AMHERST, Massachusetts – YIDSTOCK 2020: The Festival of New Yiddish Music will bring to the stage the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music, it was announced recently by organizers at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the event will held July 9-12. 

The lineup for the ninth annual festival includes a who’s who of international performers of Yiddish and klezmer music, with performances by the UK-based husband-and-wife duo Polina and Merlin Shepherd, Canadian rapper and record producer Socalled, and the Aviva Chernick Ensemble from Toronto, alongside stalwarts of the American Yiddish scene, including the Brooklyn-based klezmer visionary Michael Winograd, the iconic Klezmer  Conservatory Band, Tony Award–nominated performer Eleanor Reissa, and the internationally acclaimed, Grammy Award–winning modern klezmer outfit The Klezmatics. 

This year’s festival, once again curated by artistic director Seth Rogovoy, also includes a concert and jam session from the Yidstock All-Stars, a band drawn from this year’s festival artists, featuring vocalist and trumpeter Susan Hoffman Watts. 

As in past years, the 2020 festival will also include a full schedule of talks, conversations, and singing, dancing, and instrumental workshops, including several led by musicians-in-residence for the festival. 

Many YIDSTOCK events sell out in advance of the festival, so attendees are urged to purchase tickets as soon as possible. The complete festival lineup of concerts, talks, workshops, and events, as well as links to purchase tickets and concert passes, can be found at www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock.

Main Photo: Polina and Merline Shepherd are among those who will perform at YIDSTOCK 2020.