2012 08 02 Ashkenaz
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Media Contact : Jon Campbell | 416-973-4655 [email protected] | media.harbourfrontcentre.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ashkenaz Celebrates Global Jewish Culture at Harbourfront Centre Aug 28-Sept 3, 2012 TORONTO, ON (*Aug. 2, 2012) – Harbourfront Centre is pleased to announce the biennial return of the Ashkenaz Festival . The week-long festival, held this year from Tuesday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 3 , celebrates cutting- edge and traditional culture from the international Jewish scene. The Ashkenaz Festival, which began in 1995 and has grown into one of the city’s favourites, features events spanning music, film, theatre, dance and more, celebrating the variety of cultures that comprise the international Jewish community. Over 200 individual artists from over a dozen countries, including Uganda, India, Australia, Argentina and Mexico, will descend upon Harbourfront Centre, demonstrating the diversity and depth of Jewish arts and culture. Highlights of Ashkenaz include performances, workshops, activities and more: • Music from Yemen Blues , who mix Yemenite-Jewish song and poetry with West African grooves, jazz, blues and funk; Shye Ben Tzur, who combines Hebrew, Middle-Eastern and Indian influences; the post-Soviet klezmer-pop-party-music of Opa! ; Toronto’s 13-piece Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk Super-Band Lemon Bucket Orchestra ; the Canadian premiere of 99 year-old Toronto composer and Holocaust survivor Leo Spellman ’s “lost” composition and others; • Theatre Panik’s production of The Corpse Bride ; • Family fun including the always-popular Ashkenaz Parade and the return of two of North America’s premier entertainers, Sharon and Bram , who add Yiddish songs alongside their classic repertoire; • …and much more! Listings information is below. For additional information and complete event listings, the public may visit harbourfrontcentre.com/summer or call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000 . Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West in the heart of downtown Toronto’s waterfront. ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE SUMMER FESTIVALS Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, not-for-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront. Our summer festival season runs from Victoria Day weekend through Thanksgiving weekend, and features over 20 festivals and events that offer The World in One Place . For more information visit harbourfrontcentre.com/summer ABOUT THE ASHKENAZ FOUNDATION: The Ashkenaz Foundation is a community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an increased awareness of Yiddish and Jewish culture through the arts. Through its biennial festival and an expanding slate of year-round programming, Ashkenaz showcases the work of leading contemporary artists from Canada and around the world working in music, film, theatre, dance, literature, craft and visual arts. The Foundation incorporates in its mandate and programming many other manifestations of pan-Jewish music and art beyond Klezmer/Yiddish, including an expanding commitment to the art and culture of Sephardic, Ladino and Mizrahi Jews. Ashkenaz also actively pursues fusion and cross-cultural exchange with artists from outside Jewish cultural traditions through commissioned work and special projects. For listings info, hi-res images and more media resources, visit our summer media page : harbourfrontcentre.com/summer/media -30- To unsubscribe from Harbourfront Centre's media database, please email: [email protected] Media Contact : Jon Campbell | 416-973-4655 [email protected] | media.harbourfrontcentre.com ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL LISTINGS MUSIC Lerner and Moguilevsky Duo (Argentina) Thursday August 30 at 7 p.m., part of the Music in the Garden series Inspired by Klezmer, jazz, tango and many other world music influences, this dynamic Argentinian duo is known for their practically telepathic musical connection and exceptionally dynamic live performances. Mitch Smolkin (Toronto) Rexite on the Radio: The Golden Age of Yiddish American Music Saturday Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. In 1930s New York, there were over 23 radio stations broadcasting Yiddish programs, but by the 1940s, heartthrob crooner Seymour Rexite had become the king of Yiddish radio. Performing unforgettable translations with his wife and collaborator Miriam Kressyn, at the height of his popularity the smooth-as-scotch tenor starred on 18 radio shows a week. From his command performance before President Calvin Coolidge to his famous broadcasts on WEVD, Rexite left an indelible mark on the American Jewish experience. The incredible life of this legendary Yiddish matinee idol is brought to life in a deliciously entertaining retrospective by singer, actor and former Ashkenaz artistic director Mitch Smolkin, accompanied by renowned pianist and composer Nina Shapilsky. Audiences will hear the American Songbook and the great Broadway hits of the 20th century as they were heard on thousands of radios across the country — in Yiddish! Co-presented with UJA Committee For Yiddish. Guy Mendilow Ensemble (USA) Saturday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Starting in ancient Spain and winding through Sarajevo, Salonica and Jerusalem, the award-winning Guy Mendilow Ensemble breathes new life into centuries-old Sephardi songs. Epic tales of sailors and love lost to the seas, fantastic dreams and the intrigue of kings and queens abound in arrangements that crackle with rich musical storytelling. In this emotionally-powerful artistic voyage, a new world of Ladino music is rendered with warm harmonies, intricate textures, and spellbinding rhythms. Veretski Pass (USA): The Klezmer Shul Saturday , Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. NOTE: Ticketed event ($15 advanced, $18 day-of) Veretski Pass takes its name from the mountain pass through which Magyar tribes crossed into the Carpathian basin to settle what later became the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Their “old country” music has origins in the Ottoman Empire and combines Carpathian, Jewish, Romanian, and Ottoman styles into original compositions. Their latest work, The Klezmer Shul , attempts to bridge the gap between the sacred and the secular through purely instrumental music. With structural elements of the classical sonata, traditional klezmer dance suite and avant- garde jazz, the work is intended to give the listener an emotional experience comparable to attending a religious service and is dedicated to the memory of musicians lost to war. Co-presented by The Music Gallery. Finjan (Winnipeg) Saturday September 1 at 8 p.m. Embracing Eastern-European Jewish traditions, Finjan reflects a combination of virtuosity, soul, wit and inventiveness. While much of the Klezmer Revival centered in the US, Finjan was founded in Winnipeg in 1982, marking the official arrival of this musical movement in Canada. Finjan provided thousands of Canadians, with their first klezmer and Yiddish music experiences, and their work paved the way for the creation of other successful Canadian klezmer groups. Largely inactive over the last decade, Finjan’s 30th anniversary reunion at the Ashkenaz Festival marks their first performance together since 2005. Sponsored by the Gail Asper Family Foundation. Socalled (Montreal) Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9:30 p.m. Socalled is a pianist, producer, composer, arranger, rapper, singer, journalist, photographer, filmmaker, magician, Media Contact : Jon Campbell | 416-973-4655 [email protected] | media.harbourfrontcentre.com cartoonist and puppet-maker based in Montreal. Socalled found his own voice through his discovery of old Jewish music – Hassidic, Israeli, klezmer, cantorial synagogue music and Yiddish theatre tunes – and has incorporated them into his own sample-based beats. He has collaborated with a range of artists spanning across generational, social, cultural and religious spectra including Fred Wesley, Boban Markovic, the Mighty Sparrow, Lhasa, Killah Priest, Matisyahu and Theodore Bikel. His latest album, Sleepover , continues his mission to cross boundaries, explore different cultures and styles and mix old and new sounds, acoustic and electric instruments, digital and analog recording techniques -- all in the service of creating something catchy, smart, hilarious, emotional and timeless. Global Shtetl Cabaret Saturday, Sept. 1 at 10 p.m. An eclectic revolving stage showcasing the diversity and vibrance of Jewish music traditions from all around the world. Toronto’s Aviva Chernick hosts a stellar lineup including her own group, Jaffa Road, plus David Buchbinder, Shye Ben Tzur, Basya Schechter, Guy Mendilow and many more. Opa! (Russia) North American Premier Saturday, Sept. 1 at 11 p.m. Post-Soviet klezmer and pop collides with reggae, ska, funk and rock in the electrifying party music of Opa!. Opa! unites musicians from different parts of the former USSR in Saint Petersburg, the vibrant multicultural capital of Russia. Fired by unrestrained joy and irreverence, their music expresses the freedom and euphoria of the post- Soviet music scene. Their openhearted shows, multilingual lyrics, and willingness to give it all to the audience create a wild festive atmosphere that promises to make you laugh, sing, and dance. In association with KlezKanada and J-Academy Russian-Jewish Summer Camp. Bob Bossin (Gabriola Island, BC): Songs and Stories of Davy the Punk Sunday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. Canadian folk legend and indie-music pioneer Bob Bossin sings and talks about his father’s life in Toronto’s