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Klezfest St. Petersburg official site |
The Jewish Community Center of St. PetersburgPresentsFestival of Traditional Jewish Music:KLEZFEST ST. PETERSBURGJewish folk musicians — klezmorim — played at weddings in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, their melodies can be heard in the most prestigious concert halls of the world. The word “klezmer” (Yiddish for “musician”) has even been adopted into many different languages, winning admirers of all different background, and designating a new direction in modern popular music. The wave of interest in traditional Jewish musical culture has now come back to the countries where it originated more than a century ago. Annually, during the time of the White Nights, musicians from different cities in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and the Baltic countries, gather in the City on Neva. Here, they participate in “Klezfest St. Petersburg,” organized by the Jewish Community Сenter of Saint Petersburg. KlezFest was first conceived in the 1990’s as a program for musicians from Jewish communities of the former USSR, which were beginning to revive. Since then, KlezFest has developed into a prestigious international music forum. At KlezFest, klezmorim from different countries and different continents gather for dialogue, for the exchange of experiences and information, and most of all — for playing music together. KlezFest’s concerts have become an integral part of the summer cultural life of Petersburg. Participating and performing together in this festival are world-famous stars of klezmer music from the USA and Western Europe, as well as popular klezmer bands from Moscow, Kharkov, Riga, Kishinev and other cities of the former Soviet Union. Extraordinary musicians, participants and creators of the new klezmer revival, they share with the audience original treasures of Jewish folk music. Address of the Festival’s Organizing Committee: |
