Test Calendar - Ashkenaz Festival

August 27

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September 2

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Upcoming Events

Ashkenaz 2024

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Summer Jam 2024

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August 27

August 27

Past Event

The Golden Thread Septet

USA/Germany

An all-star string quintet led by Craig Judelman and featuring vocalists Lorin Sklamberg and Sasha Lurje. The group presents “Yiddish Songs of Social Change” in a moving program that straddles the line between old time fiddle kapelye and contemporary art ensemble.

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August 28

August 28

Past Event

Welcome To Yiddishland (International Premiere)

Australia

An upbeat, witty, and timely snapshot of the global Yiddish cultural renaissance. The film asks why artists create in Yiddish, what it means to them personally and professionally, and what obstacles they must overcome to revive what was once considered a dying language.

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August 29

August 29

Past Event

In the Footsteps of the Zimro Ensemble

NY/Boston/Toronto

Featuring acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer, this program re-creates the music of a famed sextet of Russian-Jewish virtuosi who toured the world a century ago championing early Jewish-themed classical music.

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August 30

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August 30

A Musical Shabbat feat. Jason Rosenblatt

Past Event

Israel/Montreal

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August 30

A Musical Shabbat with Jacob’s Ladder

Past Event

Boston/Toronto

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August 31

August 31

Past Event

El Khat

Israel/Germany

Drawing influence from Yemeni folk and pop records of the 1960s, El Khat create mesmerizing, otherworldly, retro-futurist sounds rooted simultaneously in tradition and modernity.

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August 31

Past Event

Havdallah

Thousands of people of all backgrounds gather to sing together and awaken their senses by smelling spices, drinking wine, and basking in firelight, as the passing of Shabbes (the Sabbath) is marked. Led by Aviva Chernick with colleagues from Beth Tzedec Congregation, in collaboration with Jewish bluegrass and Americana innovators Jacob’s Ladder.

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August 31

Past Event

Ilios Steryannis’ “Babylonia Suite”

Toronto

A sprawling canvas of Middle Eastern, Indo-jazz fusion, funk and hard bop styles, including music by the famed Al-Kuwaiti brothers of Baghdad.

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August 31

Past Event

Joshua Nelson’s “Kosher Gospel”

The “Prince of Kosher Gospel” returns to Ashkenaz with his infectious combination of African-American spiritual styles with Jewish liturgical music.

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August 31

Past Event

Justice: A Holocaust Zombie Story

Canada

The launch event for a daring new CJN podcast and innovative piece of Holocaust education designed for the digital age.

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August 31

Past Event

Lorin Sklamberg “Treasures of the YIVO Sound Archive”

An insiders’ tour of the treasures of the YIVO sound archive, one of the world’s largest repositories of audio materials pertaining to the Ashkenazic experience, including cantorial music, theater songs, comedy routines, Yiddish radio and, of course, klezmer.

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August 31

Past Event

Neshamayim

Toronto

Cantor Aviva Rajsky and Tom Bellman co-lead this smooth and jazzy ensemble that interprets Jewish texts and prayers with an eclectic musical palette.

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August 31

Past Event

Socalled Big Band

Montreal/Toronto

An epic program of Yiddish big band arrangements, performed by Festival favourite, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, with the 19-piece Toronto Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Josh Grossman.

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August 31

Past Event

Yiddish Dance Band

Participatory Yiddish dancing on the lawn at Harbourfront Centre is a time-honoured Ashkenaz tradition going back to our very first festival in 1995.

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September 1

September 1

Past Event

Ariane Morin

Montreal

With an all-star ensemble, Montreal-based Saxophonist Ariane Morin launches her new album of original klezmer dance music “Tantshoyz.”

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September 1

Past Event

AvevA Dese

Event Canceled

Ethiopian-Israeli singer-songwriter fuses ancestral sounds & grooves with her soul-pop melodies, producing a unique style with universal appeal.

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September 1

Past Event

Christopher Silver “Recording History”

Montreal

Discover the recordings and stories behind the twentieth-century musicians who brought Jewish and Muslim communities of North Africa together through music.

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September 1

Past Event

El Khat: Instrument DIY

Learn about the inspiring philosophy and inventive methodologies behind El Wahab’s craft in creating instruments from discarded items. Following this lecture, join him in an instrument-building workshop.

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September 1

Past Event

Galeet Dardashti “Monajat”

New York

Inspired by recordings of her late grandfather, Younes Dardashti – a famous master singer of Persian classical music in 1950s/60s Iran – Galeet brings to life the powerful musical ritual of Selihot in a unique soundscape of original music performed with an acclaimed ensemble of Middle Eastern and jazz musicians.

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September 1

Past Event

Jacob’s Ladder

Boston

Bluegrass and American roots music refracted through a Jewish spiritual and musical lens.

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September 1

Past Event

Jaffa Road

Toronto

Jaffa Road takes listeners on a journey that is at once ancient and modern, acoustic and electronic, sacred and secular. The group blends influences and inspirations from the worlds of Jewish music, classical Arabic and Indian music, modern jazz, blues, electronica, rock, pop, funk, and dub.

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September 1

Past Event

Jason Rosenblatt’s “Mi Yodeah? – Who Knows?”

Canada/Israel

An enchanting and ornate multi-movement tone poem inspired by music from Jewish liturgical and Israeli folk song sources, blended with elements of jazz and rock.

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September 1

Past Event

Mark Rubin: “Shalom Y’all: Jews in the American South”

New Orleans

A colourful portrait of Jewish life in the American South from antebellum days to the present.

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September 1

Past Event

Meet-the-Artist: Sasha Lurje

Berlin

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September 1

Past Event

Nizo Alimov Brass Band

Toronto/Macedonia

An after-hours Balkan brass dance party with Macedonian Trumpet virtuoso Nizo Alimov and his stellar band.

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September 1

Past Event

Noam Lemish “The Sand and the Sea: Exploring Israeli Jazz”

Toronto

Discover the incredible music making activities of Israeli jazz musicians whose work enhances knowledge of modern Israeli society, culture, and discourses.

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September 1

Past Event

Rabbi B

Toronto

With the help of some larger-than-life characters, interactive audience participation activities and visual props, Rabbi B’s performances are a celebration of friendship, good deeds and inner joy for children and their families.

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September 1

Past Event

Schmaltz and Pepper

Toronto

This exciting new klezmer-inspired ensemble blends jazz, Roma, and European folk with classical sensibilities in an explosive mix.

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September 1

Past Event

The Great Dolgini

Montreal

Mystery, illusion and laughs abound as The Great Dolgini (aka Socalled) demonstrates his sleight of hand with a daring display of magic, mischief and misdirection.

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September 2

September 2

Past Event

Ashkenaz Parade

One of the signature events of the Festival since its inception in 1995, the Ashkenaz parade is a joyous procession of music, pageantry and giant puppets.

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September 2

Past Event

The Last Horrah

This year’s festival comes to a close with a family-friendly community celebration at Sherman Campus, featuring the Ashkenaz Parade.

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455 Spadina Avenue Suite 303
Toronto, Ontario,
Canada M5S 2G8