Klezfest in St. Petersburg, Russian, Jul 20 - 23, 2002

The Center for Jewish Music of the Jewish Community Center of St. Petersburg is proud to announce "KlezFest in St. Petersburg 2002," an international seminar on the traditional music of Eastern European Jewry, to be held June 20-23, 2002 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

"KlezFest in St. Petersburg," now in its sixth year, is the oldest Klezmer seminar in Russia. The 2002 festival will include master-classes on Yiddish folk songs and Klezmer music, workshops on Yiddish folklore and Yiddish dance, lectures, concerts, and two excursions: "Jewish St. Petersburg" and "White Nights in St. Petersburg." As in previous years, our staff will include world-famous Yiddish musicians -- pianist and conductor Zalmen Mlotek and singer Adrienne Cooper, both from New York, and the brilliant Klezmer clarinetist from London, Merlin Shepherd. For the first time, Michael Alpert -- the world's leading expert on Yiddish dance, violinist, accordion player, vocalist, and ethnomusicologist -- will join the seminar's faculty.

"KlezFest in St. Petersburg," dedicated to bringing Klezmer music and Yiddish culture back to the lands of their birth, includes Jewish musicians from the vibrant centers of the Jewish renaissance across the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

This year again we are pleased to announce a special program for lovers of Yiddish music and culture from other parts of the globe. We are asking for a contribution of $500 ($400 for those who speak either Russian or Yiddish). This sum will include food and lodging in St. Petersburg for 5 days and the entire seminar program, including interpreters when needed, concerts and the two excursions. Participants will pay their own transportation to St. Petersburg.

For more information, please contact the Jewish Community Center of St. Petersburg via fax at (+7-812) 314-5117, or e-mail frenk@lea.spb.su.

For advice on travel and visa arrangements, contact our American sponsor, the Jewish Community Development Fund in Russia and Ukraine, a project of the American Jewish World Service (New York), via telephone: (+1-212) 273-1620 or 273-1642, or e-mail: jcdf@ajws.org.

Join us at "KlezFest in St. Petersburg" this summer! It is a unique opportunity for you to enjoy wonderful Yiddish melodies and the fantastic White Nights, a time you will never forget.