SUNDAY, JUNE 5, with the TORONTO MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA
The Toronto Jewish Folk Choir marks the 60 anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the Nazi death camps in its 79th annual spring concert, Sunday, June 5, 7 p.m. at the Leah Posluns Theatre, 4588 Bathurst St. (parking available). Alexander Veprinsky conducts, with Lina Zemelman on piano, and the
Toronto Mandolin Orchestra as guest artists. Tickets, $22, $18 seniors and
students, are available at the door, or in advance from Jewish bookstores or by
calling 416-593-0750. Children under 12 are admitted free; group rates are
available on request. Information may also be obtained via www.winchevskycentre.org
(click on Institutions) or by e-mailing tjfolkchoir@sympatico.ca.

The major work is Di Naye Hagode (The New Saga), a choral tone poem by
Jewish-American composer Max Helfman (1901-1963), orchestrated by Maestro Veprinsky.
The work commemorates the heroic Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that began on the first
night of Passover, April 19, 1943. The text is from the long narrative poem Shotns
fun varshever geto (Shadows of the Warsaw Ghetto) by martyred Soviet Yiddish poet
Itzik Feffer (1900-1952).
Along with the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, the work features soprano Miriam Eskin,
tenor Steve Szmutni, and narrator Ruth Borchiver.
Also on the program is an eclectic mix of songs on Jewish themes in Yiddish and
Hebrew. Included are a new medley of songs by the great Yiddish songwriter Avrum
Goldfaden arranged by Maestro Veprinsky, choruses in Italian and Russian from
Verdi’s Nabucco and Borodin’s Prince Igor, Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm, and a
French-Canadian folksong. Solos are sung by sopranos Miriam Eskin and Belva Spiel,
and bass Herman Rombouts.
As well, the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra will perform orchestral medleys of Jewish
and Ukrainian songs, arranged by Maestro Veprinsky.
The TJFC gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Toronto through the
Toronto Arts Council, the Ben and Hilda Katz Foundation, the Miransky Fund of the
Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, and Jim Buller.