Nu? Normal! The Barn Sessions

In July 2021, Ashkenaz presented its first official concerts with a live audience since the global pandemic began. The performances took place in the barn at Bela Farm, a beautiful property one hour northwest of Toronto. For all of the artists too, this was their first opportunity to perform for a live audience in over 18 months. The thrill and excitement of the artists and the small socially-distanced audiences was palpable. This magical week of concerts was documented with multiple cameras and mics and will be streamed in four episodes, on Sundays at 8pm ET throughout October. Tune in on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

Schedule:

OCT 10 -Sergiu Popa & ROMada – World premiere of an Ashkenaz-commissioned, all-star ensemble of Roma musicians living in Canada, led by Moldavian-born, Montreal-based accordionist Sergiu Popa.

OCT 17 – Socalled with Toronto Jazz Orchestra – North American premiere of a new program from the one and only Josh Dolgin, aka Socalled, performed with a 19-piece jazz big band directed by Josh Grossman.

OCT 24 – Aviva Chernick and La Serena Trio –  Beloved Toronto vocalist performs songs in Ladino, Hebrew, Yiddish and English, with her amazing ensemble featuring Joel Schwartz, Justin Gray, Naghmeh Farhamand, plus special guest Maryem Tollar

OCT 31 – Hartzedike-Lider – Duo of legendary Canadian Yiddish singer Allan Merovitz and guitarist/pianist Brian Katz, joined by special guest Jane Bunnett (sax, flute)