Polina performs solo programmes as well as collaborations with various musicians. Here are some of the current ongoing projects.
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- Solo – voice and piano – Polina presents a variety of original songs including her solo album Three Centuries Ago, some of the songs with her own poetry. See some solo programme options here.
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- The Stranniki – voices, piano – is a duo with a “wandering scholar” Psoy Korolenko (Russia/US) is a multilingual, cross-genre folk-cabaret.
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- Merlin and Polina Shepherd duo (UK) – clarinets, voice, piano – travel the world and have a reputation of The Led Zeppelin of Klezmer presenting music from East European and southern Mediteranian with improvisation, freedom and spontaneity.
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- Slavic Voices choir – under Polina’s direction perform music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, classics by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Schnittke, Art songs and folklore from the far corners of Siberia to the banks of the Black Sea on their own and in collaboration with other choirs, bands and soloists. Based in London and Brighton & Hove.
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- Caravan Orchestra and Choir is a German – Israeli/Palestinian youth project (2021 – 2024), where Polina, as Artistic Director and conductor, experiments with creating musical forms on the spot with a 40+ group of musicians with classical, jazz and Arab music backgrounds. Part of Yiddish Summer Weimar. Caravan O&C usually perform in Germany in August.
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- Sklamberg & The Shepherds trio – voices, piano, clarinets, accordion – brings together three renowned performers of traditional Eastern European Jewish music: Lorin Sklamberg, cofounder and lead singer of the Klezmatics; clarinetist/composer Merlin Shepherd, a uniquely innovative force in the klezmer renaissance; and Polina Shepherd, a virtuosic vocalist/pianist/composer originally from Siberia. This fresh collaboration blends traditional and newly composed Yiddish and Russian song with klezmer and southern Mediterranean music. UK / USA.
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- Sound & Light Cinematic Duo (UK) – piano, clarinets, saxophone – is a duo playing live accompaniment to black & white silent films from 1910-1930.
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- The Izba, the Shtibl and the Global Village is a gorgeous melange of Russian song and Yiddish / klezmer with the lead singer of the Grammy winning Klezmatics (USA).
Dear Polina,
I hope this message finds you well. I wondered if you currently had any project ongoing in Bristol. I would love to sing Slavic songs, though I am not a singer (but I do speak some Russian and Polish).
Kind regards,
Marlène.
Dear Marlène, I am sorry I didn’t respond sooner as I was travelling all summer. I may have written you an email – I seem to remember that… but if not, I am sorry to say I don’t have anything in Bristol on a regular basis. I am coming to do a workshop and concert in October for EnMasse festival. Come sing with me: https://www.polinashepherd.co.uk/event/en-masse-festival-bristol-uk/.
Best wishes. Polina