150 Voices - a unique programme of Russian & Yiddish songs with a large group of singers with a lead singer of a Grammy winning band The Klezmatics Lorin Sklamberg (USA) and Polina Shepherd. Here is how it works: we come to your town, teach a workshop and then put a public performance together. This can be with an existing choir, several choirs brought together or a group of people who come together just for the event. Workshop can be anything from 3 hours with an existing choir or a weekend to a full week with a weekend concert or two.
Bring this to your town! Contact Polina for more information.
Go to the CD page for audio samples, CD lyrics and more...
Buy a digital CD / streaming
Buy a physical copy from Detour Books (USA) here.
Participating choirs:
The Brighton & Hove Yiddish Choir
The Brighton & Hove Russian Choir
A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus, Boston Workers Circle . Director – Derek David
In 2019, The British Library issued a grant to preserve music being made in the UK but originally comes from elsewhere. In August 2019, a Brighton based organisation BestFoot Music made a recording of four Brighton and London choirs led by Polina, Yiddish and Russian, joined by Lorin & Polina singing as a duo. This session and will be included in the British Library archive. Rough edits of these 8 songs can be heard here.
A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus in Boston is directed by Derek David. This intergenerational community “weaves the heartache and irrepressible idealism of Yiddish folk music into a vision of justice and humanity for the 21st century” (a quote from their web page). Both Lorin and Polina had worked with the chorus in the past. The idea to record together was met by the Chorus and Derek with great enthusiasm. In December 2019, 80 members of the chorus sat shoulder to shoulder in a small studio outside Boston singing with the duo for the first time… for 6 hours! As a result, we have three traditional Yiddish songs and a Yiddish version of Holly Near’s I am willing as part of the project.
To make this into a full CD, Lorin and Polina recorded a few songs as a duo in New York, their usual folk, art and original songs from the two cultures.
Lorin Sklamberg – voice, guitar, accordion
Polina Shepherd – voice, piano
When the world needs beauty and unity, when we all need love and kindness, we sing together and we fill our lives and the world with music. We bring cultures together, we bring countries together, we cherish beautiful songs from the past, create our own songs of the present and move ourselves into the future.
We are five choirs in London and Brighton, UK and Boston, USA brought together by two international cultural activists: a Siberian-born singer, composer and choir leader Polina Shepherd (Brighton) and the lead singer of the Grammy winning Klezmatics Lorin Sklamberg (New York).
Together we explore the connection between the Steppes and the Shtetl through folk and art songs, arranged specifically for this project, and newly composed originals.
150 Voices by Tela Zasloff
Tela Zasloff is a writer, editor and English professor living in Williamstown, in western Massachusetts. Read the full article here
.... Yiddish songs have always been central, throughout our history, in urging us to remember that culture -- a greater awareness of common humanity in terms of frailty, vulnerability to illness and mortality, and of the power of exchanging stories about our leaving our homes, either by choice or force. The melodies of Yiddish songs, some based in ancient modes, and its plain-spoken lyrics, sing directly to our hearts and make possible the continued survival and nurturing of that culture.
....... Polina Shepherd, née Skovoroda, born in Siberia, is a passionate advocate of singing Yiddish songs together with others. “I feel very strongly about bringing people together through singing, also about Yiddish singing, which is a very fragile culture.” ... Polina has just put out a CD (“150 Voices”) of her Russian and Yiddish choirs, with Lorin Sklamberg, lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning Klezmatics, and herself as a duo. Read more
Song list, UK session
UK : Lorin & Polina with four choirs
- Volt Ikh Gehat Koyekh – Если бы были силы – Yesli by byli Sily – If my Voice were Louder
Yiddish / Russian. Traditional Hasidic song, Yiddish adapted A Cooper
- A Viglid fun Svetlane – Колыбельная Светлане – Kolybel’naya Svetlane – A Lullaby for Sv’etlana. Russian / Yiddish. lyrics A Gladkov, music T Khrennikov, Yiddish translation A Vergelis
- Fort Mayn Shif – My Ship goes . Yiddish. lyrics D Rodin, music P Shepherd
- Utushka – Утушка – Little Duck. Russian. Russian folk song
- Af Rusishe Felder – In Russian Fields. Yiddish. lyrics D Hofshteyn, music P Shepherd
Lorin & Polina with London and Brighton & Hove Russian choirs
- Nad Polyami Zor’ka Svetlaya – Над Полями Зорька Светлая – Above the Fields the Dawn is Bright. Russian. lyrics V Pukhnachev, music V Levashov
- Bud’te Zdarovy – Будьте здоровы – Live long and prosper. Russian & Yiddish. lyrics A Rusak (Belorussian), translation M Isakovsky, music I Luban
Lorin & Polina with London and Brighton & Hove Yiddish choirs
- A Malekh Veynt – An Angel Weeps. Yiddish. lyrics & music P Hirshbein
RECORDING ENGINEERS AND STUDIOS
Brighton: Phillip Minns, Best Foot Music and Julian Tardo, Church Road Studios
St Michaels C of E Church. The recording is supported by The British Library
New York: Scott Lehrer, Scott Lehrer Sound Design,Ltd
Boston: Eric Kilburn, Wellspring Sound Recording Studio
Song list, USA sessions
USA: BOSTON SESSION
Lorin & Polina with A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus, conductor – Derek David.
-
Un Du Akerst – And you plow. Yiddish. lyrics H Zhitlovsky based on a poem by G Herwegh, music – unknown
- Gris, Bagris Zey Mit Gezang – Greet them with Singing. Yiddish. lyrics L Lehrer, 3rd verse M and M Lakin, music L Weiner
- Mekhutonim Geyen – The In-Laws Are Arriving. Yiddish. lyrics adapted from M Warshawshky, music S Berezovsky
- Kh’hob dem Gloybn – I am Willing. Yiddish & English. lyrics Holly Near, Yiddish translation Y Vedenyapin
NEW YORK SESSION Lorin & Polina Duo
-
Fun vanen heybt zikh on a libe – Where does Love come from. Yiddish. Folk song
- Khvalyes shlogn afn Yam – Как на море Валы бьют – Kak na Mor’e Valy bjut – Waves are rolling in the Sea. Yiddish & Russian. Russian folk song, Yiddish translation by A Fruman
- Fun a feldele – По Полю, Полю – Pa Pal’u, Pal’u – From a Field. Yiddish & Russian. Russian folk song, Yiddish translation by A Fruman
- Oyfn Yam veyet a Vintele – Over The Sea The Breezes Are Blowing. Yiddish. Folk song
- Mit Halb Farmakhte Oygn – With Half-Shut Eyes. Yiddish. lyrics A Margolin, music P Shepherd
- Keyner veyst es nisht – No one knows it. Yiddish. lyrics R Korn, music P. Shepherd