World renowned Cossack/Jewish singer, musician, composer and choir leader, Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, will give an intimate solo concert, before being joined by rising Bristol Balkan and klezmer group, Tropanka.

Expect stunning vocals, foot stomping instrumentals, and exciting collaborative improvisations.

This gig follows a workshop and concert with Polina and her choir, Slavic Voices, with support from Bristol folk choir, Heartwood Chorus on SATURDAY 14 JUNE 12-5.00PM
Further information and tickets here:

https://hdfst.uk/e127757

Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist. Originally from Siberia, Polina now lives in Brighton. She grew up singing at family gatherings where she accompanied her grandfather, a WWII veteran and her whole Cossack / Jewish family from the age of seven. Since moving to the UK in 2003 Polina has been performing, teaching, composing and touring with various projects internationally.

- …a stunning vocalist with a four octave range and no slouch on piano, either. - Forward

-...singer Polina Shepherd evoked the spirit of the Ashkenazi Jews with a spine-tingling traditional Hassidic song ... Her dramatic interpretation was such that one did not need the translation to understand what was going on in the harrowing song. - Chicago Classical

- Singer Polina Shepherd …combines virtuoso vocal talent with raw emotional delivery. She plumbs energy from the same archetypical sources that make blues and flamenco singing so powerful. - Portuguese American Journal

- Polina Shepherd - a Yiddish/Russian singer of rare gifts... Her expressive voice and face seemed to represent every exile’s sense of yearning and hope, the sum of the tales to come. - Cleveland Classical

- Shepherd’s performance, like all the best ones we’ve heard this week, was not about kitsch, sentimentality, or nostalgia. This wasn’t singing around the campfire. Delivering the prayer inimitably, with ornamentation reflecting her immersion in the chant of the muezzin as much as in the cantorial tradition, it was about transcendence via art. It was a cry from her own heart, an act of creation, and a transformation of time and space into. - Forward

-...bouncy village songs, light classical numbers and some fiery vocals make for an experience that is both worldly and rooted in Jewish tradition." - Songlines

Tropanka are a collective of Bristol and London based musicians, who play uptempo Eastern European tunes. Tropanka is a Bulgarian dance that literally means, 'the stompy one'. So expect high energy klezmer to get you moving, along with unique improvised collaborations between Tropanka and Polina.

Entry requirements: 18+ — Read more — Read less