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The seventh biennial Ashkenaz Festival takes over Toronto's Harbourfront Centre this Labour Day weekend.

The festival is one of the world's largest public celebrations of Yiddish and Jewish culture, featuring multidisciplinary artists and groups from Canada and around the world.

This year's festival marks the organization's bar mitzvah and as such, a roster of superbly talented performers will create a celebratory atmosphere to be enjoyed by all.

Here's a look at a few of the artists that will have audiences dancing the weekend away.

Nayekhovichi: Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, Nayekhovichi is the world's leading (and perhaps only) klezmer garage band.

Led by madman guitarist/vocalist Vanya Zhuk (known in some circles as the Jewish Jimi Hendrix), Nayekhovichi claim to be equally adept at performing for "oligarchic Jewish weddings" in Moscow as they are performing at hippie festivals in London and Krakow.

Two performances - Saturday, Aug. 30, midnight, Brigantine Room; and Monday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m., Toronto Star Stage.

Mitch Smolkin: A Song Is Born forges the creative talents of a group of internationally acclaimed musicians brought together by their love for making music. This dream project of singer Mitch Smolkin, former artistic director of Ashkenaz Festival, pushes the boundaries of Jewish music and invites in a world of new sounds and rhythms. Smolkin takes the stage Saturday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m., Enwave Theatre.

Tickets are $18 advance and $25 door.

Zully Goldfarb: From Buenos Aires comes Argentina's leading purveyor of authentic Yiddish tango music.

Argentinean musicians have for decades woven their Yiddish musical heritage with that of their adopted home, resulting in a stunning hybrid form. With her ethereal voice and charming presence, Zully Goldfarb performs a unique repertoire of indigenous Argentinean Yiddish tangos and rearrangements of Yiddish classics such as Papirosn and Mayn Yiddishe Mame in tango style.

Toronto's leading tango dancers Roxana and Fabian will also join the performance Sunday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m., Enwave Theatre. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 door.

Flory Jagoda: Following the 15th century Spanish Inquisition, Sephardic Jews who settled in Mediterranean countries preserved their traditions and their Ladino language while blending in the musical flavours and rhythms of their adopted countries.

Into this rich heritage, Flory Jagoda was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and later emigrated to the U.S. For the last six decades, she has made it her personal mission to keep alive the rich Ladino musical tradition of Bosnia's Jews, earning her recognition as the Keeper of the Flame.

Now in her 80s, Jagoda continues to perform and is known worldwide as one of the only authentic performers of Ladino music. Her show is Monday, Sept. 1 at 1:15 p.m., Enwave Theatre.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 door.

Andy Statman: Grammy-nominee Andy Statman's music is a unique and often unpredictable mix of bluegrass and American roots, avant-garde jazz and Jewish sounds from klezmer and Hassidic sources. Over the years, he's collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Bela Fleck, Ricky Skaggs and others. He performs Monday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m., Enwave Theatre. Tickets are $25.

The seventh biennial Ashkenaz Festival is an amazing glimpse into the diversity and evolution of Yiddish and Jewish culture. Visit www.ashkenazfestival.com for details on festival events, artists and scheduling.

 

Jon Sarpong is the diversity officer at Durham College and UOIT. He provides independent diversity training and consultation for various organizations. Contact Jon by e-mailing jsarpong@hotmail.com.