|
The 7th ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL takes
place August 26 to September 1, 2008, at Harbourfront Centre
and various satellite locations throughout Toronto, Canada.
Programming highlights include Jewish funk supergroup
Abraham Inc. (featuring Fred
Wesley, David Krakauer, and Socalled);
Argentinian Yiddish Tango diva Zully Goldfarb;
legendary mandolinist/clarinetist Andy
Statman; Ukrainian brass band Konsonans
Retro; Kosher Gospel with Joshua
Nelson; Russian Klezmer garage band Nayekhovichi;
and Sephardic Jewish music with Pharaoh's
Daughter and Flory Jagoda;
and from Canada, jazz pianist Marilyn
Lerner, Ken Whiteley & David
Wall, Theresa Tova, Shtreiml, Beyond the Pale, Michael Wex,
Allen Merovitz, Sisters of Sheynville, and many more.
The ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL
is one of the world's largest public celebrations of Yiddish
and Jewish culture. Each edition of this multidisciplinary event
presents approximately 50-75 artists/groups from Canada and
around the world, working in music, film, theatre, dance, literature,
craft, and visual arts. This year's festival promises as diverse
a program as ever, with artists from over a dozen countries.
Once again the famous Ashkenaz Parade
will enliven Harbourfront Centre on Labour Day with a community
celebration featuring music, dance, massive puppets, stilt-walkers,
and overall group revelry, featuring Shadowland
Theatre.
The ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL
was founded in 1995 by David Buchbinder, Bruce Rosensweet, and
Dianne Wienrib. The 2008 Festival celebrates the organization's
"Bar Mitzvah," and will be the first Ashkenaz
Festival presented by the new (as of fall 2006) management
team of Executive Director Karen Tisch
and Artistic Director Eric Stein.
The Ashkenaz Foundation
is a community-based non-profit organization which fosters an
increased awareness of Yiddish and Jewish culture through the
arts. Showcasing the work of leading contemporary artists from
Canada and around the world, Ashkenaz
places an equal emphasis on preservation and innovation within
its cultural milieu. ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL
programming incorporates many other manifestations of Jewish
music and art beyond Klezmer/Yiddish, and actively pursues fusion
and cross-cultural exchange with artists from outside Jewish
cultural traditions through commissioned work and special projects.
The Ashkenaz Foundation places
a strong emphasis on local and emerging talent, as well as on
education and community outreach.
THE 7th BIENNIAL ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL
August 26 - September 1, 2008
HARBOURFRONT CENTRE
MOST EVENTS FREE!
416.979.9901 or www.ashkenazfestival.com
416.973.4000 or www.harbourfrontcentre.com
|
