The 14th live edition of the Ashkenaz Festival will take place August 27 to September 2, 2024, at multiple venues across Toronto. The Festival will once again celebrate Jewish musical and artistic creativity from across the globe, spotlighting diverse musical expressions of the Jewish experience, with everything from klezmer and Yiddish styles to Sephardic, Mizrachi, and Falasha music, and much more.
The Ashkenaz Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious showcases of Jewish music and culture anywhere in the world. Since 1995, the festival has taken place biennially at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto’s premier venue for the presentation of world and folk culture and for the meeting of diverse communities through the arts. Originally founded as a showcase for Klezmer music and Yiddish culture, the Ashkenaz Festival has evolved over the years into an eclectic showcase of global Jewish art and culture, encompassing not merely the traditions of eastern Europe, but also Sephardic, Mizrachi and Israeli culture, and all manner of cross-cultural fusion. The Festival is offered 90% free to the public and attracts a multicultural audience of over 60,000 people. Nowhere else in the world does so large and diverse an audience come together to experience Jewish cultural arts.
We’ve got it all summarized below to help you plan your festival week. In particular we want to draw your attention to our closing event on Sept 2, the The Last Horrah, a new addition to the festival that will bring the Ashkenaz Parade to North York for the first time! Read on for all the details, rest up this weekend, and start counting sleeps – just four more to go until it all begins….
WEEKDAY TICKETED EVENTS – AUG 27-29
TUES AUG 27
THE GOLDEN THREAD SEPTET
Yiddish songs of social change, featuring renowned vocalists Sasha Lurje and Lorin Sklamberg, backed by an all-star klezmer string quintet led by Craig Judelman.
WED AUG 28
WELCOME TO YIDDISHLAND
International premiere of a witty and timely new doc about the global Yiddish culture scene. Featuring amazing performences by many Ashkenaz Festival alumni.
THU AUG 29
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE ZIMRO ENSEMBLE
Acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer features in this program of Jewish-themed classical music inspired by the famed Zimro Ensemble.
SHABBES ON BATHURST – AUG 30
On Friday evening our festival artists will bring their talents to two of Toronto’s most venerable synagogues. Catch a pre-shabbat concert at 5pm with Jacob’s Ladder at Beth Tzedec Congregation (1700 Bathurst St.), and then walk up the block to Holy Blossom Temple (1950 Bathurst St.) to hear Canadian-Israeli harmonica virtuoso Jason Rosenblatt join Cantor David Rosen and HBT’s house musicians for a very special Kabbalat Shabbat service. Both events are free. Beth Tzedec is also offering a Shabbat dinner at 7pm for a fee.
HARBOURFRONT CENTRE – AUG 30-SEPT 1
Our complete schedule for all Harbourfront Centre programming is now available. Printed schedule brochures will be available at all events next week, and
can be viewed/downloaded HERE.
THE LAST HORRAH – SEPT 2
Join us on Labour Day Monday Sept 2 from 2-6pm at Sherman Campus (4588 Bathurst St.) for The Last Horrah, a summer-ending, festival-closing extravaganza of music, food, and family fun. The afternoon will feature a set from Jacob’s Ladder, an epic jam session with Toronto Klezmer Society, and of course, the Ashkenaz Parade, giant puppets and all. Bring your instruments and play along! Click HERE to access resources to learn the Parade music and participate in the jam session. There is a nominal $5 fee and pre-registration is required Click here to register. Presented in partnership with Prosserman JCC.