Yiddish Choir Workshop in Weimar, Germany
2019-08-15 - 2019-08-17
The YSW Yiddish choir workshop offers a unique opportunity to experience a fascinating repertoire in an inspiring atmosphere. For several years now, the course has been focusing on specific aspects of Yiddish singing, including language, musical style, history and cultural context. How can a Yiddish song arrangement be different from other Jewish choral music? How traditional or modern can a Yiddish choir be?
Picking up on this year’s YSW theme “The Weimar Republic of Yiddishland” from a choral perspective, we will explore early 20th-century choral repertoire as well as material arranged and composed exclusively for YSW 2019, in addition to the usual rich spread of East European Jewish choral music – traditional four-voice scores, nigunim warm ups, simple fun songs learned by ear, and improvised material.
Enjoy singing in a warm-hearted atmosphere under the guidance of one of the world’s most charismatic and inspiring choir directors. Polina’s teaching methods are based on and experiment with East European sound, ornamentation and modalities, with attention to stylistic detail, history and context. All singers are welcome, although you will need to be able to follow the written music and be prepared to learn by ear.
If you have questions about the program or would like to know whether this workshop is right for you, please contact Polina Shepherd at www.polinashepherd.co.uk/contact.
Workshop fee: 120 € Standard / 90 € Reduced / 150 € Sponsor / 60€ under 18.
Workshop times: 10am – 1pm, 3-6pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday plus an evening showcase/presentation on Saturday.
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees go to Yiddish Summer Weimar web site.
Follow this link
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Yiddish Song School, London, UK
2019-08-18 - 2019-08-23 | SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom
Yiddish Song School, Jewish Music Institute, London.
Learn to sing Yiddish song at Golden Peacock Yiddish Song School in the heart of London at SOAS this Summer 2019.
The Golden Peacock The Yiddish Song course led by internationally acclaimed Yiddish singer and teacher Shura Lipovsky with esteemed colleagues from around the world. It is designed for all singers who wish to deepen their knowledge of the rich Yiddish song repertoire.
You will spend the morning studying music theory, repertoire, roots and traditions of Yiddish Song, modes and melodies. While afternoons will focus on studying further repertoire, master-classes and a Yiddish Choir. You will be amazed at how much you will be learning, singing and performing Yiddish song in only one week!
Here are a few reasons why this promises to be a week not to be missed this summer…

This is the only opportunity in the UK to immerse yourself in the deep and inspiring world of Yiddish Song for a whole week with interesting and like-minded people of all ages and from all backgrounds.
You will have the privilege of working with some of the UK’s, USA’s and Europe’s top educators and performers. No matter what your level in Yiddish whether a beginner or a budding linguist, professional singer or amateur enthusiast, you will benefit from the width and breath of programmes on offer through the week, both day and night.
The programme is based at SOAS, the heart of Ethnomusicology and the study of world cultures in the UK, at the Russell Square Campus in central London. What better chance to combine meeting an eclectic bunch of Yiddish enthusiasts with exploring one of Europe’s finest capital cities.
Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the JMI team for extra information about the course, accommodation advice or financial support.

Faculty
Shura Lipovsky

A writer and composer of new Yiddish songs, she appears as a singer and storyteller in Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, Russia, the United States and Canada.

Lorin Sklamberg – (USA)
Lorin Sklamberg is a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Yiddish-American roots band the Klezmatics.

Polina Shepherd – (Russia/UK)
She is one of the first generation of musicians of the Yiddish revival scene in Eastern Europe: acting as a programme director, educator and performer she has been involved in festivals, conferences and seminars globally.

Joseph Finlay (UK)
Joseph Finlay is a composer, musical director and pianist, trained at Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music.

FEES:
Full rate £250 (£225 if booked before 1st June 2019)
Student / Senior rate £175 (£150 if booked before 1st June 2019)
Senior rate is set at 65+

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Golden Peacock Concert, London
2019-08-18 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom
Yiddish Song Concert: international stars of Yiddish live in concert in London: Come and see three international stars of Yiddish Song live in concert in Central London on Sunday 18th August.
The first day of the JMI Summer Schools and Festival of Music begins with a concert showcasing the wealth in vocal diversity of Yiddish Culture with an international cast of singers and instrumentalists.
The concert will feature: Shura Lipovsky, Lorin Sklamberg, Polina Shepherd and Joseph Finlay
We are inviting the public to sample the Golden Peacock summer school experience with an opening concert by our international faculty, including special guest musicians. There will be recitals of classic and modern Yiddish repertoire as well as instrumental and this will be a unique opportunity to meet the faculty and to experience first hand the quality of Yiddish song that is taught every year at The Golden Peacock.

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The Brighton & Hove Russian and Yiddish choirs resume weekly sessions
2019-09-03 11:30 - 21:00 UTC
3 September, Brighton, UK
The Brighton & Hove Russian and Yiddish choirs start weekly sessions. More information coming in August here.
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The London Russian and Yiddish choirs resume weekly sessions
2019-09-05 18:00 - 21:30 UTC
5 September, London, UK
The London Russian and Yiddish choirs start weekly sessions. More information coming in August here.
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Day workshop in Lustleigh, Devon, UK
2019-09-07 10:30 - 16:30 UTC
Lusleigh Village Hall
10 am – 4pm
Russian Song workshop: with Polina Shepherd from 10am–4pm in Lustleigh Village Hall.
Music lovers of all backgrounds and singing levels are invited, no experience necessary. Teaching by ear and with sheet music.
Russian folk songs embrace the whole of the landscape and all of Mother Earth. This wide geographical span is present throughout the whole culture and gives folk song an extremely broad musical and emotional depth. Large musical intervals in lyrical songs call to mind the vastness of Russian topography stretching toward a boundless horizon. In eastern folklore, every snowflake and every blade of grass embodies the spirits of nature – and this connection is felt within each folk song for ritual pagan holidays, exorcism and sibylline song, circle dance, laments, wedding and lyrical songs…
The workshop repertoire will also include Russian Romances (Art songs) from the 19 Century and some contemporary material.
Born in Siberia, Polina started her performer’s and educator’s career in Kazan, Tatarstan (Central Russia). Now a highly experienced musician, she has taught for Glyndebourne Education and the Natural Voice Practitioners Network in the UK and internationally at seminars in Moscow, St Petersburg, Paris, Kiev, Sao Paolo, Basel and many more.
Cost: £30 (£25 if booked before 15 August).
Please bring lunch to share.
Advance booking preferable; some tickets may be available on the door.
To book, or for further information, contact Stephen Terry on 01647 277197 or email stephenjaterry@hotmail.com
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Polina Shepherd with Söngfjelagið choir - Reykjavik
2019-10-18 - 2019-10-19
For the third time Polina will be working with a Reykjavik choir Söngfjelagið , a weekend workshop to prepare for a Christmas concert in December. Watch this space for more.
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Kleztival, São Paulo TBC
2019-10-26 08:00 - 2019-11-03 17:00 UTC
26 October – 3 November – São Paulo, Brazil.
Kleztival concerts and workshops.
10th Anniversary Kleztival in Sao Paulo: concerts, workshops, collaborations. The Klezmatics, Joshua Nelson, Polina Shepherd, Merlin Shepherd, Jinta la-Mvta and many others.
Facebook event page here.
Look for updates here.
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SUPER KLEZMATICS in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Kleztival 2019
2019-10-29 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Under the theme the Klezmer in the World, the Institute of Jewish Music Brazil brings together their Tenth International Jewish music festival – #kleztival.

The Fusion of the various global spectrum sonorities brings to the stage a new sound in Jewish music, incorporating to the traditional sounds of klezmer, electronic beats, rhythms and themes and a bit of Brazilianness. In this programme, The Klezmatics will be joined by Joshua Nelson, American Gospel singer; Polina Shepherd, Russian pianist, singer and songwriter based in Brighton UK; Nicole Borger, Brazilian singer and songwriter; SIMJA DUJOV , Argentine DJ and singer and Merlin Shepherd, UK leading Klezmer clarinet.

Sob o tema O Klezmer no Mundo, o Instituto da Música Judaica Brasil realiza em 2019, seu décimo Festival Internacional de Música Judaica – Kleztival, mostra não competitiva destinada a preservar e promover a cultura judaica através da música e divulgar o trabalho de artistas, nacionais e estrangeiros , que se dedicam a esse gênero musical.
Como parte dessa comemoração e dos objetivos que a norteiam, o IMJ Brasil faz tambem o lançamento do album triplo Kleztival 10 anos, uma coletânea de 50 canções e temas instrumentais de diversos artistas e bandas dos mais variados países do globo, que se apresentaram no palco do Kleztival, ao longo desses dez anos.
Super Klezmatics
A fusão das diversas sonoridades de espectro global traz para o palco uma nova sonoridade na música judaica, incorporando aos sons tradicionais do klezmer, as batidas eletrônicas, ritmos e temas africanos e um pouco de brasilidade. Neste trabalho, juntaram-se ao grupo base Klezmatics: Joshua Nelson, cantor Gospel americano; Polina Shepard, pianista, cantora e compositora russa radicada em Londres; Nicole Borger, cantora e compositora brasileira; Simja Dujov, DJ e cantor argentino; Zilien Biret, clarinetista de Madagascar, residente e Montreal, e Benjamin Lapidus, guitarrista e cantor cubano, radicado em NY.
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The Sound & Light Cinemtaic Duo in Brussels
2019-11-09 20:00 - 22:00 UTC
The Sound & Light Сinematic Duo
New and traditional live music accompanying B&W silent films from Ukraine and Russia, 1910-1927.
More info coming soon.
The Yuri Morozov film collection (Kiev) contains some of the earliest cinematic representations of east European Jewish communities and more. Black and White silent films as early as 1910 depict the Jews of Ukraine and their daily lives in both narrative and documentary forms. The films cover many aspects of Jewish interest, from Biblical times to modern life at the beginning of the Soviet Era. Many of these films have never been seen outside of Ukraine and some have not been screened for over 80 years.
Merlin and Polina Shepherd represent two nations although their families come from very close geographical locations. At the end of the 19th Century, Merlin’s great-grandparents emigrated from Ukraine and Romania to escape pogroms and seek a better world in the west. Polina’s grandparents escaped from the Sho’ah (Holocaust) by fleeing from Kiev/Odessa to Siberia. The different and yet vital sustenance of his western Jewish upbringing and her eastern one have brought them to a unique closeness in musical, creative and spiritual terms.
Performing as Jewish musicians would have done in the early days of cinema, Merlin and Polina Shepherd play Jewish music to accompany these silent films. Their playing acts as the perfect foil for these amazing historic documents. With their deep training, musical experience and by using tradition musical pieces and stylistically accurate new compositions, these films are magically brought back to life almost a century after their first screenings.
By transportation backwards in time with this historically accurate visual and aural experience, these two world-class musicians bring their audiences forward to a deeper understanding of former and present day Yiddishkeit.

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Sheffield, Merlin & Polina Shepherd concert
2019-11-10 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
10 November – Sheffield, UK. TBC
Merlin and Polina Shepherd in concert, watch this space for updates.
about

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Workshop and concert in Osnabrück, Germany
2019-11-22 - 2019-11-23
Merlin and Polina Shepherd – Open workshop and concert in Osnabrück, Germany
Klezmer-Konzert im Felix-Nussbaum-Haus Osnabrück
Merlin & Polina Shepherd +workshop band.

Workshop schedule:

Friday 10-13.00 and 15-18.00

Saturday 10-13.00 and 15-17.00

Final rehearsal 17.30-19.00

The WORKSHOP IS FREE but you need to register Frau Rocho Tel:0541 323-4149 or via email rocho.s@osnabrueck.de

Klezmer Projekt-Orchester der Musik- und Kunstschule (Ltg. Pierre-Yves Locher) und Jiddisches Lied: Workshops mit Polina & Merlin Shepherd (Brighton/UK) & Abschlusskonzert der Teilnehmer
22./23.11.2019, Workshops
23.11.2019, 20h, Abschlusskonzert, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus
Das Museumsquartier Osnabrück und die Musik- und Kunstschule der Stadt Osnabrück laden zu Klezmer-Workshops für Sängerinnen und Sänger sowie Instrumentalistinnen und Instrumenatalisten am 22. und 23. November ein. Die Teilnehmer lernen von Profis, wie jiddische Musik gesungen und gespielt wird.Der Chorworkshop wird von Polina Shepherd, der Instrumentalworkshop von Merlin Shepherd geleitet. Im Verlauf des Workshops erproben die Teilnehmer im gesamten Ensemble Klezmerstücke für ein Abschlusskonzert. Das Klezmer-Projektorchester, das auch nach den offenen Workshops weiterhin bestehen bleibt, wird von Pierre-Yves Locher geleitet.
Das Museumsquartier Osnabrück lädt zu einer jiddischen Konzertreihe im Felix-Nussbaum-Haus ein. Jiddische Lieder zeigen sich als Ausprägung einer Kultur, die über Jahrhunderte ein bedeutender Teil des europäischen Lebens war und im „Dritten Reich“ nahezu vollständig ausgelöscht wurde.
Anmeldungen für die kostenlosen Workshops werden unter der Telefonnummer 0541 323-4149 oder E-Mail rocho.s@osnabrueck.de bei der Musik- und Kunstschule der Stadt Osnabrück entgegengenommen.
Unterstützt wird die Reihe durch die Felicitas und Werner Egerland Stiftung. Sie ist eine Kooperation des Museumsquartier Osnabrück und der Musik- und Kunstschule Osnabrück.
More information here

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Inter–cultural Winter Warmer evening - Lewes
2019-12-01 18:00 - 20:30 UTC
All Saints Centre, Friars Walk, Lewes, BN7 2LE
Sunday 1 December 6pm – 8pm
Come and celebrate cultural diversity! Enjoy an eclectic mixture of styles and genres at a one-off concert from Brighton & Hove and London based international communities.
We have an astonishing programme to keep you warm for the rest of winter. Two choirs from Brighton & Hove and two from London will come together to sing Russian and Yiddish songs, while a new Sussex based Dervish Sufi music ensemble as well as Jamal & Alaa will perform traditional Syrian folk music.
part from the concert programme, we are planning a little bazaar: stalls from the community with arts & crafts, tea & cake and other goods.
The theme for the evening is Collaboration, Co-creation and Unity. We celebrate the beauty of our cultures and the joy of sharing with each other. And we invite you all to join us in spreading the light…
A bar will be available at the event.
Tickets cost: £10 / £7 concessions, watch this space for the link.
More about Jamal & Alaa here.
More about the Brighton & Hove and London Russian and Yiddish choirs.
Get excited and book soon!
The event is jointly organised between Best Foot Music and The Polina Shepherd Vocal Experience
Facebook event here
Book tickets here
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Reykjavik Christmas concerts
2019-12-08 16:00 - 22:00 UTC
Two concerts Sunday 8th December at 4pm and 8pm, in Langholtskirkja Church, Reykjavík.
Fb event here
Tickets here
Festivals of Light – Celebration songs from the East.
Come and celebrate with us! Hear an explosive mixture of powerful dance rhythms and profound melodies of the Steppes and the Shtetl spiced up by Turkish Bazaars and washed down with a coachman’s song from Siberia…
The programme will feature music from East European cultures: Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Yiddish / klezmer. They are all connected by geography and also by deep emotionality and distinct musical features and – here is the best part – these cultures are full of Joy and Celebration.
The programme will feature classics and folklore: ritual calendar and Christmas songs, love songs and songs of Celebration, table songs and dance songs, Russian Art songs from the 18-19th centuries, Yiddish songs for Chanukka (The Festival of Light) and klezmer music (East European Jewish wedding music).
According to Söngfjelagið’s custom, the choir will also premiere an Icelandic Christmas song composed especially for the occasion. This year it was composed by choir member Hjörleifur Hjartarson who is also the other half of Icelandic duo Hundur í óskilum.
Price of the ticket: 4,500 ISK
Tickets are available on Tix.is
We hope to see you there!
Performers
Söngfjelagið
Hilmar Örn Agnarsson, director
Polina Shepherd, voice and piano
Merlin Shepherd, clarinet
Igor Outkine, voice, accordion and balalaika
Sarah Harrison, violin and other strings
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, mandolin and other strings
Iveta Licha, harmonium
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Lorin Sklamberg & Polina Shepherd in New York
2019-12-12 20:30 - 22:30 (America/New_York)
Lorin Sklamberg & Polina Shepherd
for New York Klezmer Series. Event details here
photo by Adam Berry
Klezmer Instrumental Music Workshop 6:30pm-8:00 $25 per class,
Concerts & Dance Parties begin at 8:30pm – $15
Jam Session follows Concert 9:45-10:45ish
Full night pass – $35 (includes Workshop, Concert & Jam Session)
All events will take place at The Town & Village Synagogue, Social Hall, 334 East 14th St.(between 1st & 2nd Ave.)
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Glasses of Wine. A pre-Chanuka solo concert in Columbus, USA
2019-12-14 20:00 - 22:00 UTC
Columbus, USA
Glasses of Wine – a pre-Chanuka solo concert. More details TBA in the next newsletter and on my Facebook page.
Polina Shepherd (Russia /UK) is bringing a pre-CHANUKAH celebration to Columbus: a mixture of original, classical, and folk songs mainly in Yiddish and Russian, including a few world premieres.
Columbus has seen her in 2016 at Brothers Drake Meadery in a Russian-Yiddish Folk Cabaret with Psoy Korolenko, The Stranniki. Tihs time she is coming unaccompanied… well, accompanying herself on piano. 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!
Polina grew up in a Russian Jewish home where songs were frequently sung at 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. Now an internationally renowned singer, she brings the songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl up to date with passion and haunting soul. She has toured with her solo show Songs of the Steppes & the Shtetl in Russia, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and Brazil. Read more: www.polinashepherd.co.uk
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Glasses of Fine, solo concert in Chicago
2019-12-15 19:30 - 21:30 UTC
Highland Park, Illinois,
GLASSES OF WINE

Polina Shepherd (Russia /UK) is bringing a pre-CHANUKAH celebration to Chicago’s audience: a mixture of original, classical, and folk songs mainly in Yiddish and Russian, including a few world premieres.
Chicago has seen her in 210 Live at last year’s sold out Russian-Yiddish Folk Cabaret with Psoy Korolenko, The Stranniki.
Polina grew up in a Russian Jewish home where songs were frequently sung at 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. Now an internationally renowned singer, she brings the songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl up to date with passion and haunting soul. She has toured with her solo show Songs of the Steppes & the Shtetl in Russia, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and Brazil.
$25 on the door
Drinks and snacks are welcomed
This is a private house concert.
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Workshop & concert in Montreal, Canada
2019-12-17 18:00 - 21:00 UTC
Dear friends! Join us for a vocal/instrumental workshop followed by a performance of the star of new klezmer straight from London, in Montreal for one gig only!
TICKETS HERE
19:00-20:00 (TBC) at La Vitrola, 4602 St. Laurent, Montreal, Quebec H2T 1R3
Always stunning in her musicianship, always surprisingly and refreshingly new, this time Polina will lead a vocal yiddish song workshop (instruments are invited to join and accompany), which will be followed by a performance of her new neo-klezmer material. Bring your voice and your instrument and join one of the world’s leading klezmer performers as she blends tradition and innovation in the most unique way. Participants in the workshop will have the opportunity to be part and parcel of the main-stage performance!
Polina works as an educator, leading choral workshops internationally. Her specially developed choral teaching methods are based on East European sound, ornamentation, modal
experimentation with attention to stylistic detail, history and context. For Jewish music-based choral workshops, she teaches Hassidic nigunim and Yiddish songs.
Free workshop followed by a concert (cover).

Vocal Workshop (instruments invited)

Free workshop followed by a concert (cover).
7:00 – 8:00 pm – Workshop
8:00 – 8:20 pm – Break
8:20 – 9:30 pm – Concert

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BBC World Service broadcast. The Forum. YIDDISH: A STORY OF SURVIVAL
2020-01-02 09:00 - 2020-01-04 10:00 UTC
BBC World Service. The Forum. YIDDISH: A STORY OF SURVIVAL
At its height, Yiddish, the language of the European Jews, was spoken by more than ten million people, from Russia in the east to the Netherlands in the West. But by the mid -20th century, these numbers were severely depleted following the Holocaust, and then the creation of the modern-day state of Israel where the speaking of Yiddish was discouraged.
So what does the future hold for this endangered culture with its great tradition of writers and thinkers? Joining Rajan Datar are Aaron Lansky, the director of the Yiddish book centre in the US, who helped save more than a million Yiddish books from destruction; the Jewish-Russian composer and singer Polina Skovoroda Shepherd who writes new songs that still remain within the Yiddish tradition, and Dr Lily Kahn from the Hebrew and Jewish studies department at University College, London, who’s also the author of “Colloquial Yiddish”.
Broadcasts

Thu 2 Jan 202009:06Local time
BBC WORLD SERVICE

Fri 3 Jan 202000:06Local time
BBC WORLD SERVICE

Sat 4 Jan 202014:06Local time
BBC WORLD SERVICE NEWS INTERNET

In the UK, the first broadcast will be on Thursday 2nd January at 9’06”, midnight on Friday 3rd January and Sunday 5th January at 15’06”.
Please go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/faqs/world_service_howtolisten for times and how to listen.
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Brighton & Hove Choirs resume weekly sessions
2020-01-07 11:30 - 21:00 UTC
Brighton & Hove Choirs resume weekly sessions
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London choirs resume weekly sessions
2020-01-09 18:00 - 21:30 UTC
London Choirs resume weekly sessions at St. George’s Church, Bloomsbury. Upper Vestry Hall.
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Brighton & Hove Yiddish Choir for a HMD in Lewes, UK
2020-01-25 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
The TRINITY Centre, St John sub Castro
The Brighton & Hove Yiddish Choir (Chutzpah) will perform at the Holocaust Memorial Day event in Lewes. More info coming soon.
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I Will Sing: A HMD Choral Workshop, London
2020-02-02 10:30 - 16:30 UTC
Ashirah – I Will Sing: Come and Sing Choral Workshop
Sunday 2 February 2020 10.30am – 4.30pm
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, London
Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and The Landmark Arts Centre are offering a special choral workshop celebrating Jewish musical culture, in particular that of East European Jews.
A wide range of material, sacred and secular, traditional and new will be explored in Hebrew and Yiddish, but no knowledge of the languages is necessary.
Enjoy singing in a warm- hearted atmosphere under the guidance of Polina Shepherd, one of the world’s most charismatic and inspiring Jewish choir directors.
All singers are welcome, although you will need to be able to follow the written music and be prepared to learn by ear. Singers will also be expected to take part in the evening concert at 6pm on the same day.

To book your place on the workshop please contact The Landmark Arts Centre.
TEL: 020 8977 7558
EMAIL: education@landmarkartscentre.org COST: £20

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS ARE INVITED TO PERFORM AS PART OF THE EVENING CONCERT: Sunday 2 February 2020, 6pm. Doors & bar open: 5.15pm

About Polina Shepherd (Skovoroda):
Polina was born in Siberia and grew up in a home where songs were regularly sung at the family table. Now an internationally renowned performer, 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 unique sound deeply rooted in east European Jewish and Russian folk sound. Growing up in Tatarstan also placed her close to Islamic ornamentation and timbre which can be heard in her unique vocal style and four octave range.
Polina’s choral workshops showcase her specially developed choral teaching methods which are based on specific East European sound, ornamentation, modal experimentation with attention to stylistic details, history and context.

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An HMD Jewish choral workshop and concert - London, UK
2020-02-02 18:00 - 19:30 UTC
An evening to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. With a special concert of Jewish secular and sacred music sung in Yiddish & Hebrew by a community choir under the direction of Polina Shepherd, an expert in Yiddish choral music and an international Jewish performer and composer, originally from Russia. The concert will also feature Merlin Shepherd, one of the world’s leading players of traditional East European Klezmer Clarinet. Organised by London Borough of Richmond upon Thames & Landmark Arts Centre in aid of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Landmark Arts Centre.
To book the concert only, please see the link.
Fee – £5.50
tel. 020 8977 7558
There will also be an all day Choral Workshop before the concert (see below).
To book your place on the workshop please contact The Landmark Arts Centre.
TEL: 020 8977 7558
EMAIL: education@landmarkartscentre.org COST: £20

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London Schubertiade 2020
2020-02-08 14:30 - 21:00 UTC
CONCERT PARTY presents
Two concerts featuring the works of Mozart and Schubert
Saturday, 8th February
St James’ Church, Islington
Prebend Street, London N1 8PF
3.00 pm London Schubertiade 2020 Free of charge
Celebrating Schubert in time-honoured style with songs, piano solos, duets, and instrumental music plus poetry and readings. A Schubert song will be performed in Yiddish (!) by an ensemble of singers in four parts in the afternoon concert! Also, Polina Shepherd be singing a couple of songs. Come and enjoy this unusual take on Schubert in the free afternoon concert and join us for the evening too!

7.00 pm Chamber Music Recital with The Rubenstein Ensemble
Mark Lacey, clarinet Natalee Jeremic, violin Chris Brody, viola
Anna Tam, cello and soprano Robin Rubenstein, piano
Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478
Mozart: Trio No. 7 in Eb “Kegelstatt”, K. 498 for Clarinet, Viola and Piano
Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat, D. 898 for Violin, Cello and Piano
Schubert: Shepherd on the Rock, D. 965 for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano
Tickets: £15 to include interval drinks
Available at the door or in advance from: markrichardlacey@aol.com
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Maslenitsa Choir concert in London
2020-02-28 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
St. George’s Church, Bloomsbury.
Bloomsbury Way, Holborn, London WC1A 2SA

7 – 8.30pm

Come and enjoy Russian songs during one of the most exciting folk festival, the Russian Butter Week – Maslenitsa.

The London Russian Choir

The Brighton & Hove Russian Choir

Traditional songs for pagan holidays, wedding, dance and lyrical folk songs, much loved by Russians Art Songs (Romances) from 18-19th centuries, popular Soviet songs as well as classical pieces by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and more…

Led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd (Russia /UK)

Buy tickets here: (£10)

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Voices of Hope Winston's Wish Concert - Brighton
2020-02-29 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | George’s Church, Brighton St Georges Rd, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 1ED, United Kingdom
Voices of Hope. 29 February, doors open at 7pm – This event has been CANCELLED
St George’s Church, St George’s Road, Brighton, BN2 1ED
Join us for a memorable evening of musical delights at our Voice of Hope concert at St George’s Church in Brighton on Saturday 29th February.
Four fabulous local choirs, Brighton and Hove Acapella, howl, Brighton & Hove Chutzpah Choir and We Bop Choir, will be performing an eclectic mix of choral classics, top hits and golden oldies in this iconic venue.
Our Voices of Hope concert will help raise vital funds and awareness for Winston’ Wish and our work supporting grieving children in Sussex and across the UK.
There will be a cash bar serving wine, beer and soft drinks, as well as a raffle with some amazing prizes to be won, including vouchers for some of Brighton’s best eateries, a karaoke experience, paintballing and signed sports memorabilia.
Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children in advance, or limited tickets will be available on the door for £12 for adults and £7 for children. All proceeds from the evening will help Winston’s Wish support grieving children and their families across the UK.

Book here

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Sing With Me Online sessions
2020-03-21 18:00 - 2020-04-04 18:30 UTC
Here is my plan. Every day at 6 pm UK time, I’m going to do a SING WITH ME video session, about 30 minutes every single day. I will alternate Russian and Yiddish songs from day to day.
Every fifth day or so I will give a short concert with just a few songs and tell some fun stories from my professional life: playing for Boris Yeltsin, singing in -26C or being forced to drink a whole bottle of brandy playing for the rich in Samara… Merlin Shepherd will join me in some of the concert sessions on clarinet.
No knowledge of languages is needed! I will provide you with Latin transliteration and translate everything. It will be easy and fun!
Seeing I have lost all my work over the next weeks, I would appreciate a donation for these sessions although you can join me for free.
sing with me

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CANCELLED! Russian 7-string guitar music & Yiddish Song in London
2020-04-06 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF COVID-19 OLEG TIMOFEYEV’S VISIT TO THE UK HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
If you already purchased a ticket, it will be refunded.
WE ARE HOPING TO PERFORM THIS PROGRAMME IN THE UK NEXT YEAR…
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Doors open 19.00, concert starts 19.15 . Book here
Rossotrudnichestvo – Russian Cultural Centre in London
37 Kensington High Steet, Kensington, W8, London
In April 2020 the world’s leading expert on the Russian seven-string guitar Oleg Timofeyev will be touring the UK for the first time. For his London concert, he will present a program of 19th and 20th century instrumental music and accompany Brighton’s own Russian singer Polina Shepherd a few songs in Russian and Yiddish.
Both in Russia and in the West, very few people are aware of the magnitude and quality of the repertoire for the Russian seven-string guitar, the instrument from the times of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Chechov and Dostoevsky. This tradition was pretty much abandoned in Russia and elsewhere, when Mr. Timofeyev rolled up his sleeves, wrote a PhD on the subject, recorded more than 30 CDs, and started an annual Russian Guitar Festival in Iowa, USA. If there is anything you wanted to know about the Russian seven-string guitar (or semistrunka, as it often affectionately addressed), here is an opportunity not to be missed!
As much as the musical world is impressed by the number and quality of Oleg’s recordings, his live presentation offers the listener a special charm of intimate, engaging live performance. For pretty much every piece played on an original instrument by Johann Scherzer (ca. 1860), Timofeyev has an introduction to put it into historical and cultural context. For example, he will share with you a shockingly light-wing variations on the Russian anthem “God Save the Czar,” and explain the roots of the disproportional popularity of Oginski’s Polonaise in Russian and Soviet culture. He will play a selection of tunes from his project “Guitar in the Gulag,” dedicated to the life and work of Matvei Pavlov-Azancheev (1888-1963), who spent 10 years in a Stalin’s concentration camp where against all odds he managed to continue writing original music for the seven-string guitar, which enabled his survival amidst the atrocities of the Stalin’s regime.
Timofeyev’s collaboration with Polina started US in 2018, when they performed a selection of Yiddish songs by Mark Warshawsky. A native of Ukraine, Warshawsky was an early-20th century songwriter, who supposedly performed his songs to his own guitar accompaniment. In the concert on April 8 the audience will have a chance to hear what it sounded like, plus several celebrated art songs in Russian.
Ticket price £10 online, £15 on the door
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Sing With Me! Russian & Yiddish Songs + Concerts 6pm UK time
2020-04-07 18:00 - 2020-05-11 18:40 UTC
Siberia-born, Tatarstan-raised, and now UK-based Russian and Yiddish singer, pianist, and choir director Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd invites you to her SING WITH ME online class. Each session runs about 35 minutes. Polina alternates teaching Russian and Yiddish songs from day to day.
Every fifth day there is a short concert with guests: Merlin Shepherd, Lorin Sklamberg, Efim Chorny & Suzanna Ghergus (Moldova), Oleg Timofeyev(Iowa, USA), Joshua Horowitz (Berkeley, USA), Psoy Korolenko (Moscow – USA) have guested in the concert sessions, more guests are invited to join.
Polina also tells some fun stories from her professional travels like playing for Boris Yeltsin, singing a gig in -26°C (-14.8°F)…
No knowledge of languages is needed! Transliterations and translations are provided. It is easy and fun! Donations are appreciated but you can join the class free of charge too.
We’ve had 50 to 70 people joining us every day from Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Brazil, Italy, USA, Australia, Iceland, Belgium, Ukraine, the Netherlands…
To join the online class and for more information go to
https://www.polinashepherd.co.uk/sing-with-me/
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