Kick-Off Party | From Tel Aviv to DCDJ Crew SoulicoSaturday, May 31, 10:00 pmVenue: Station 9Here to take DC by storm, DJ crew Soulico is kicking-off the Washington Jewish Music Festival with a bang. Party to a unique mix of funk-accented power pop, Middle Eastern melodies and techno-rave. more info..."The DJ crew taking Tel Aviv by storm, rock dizzying sets that command you to dance in the languages of almost every continent." —The Washington Post
Opening day | Regina Spektor, Mandy Patinkin and Mashina Sunday, June 1, Noon-5pm Venue: National MallCelebrate Israel’s 60th birthday with the opening of the Washington Jewish Music Festival on the National Mall. Regina Spektor, internationally-acclaimed singer, songwriter and pianist, will headline the celebration, along with Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin, who will emcee the program as well as perform, Israeli rock band, Mashina, and Sesame Street Muppets Oscar the Grouch and his Israeli cousin Moishe Oofnik. The FREE event is part of the community-wide festival, Israel @ 60: A Capital Celebration, hosted by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in partnership with the Embassy of Israel and other community organizations. more info...
Ma Yafit (How Beautiful You Are): Love Poetry Set to Jazz Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, vocals and compositions; Anat Fort, piano; Rafi Malkiel, tromboneSunday, June 1, 7:00 pmVenue:Bohemian CavernsAyelet Rose Gottlieb, Anat Fort and Rafi Malkiel, three talented Israeli jazz musicians based in New York City perform selections from Ayelet Rose Gottlieb’s acclaimed song cycle Mayim Rabim, based on the Song of Songs (Tzadik label, 2006), and from her music to contemporary Hebrew poetry. A wonderful mixture of jazz, Sephardic, klezmer, and Middle Eastern rhythms, these songs combine the beauty and richness of Hebrew poetry with modern melodies and improvisation. more info...“The stunning Gottlieb possesses a powerful voice, using it with authority” — JazzTimes Magazine
Beyond the Pale Monday, June 2, 7:30 pmWashington DCJCCAward-winning and critically-acclaimed, Toronto's Beyond the Pale is one of the most exciting ensembles in the Canadian folk, roots, and world music scenes. Their explosive acoustic sound is inspired by a wide range of cross-cultural influences, from European folk styles (Klezmer, Balkan, Gypsy, Romanian) to contemporary and North American styles (bluegrass, jazz, reggae, funk, and more). They are known for their instrumental virtuosity, infectious energy, and unique repertoire featuring both original compositions and inventive arrangements of traditional material. more info...
“A rich musical experience which can touch your soul with its plaintive melodies..."— Canadian Musician Magazine
Tuesday, June 3, 8:00 pmWashington DCJCCA story for the ages set to an entirely new tune, this 1920s cinematic masterpiece is based on the Jewish myth of a soulless clay giant created to serve and protect the Jews of 16th century Prague. The film will be accompanied by Daniel Hoffman’s award-winning score performed live by the band Davka. more info...“The Golem’s high-art cinematic expressionism is expertly complemented by this bassoon-violin-cello-doumbek-zarb combo...” — East Bay Express
Theater J's New Musical David in Shadow and Light Wednesday, June 4, 7:30 pmWashington DCJCCAn epic musical retelling of King David's astonishing trajectory from boy shepherd, to superstar ruler, to aging king, this visually stunning production incorporates thrilling dance sequences and a post-modern frame through which we can identify with the triumphs and travails of one of the most complex and charismatic figures in biblical history. Following the performance, ethnomusicologist and clarinetist Joel Rubin will lead a discussion with composer and violinist Daniel Hoffman. more info...
The Voice of A Sage: Rachael Sage and the Sequins
Opening: DC's Mara LeviWednesday, June 4, 7:30 pmVenue: DC9 NightclubTalented East Village pianist, singer, songwriter and poet, Rachael Sage has been making gutsy pop music from early on. Sage, whose music has been described by The Village Voice as “earthiness, color and emotion,” is known for her vibrant performances that blend vaudevillian kitsch with classically tinged art-pop. more info...“Genuine talent... Sage has a knack for writing melodies that will break your heart without making you feel manipulated in the process... Where there’s poignancy there’s also subtlety, unforced passion and knowing observation.” — Rolling Stone Magazine
Rhythm & Roots: The Afro-Semitic Experience for KidsFriday, June 6, 10:00 amWashington DCJCCThe Afro-Semitic Experience will lead in a morning of fun for kids and grown-ups with an interactive performance filled with energy, music and rhythm, exploring the music of Jewish and African Diasporas. Pre-K and kindergarteners with their parents, caregivers or teachers are invited to join this delightful morning of rhythm and roots. more info..."...jazz collaborators David Chevan and Warren Byrd are so good at what they do…The Afro-Semitic Experience brings home the bacon and the gefilte fish.” — Valley AdvocateMusical Erev Shabbat with Linda HirschhornFriday, June 6, 8:30 pmWashington DCJCCCantor, composer, arranger, choral conductor, and director of Vocolot ensemble, Linda Hirschhorn will co-lead a musical Erev Shabbat service with Rabbi Robert Saks of Congregation Bet Mishpachah, the event's co-sponsor. more info...Closing Night | David Buchbinder's Odessa/HavanaSaturday, June 7, 8:00 pmWashington DCJCCAn exciting Jewish-Cuban musical fusion, Odessa/Havana is led by award-winning trumpeter and composer David Buchbinder and includes some of today’s most accomplished jazz musicians. While Odessa and Havana may seem many miles apart, their musical associations are multi-layered and rooted in their common ancestry on the Iberian Peninsula—sharing Sephardic, Arabic, Roma (Gypsy) and North African forbearers. more info..."… [the compositions are] delicately textured and dazzlingly tuneful, but it’s the powerful, swinging and lyrical playing that ultimately sells the project.” — Globe & MailThe Sheynville ExpressSisters of Sheynville
Sunday, June 8, 11:30 amWashington DCJCCInspired by the Barry Sisters of the 1930s old-time radio era, this high-energy, all-female sextet brings Yiddish swing, klezmer and roots music to life. Since their debut in 2005, the “wildly successful” (Wholenote Magazine) Sisters of Sheynville have amassed an impressive festival and club performance resume. The band’s original music and arrangements of both traditional and jazz material combine serious musicianship, complexity and intricate musical thought with a fun approach to performance. more info...
“While these ladies are not really sisters, and there is no place called Sheynville…the music here is genuine and impassioned. It left me wanting more. So stamp my passport, I’m hopping on the Sheynville Express!” — Klezmershack.com
ContactFestival Assistant(202) 777-3251info@wjmf.org
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