Dutch Yiddish Music Festival

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

I don't usually forward these, but this sounds like an
extraordinary event:

>From: Marjon <marjon(dot)veerkamp (at) tip(dot)nl>

>>From November 24 until December 1st the Second International 
>Yiddish Festival is going to take place in Amsterdam.  
>******************************************************
>Second International Yiddish Festival
> - dialogue between then and now -
>
> The Yiddish Woodstock
> The first International Yiddish Festival in 1991 meant for 
>many audience members an often surprising first encounter 
>with a culture, practically unknown to them. The festival was so
successful that the Yiddish press (The Daily Forward) named it 'der
yidisher Woodstock'. All performances were sold out,  potential
audiences went home disappointed. The enthusiasm was
>remarkable, since all programs were unknown. And the audience was
surprising: all ages, Jewish and non-Jewish. The 'discovery of the
Yiddish culture' seemed to fill an urgent need. Now, five years later,
we found the time right to broaden and deepen this budding interest.
>
>New generations
>It is interesting to see what is left of the pre-war richness of 
Yiddish culture, but it is even more interesting to witness how new
generations (Jewish and non-Jewish) approach this culture. The questions
asked are universal: 'does language assimilation mean: giving up your
own culture?',
>'is there such a thing as Yiddish in translation?', 'can Yiddish
culture be transmitted only by Jews?' and 'do minority cultures and the
surrounding majority culture influence each other?'. These questions are
undoubtedly recognisable and relevant to other minority cultures.
>
>Then and now
>The program connects the present and the past. Artists and experts from
'then' are present. On the other hand new generations will show
contemporary forms of age-old traditions. The stories of their lives and
their passion for the Yiddish language and culture are an important part
of the festival. The second International Yiddish Festival presents
theatremakers, singers and musicians who write new texts, compose new
music, bring unknown Yiddish repertoire or perform fresh interpretations
of known material. Since the interest in Yiddish music has grown and
there  is a multitude of musicgroups available, the quality of those
performing must be high and
>their pronunciation of Yiddish impeccable. Some performances are
bilingual, others will have translations in Dutch or English. 
>
>
>Themes
>Information about Yiddish culture will be given thematically. Each day
will have a different theme that will be discussed in roundtabletalks
and lectures. Performances, stories and films are also thematically
linked to the theme of the day.
>
>Themes are: 'the shtetl', 'revolutionary movements', 'Yiddish in the
world', 'women and Yiddish', 'assimilation or transformation?',
'transformation/future.'
>
>A few examples of the program
>Known and less known music and theatre groups will perform at the
festival. The klezmer-ensemble Brave Old World with singer Michael
Alpert who also writes new Yiddish texts, is one of the better known
groups. Brave Old Wold will give danceworkshops and a klezmermusic
workshop. Esta, a group of four Israeli's from New York, is popular in
the US. Hardly known in Europe they play jazzy klezmer and their own
compositions with influences of Middle-Eastern music. The beautiful
Argentinian singer Jacinta, who lives in Paris, will perform in
Amsterdam for the first time. The Shura Lipovksy (Amsterdam)/Zalmen
Mlotek (N.Y.)/Jeff Warschauer (N.Y.)-trio will bring a new program of
Chassidic songs.
>Each day the theme of the day will be discussed in a roundtabletalk by
experts from Holland and other countries. Director Anne van Delft is
putting together a daily    lunchperformance with food. In between the
'Yiddish' bites storytellers will tell stories gathered especially for
this festival. Sara Felder, juggler/writer/actress from San Francisco
performs her moving, hilarious solopiece about growing up Jewish and a
lesbian in the U.S. and her traditional Jewish wedding. The originally
Yemenite dancer Ze'eva Cohen (N.Y.) is choreographing a new dance on
Yiddish music especially for the festival.
>
>Moreover a.o.: Yiddish classes for absolute beginners,  workshops by
Jeff Warschauer, member of the Klezmer Conservatory Band
(stringinstruments), Shura Lipovsky, known dutch singer (singing) and
more, much more...      
>