The Klezmatics, Frank London and the Yidstock All-Stars, and David Krakauer’s Mazel Tov Cocktail Party are set to headline the 11th annual Yidstock: The Festival of New Yiddish Music. This vibrant event will take place at the Yiddish Book Center from Thursday, July 13 to Sunday, July 16, 2023. Curated by Yidstock artistic director Seth Rogovoy, this year’s lineup promises a mix of beloved performers and fresh faces, ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience for all attendees.
The festival will feature performances from well-known acts such as Merlin Shepherd, Nigunim Trio, and Lorin Sklamberg, alongside rising stars like Forshpil, Midwood, and clarinetist/composer Sam Sadigursky. In addition to the musical performances, Yidstock will offer a variety of workshops, talks, films, and artist conversations, providing a comprehensive celebration of Yiddish music and culture.
A new addition to this year’s festival is the Festival Artists-in-Residence program. This inaugural year will feature Eleanor Reissa and Socalled, who will make surprise appearances with other performers, participate in artist conversations, and lead short, casual sessions exploring their creative processes.
“Last year we were able to regain our footing with a live festival after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rogovoy. “This year, we are thrilled to present three artists and groups making their Yidstock debuts, as well as several international artists. We look forward to the magic and surprises that can only happen at a live event, which often provides a platform for spontaneous cross-pollination and jamming between performers.”
Susan Bronson, executive director of the Yiddish Book Center, echoed Rogovoy’s enthusiasm. “Yidstock is always a highlight of the year at the Yiddish Book Center. Once again, we are thrilled to bring together a remarkable group of musicians for a jam-packed program of concerts, talks, and workshops, welcoming audiences from near and far.”
The festival will kick off on Thursday, July 13, at 8pm with a performance by The Klezmatics, the Grammy Award-winning modern klezmer group. Founded in New York City in 1986, The Klezmatics have been performing their unique blend of traditional and progressive klezmer and Yiddish music around the world for decades.
On Friday, July 14, at 2pm, Yidstock newcomer Sam Sadigursky will perform excerpts from The Solomon Diaries, his suite for duo, accompanied by accordionist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Koci. Inspired by photographer Marisa Scheinfeld’s project, The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland, Sadigursky’s composition evokes the lost world of the Jewish Catskills through a blend of klezmer, folk, jazz, chamber music, and avant-garde elements. Following his concert, Sadigursky will discuss how he turned Scheinfeld’s photographs into music in a multimedia conversation with Seth Rogovoy at 3:30pm.
The Nigunim Trio, featuring vocalist/accordionist Lorin Sklamberg and trumpeter Frank London, will perform on Friday, July 14, at 5pm. They will be joined by special guest Merlin Shepherd, a world-renowned klezmer clarinetist from Brighton, England. The trio will present a unique blend of nigunim and zmiros, spiritual Hasidic-Jewish chants designed to induce a state of piety and ecstasy in both performer and listener.
On Saturday, July 15, at 8pm, composer/clarinetist David Krakauer will return to the Yiddish Book Center with his latest project, David Krakauer’s Mazel Tov Cocktail Party. This musical celebration, rooted in Krakauer’s signature Yiddish style, expands into a cross-cultural dance fusion. The project features an international crew, including Iranian percussionist Martin Shamoonpour, jazz bassist Jerome Harris, Montreal rapper Sarah MK, and electric guitarist Yoshie Fruchter.
The concert program on Sunday, July 16, will begin at noon with a performance by Midwood, a Brooklyn-based group led by violinist Jake Shulman-Ment. Making their Yidstock debut, Midwood is a contemporary klezmer/rock celebration of freedom and the Jewish tradition of wandering and migration. The group features some of the most exciting young performers on the international world music stage, including vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Eleonore Weill, guitarist Yoshie Fruchter, and drummer Richie Barshay.
At 3pm on Sunday, Forshpil, an international group founded in 2003 in Riga, Latvia, will take the stage. Led by vocalist Sasha Lurje and keyboardist/arranger Ilya Shneyveys, Forshpil breathes new life into dark and obscure Yiddish love songs through klezmer-infused rock rhythms, harmonies, and instruments. Their unique fusion feels both traditional and innovative, reminiscent of a jam session between Pink Floyd and the Doors at a Jewish wedding.
The festival will culminate with the return of the Yidstock All-Stars, led by Frank London, on Sunday, July 16, at 7pm. This once-in-a-lifetime grouping will perform a globally oriented program called “Yiddish Around the World.” The concert will feature performances by vocalist Eleanor Reissa, Montreal-based Josh Dolgin (aka Socalled), clarinetist Merlin Shepherd, vocalists Sasha Lurje, Lorin Sklamberg, Eleonore Weill, and Lauren Brody, among others.
In addition to the concerts, Yidstock will include a range of talks, films, and workshops. Highlights include “The Essential Klezmer” by Seth Rogovoy, based on his book of the same title, on Thursday, July 13, at 2pm; “Itzhak Perlman’s Jewish Violin,” by Hankus Netsky, on Thursday, July 13, at 4pm; and “Bronia, Leon, Ruth, Chane and Theo” with Hankus Netsky on Friday, July 14, at 10am.
Steve Weintraub, known as the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance,” will be in residence for the entire festival, leading his popular dance workshops on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, both at 10:30am. Brian Bender will teach his annual instrumental klezmer workshop on Saturday, July 15, from 1 to 3pm, and will accompany Asya Vaisman Schulman for her “Lomir Zingen! Yiddish Song Workshop” on Sunday, July 16, at 10:30am.
The Yiddish Book Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to recovering, celebrating, and regenerating Yiddish and modern Jewish literature and culture, hosts Yidstock. Since its founding in 1980, the Center has launched a wide range of bibliographic, educational, and cultural programs to share these treasures with the wider world.
Source: Yiddish Book Center, Seth Rogovoy
