Polina Shepherd writes to us about the Dona-Fest just held in Moscow:

February 17-20 The Shalom Theater hosted a gala concert of the first Moscow International Festival-Seminar of Jewish music DONA FEST-2005.

The leading Jewish bands from Russia and the CIS countries, as well as European stars, clarinetist Merlin Shepherd, composer and choir leader Polina Achkinazi-Shepherd and violinist Mark Kovnatsky, took part in the festival.

European Klezmer stars and Russian and CIS leading Jewish bands, folk quartet Askenazim, The Kharkov Klezmer Band, Dona, Klezmasters, Arkady Gendler, Alina Ivakh, Psoi Korolenko, and many others took part in the gala concert. The book “The Yiddishkait Music” book was presented at the concert. The East European Jewish wedding music, Klezmer, was forgotten for a long time. It comes back to Russia today. “Such festivals accompanied by educational seminars letting music teachers share their experience were already held in Russia and the CIS. Now it is time to implement this project in Moscow,” said Anatoly Pinsky, chairman of the DONA FEST-2005 organizing committee.