October 10-14, 2012 in Amsterdam!
Preparations for the Third International Jewish Music Competition are
in full swing. Mark you calendar and tell your friends to join us in
Amsterdam for the five-day festival, October 10-14, 2012. We’ll start
with a kickoff concert in the monumental Portuguese Synagogue (built
in 1675), followed by the three-day competition in the
elegant Compagnie Theater, with 24 ensembles from around the world.
To close, we’ll host a day of workshops with a Jewish cultural
marketplace, an open podium, and a closing concert with winners from
the competition.
Take a look at our website for all the details.
Visit us:
http://www.ijmf.org/
Friend us:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Jewish-Music-Festival-Amsterdam/164300605365?ref=ts
Watch us:
http://www.youtube.com/IJMFAmsterdam:
:
IJMF Newsletter June 18, 2012:
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Who? What? Where? When?
3rd International Jewish Music Competion: for individual musicians,
ensembles and bands specializing in performing Jewish music and whose
goal is an international career performing this repertoire.
Competition registration: open until July 1
Announcement of selected contestants: August 1
Ticket sales: starts in September
Festival opening concert: Wednesday October 10
Preliminary competition rounds: Thursday October 11 & Friday October
12
Finale: Saturday October 13
Winners’ Concert: Sunday October 14
More information & registration: www.ijmf.org
Location: Compagnietheater, Kloveniersburgwal 50, Amsterdam
Registration update
Applications are piling up as we approach the July 1st deadline. From
all over the world, from Australia to the Czech Republic, ensembles
are sending us their demo recordings. The selection committee will
have a tough job of choosing this year’s contestants, who will be
announced at the beginning of August. Do you know of an ensemble that
is ready to break though with worldwide exposure? A band that is
ready to strut its stuff in front of a world-class jury? The
application deadline is in less than 2 weeks, so don’t wait!
Jury close-up: Hankus Netsky
In addition to Shura Lipovsky, Dubi Lenz, and Gerard Edery, the
international jury for the 2012 Competition includes
multi-instrumentalist, composer and ethnomusicologist, Hankus Netsky.
He is chair of the Contemporary Improvisation Department at the New
England Conservatory, director of the Discovery Project at the
National Yiddish Book Center, and founder and director of the
internationally renowned Klezmer Conservatory Band. He has composed
extensively for film, theater and television and has collaborated
with many artists including Itzhak Perlman, Robin Williams, Joel
Grey, and Theodore Bikel. He has produced numerous CDs on the
Rounder and Vanguard labels and has recorded with Perlman, Bikel, Ran
Blake, Marty Ehrlich, Jeff Warschauer, Margot Leverett and Another
Realm.
Talent scouts
We will once again be welcoming a variety of international Jewish
music programmers at this year’s competition. Among them…
– Jordan Peimer, Director of Programs at the Skirball Cultural Center
(Los Angeles). A leading Jewish cultural institution and venue in Los
Angeles, the Skirball presents a broad spectrum of music ranging from
Cuban Roberto Juan Rodriguez and his Orquesta Sarabia to the
multigenerational band The Alaev Family from Tajikistan/Israel.
– Mary-Louise Albert, Artistic Managing Director of the Chutzpah!
Festival (Vancouver). One of Canada’s leading Jewish festivals,
Chutzpah! presents a profusion of extraordinary multi-cultural
national and international music, theatre and dance performances.
– Elise Bernhardt, President and CEO of the Foundation for Jewish
Culture (New York) is also planning on attending. The foundation
invests in creative individuals in order to nurture a vibrant and
enduring Jewish identity, with pioneering partnerships such as the
Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists that provides
support to individual artists developing new projects with a Jewish
focus.
Dutch leaders to present prizes
Job Cohen, former Mayor of Amsterdam and former leader of the Dutch
Labor Party, will again be presenting one of the prizes this year. He
is a great fan of Jewish music: “I really enjoy this festival. It
combines incredible joy – it is often hard to remain seated – with a
touch of homesickness.” Star attorney Bram Moszkowicz will also be
among the community leaders to present prizes at the finals.
What ever happened to…?
Curious to know what’s been going on with the winners of 2010?
“Friend” us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/IJMFAmsterdam for
regular updates. Duo Bilitis, finalists in 2010, appreciated the
competition’s bringing so many excellent musicians together. ‘We were
particularly impressed with Mames Babegenush from Denmark,’ says
harpist Eva Tebbe. But the duo’s own career is equally impressive. As
a sequel to the competition, Duo Bilitis toured the Netherlands. Eva:
‘Further highlights were our participation in the Mosel Musik
Festival (Germany and Luxemburg) and our visit to Azerbaijan (Baku
International Music Festival).’ Last year they also released their
album ‘L’Heure Espagnole’. No shortage of future plans: ‘We are now
developing a program for a theater in Gent about Jean Cocteau with
our Belgian colleague harpist Anouk Sturtewagen.’
Thanks to our sponsors
We are grateful for the renewed support of the Levi Lassen
Foundation, the Dutch Cultural Participation Fund, the Lexhanna
Foundation, the Embassy of the U.S.A., and Stayokay hostels. The
deluxe NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky is an important new sponsor for
which we are also very thankful!