. Предки Лорина тоже эмигрировали из украинского местечка, но в Америку. У их дальних предков есть общая история, а они сами, по словам автора монографии The Ultimate Klezmer и некоторых текстов песен дуэта Seth Rogovoy, наделены “голосами, созданными звучать вместе”.
В неповторимом звучании дуэта вы узнаете русскую избу, еврейское местечко, призыв к молитве казанского муэдзина (Полина училась и работала в Татарстане), пять октав вокальной акробатики, новые авторские композиции, яркие и неожиданные музыкальные переплетения двух восточно-европейских культур и двух уникальных голосов. То есть именно так, как и должно быть в нашей мировой деревне.
**Посмотреть и послушать**
Поппури: youtu.be/P8Q6Fktn29E
Весёлая песня (идиш): youtu.be/1A2Gh0Px6EQ
Русские народные песни (идиш, русский): youtu.be/YlM7QEIrKqU
Колыбельная Светланы (идиш): youtu.be/zBfiNauGhsg
**Страница проекта**
https://www.polinashepherd.co.uk/projects/lp/
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The Stranniki in Brooklyn
2018-12-12 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
The Stranniki in concert. More information TBA soon.
THE STRANNIKI – די װאָגלערס
An “avant bard” & “wandering scholar” Psoy Korolenko (Russia/US) & an etherial singer Polina Shepherd (Russia/UK) present their take on the Wandering Jew and the Russky Brodyaga (Vagabond).
Psoy and Polina have both been at the forefront of the international Ashkenazi music scene for many years. After a mini tour in NY in 2015 & a show at the conference Mediating a New Cold War in the Digital Age at Dartmouth College in 2016, the duo toured the USA from Washington CD to LA in December 2017 with a programme Shlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl. Watch video here
This collaboration defines original & fresh repertoire based on their original Yiddish and Russian songs as well as multilingual interpretations & translations. They create a balance between serious listening and popular music, avant-garde & classics, folklore, chamber music, theater song & cabaret, reflecting the multi-cultural and international nature of diverse world & Jewish cultures. Rooted in Russian and Yiddish folk, their multilingual journey starts in the Steppes and the Shtetl, then takes us to the new world and other planets.
PSOY KOROLENKO (vocals & some piano):
Pavel Lion, a.k.a. Psoy Korolenko, is a Moscow based singer/songwriter, translator, scholar and journalist. Picture a jetlagged Allen Ginsberg hopped up on a double espresso: a polyglot people-pleaser, a born performer, a half-serious shaman…. a practitioner of what he calls “spell art,” which is to say art that casts a spell on its befuddled, bemused, blissed-out audience. (“Forward”).
He has been referred to as a ”wandering scholar” and an ”avant-bard”. His multilingual one-person cabaret-esque show balances folk and klezmer music, free-style poetry and intellectual comedy. Psoy writes and sings in English, Russian, Yiddish, and French.
On stage since 2000, he has published one book of selected essays and song lyrics ”The Hit Of The Century”, and 14 CDs – some of them in collaboration with active Jewish and Klezmer musicians (“Opa!”, Daniel Kahn, Igor Krutogolov, “Oy Division”).
Psoy is a member of the organizing committee for a Russian American music festival JetLAG, a guest of many klezmer music festivals, and an ex-artist in residence at the Trinity College (Hartford), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA). An author of insightful and sophisticated Russian sung poetry, Psoy is also known for his keen and explorative vision of the art of translation, “tradaptation” and what he calls Spell-Art (i.e. playing with foreign text, emphasizing linguistic distances, multilingual songs etc).
POLINA SHEPHERD (vocals, piano):
“The Robert Plant of klezmer” (Seth Rogovoy, The Essential Klezmer), performs an explosive mixture of songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl spiced up by Tatar Bazaars and washed down with an Odessa fisherman’s tune: Russian and Yiddish, folklore and fakelore, the powerful and the profound.

Related Images:
