AMHERST, Mass. – The Yiddish Book Center’s annual Yidstock: the Festival of New Yiddish Music is slated from Thursday, July 13, to Sunday, July 16. The Yiddish Book Center is located at 1021 West St., Amherst, Mass.

Artistic Director Seth Rogovoy curated this year’s lineup, which includes The Klezmatics, David Krakauer’s Mazel Tov Cocktail Party, Frank London and the Yidstock All-Stars and also

Josh Dolgin, aka Socalled, the de facto godfather of “klezmer hip hop.”

Merlin Shepherd, Nigunim Trio, and Lorin Sklamberg alongside new performers, including Forshpil, Midwood, and Sam Sadigursky. In addition to the music performances, the festival includes workshops, talks, films, and conversations with the artists.  The 11th annual Yidstock festival also introduces a new program called “Festival Artists-in-Residence.” This inaugural year features Eleanor Reissa and Socalled, who will make surprise appearances with other performers and lead short, casual sessions exploring their creative process. 

Concert Details:

The Klezmatics, the Grammy Award-winning modern klezmer band, will kick off the festival on Thursday, July 13, at 8 p.m.  

On Friday, July 14, at 2 p.m., Yidstock newcomer Sam Sadigursky will perform excerpts from The Solomon Diaries, his suite for duo, accompanied by accordionist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Koci. Sam’s musical composition is inspired by photographer Marisa Scheinfeld’s project, The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland.

The Nigunim Trio, featuring vocalist/accordionist Lorin Sklamberg and trumpeter Frank London, will bring their blend of nigunim and zmiros on Friday, July 14, at 5 p.m. They will be joined by guest Merlin Shepherd, the world-renowned klezmer clarinetist, from Brighton, England.

David Krakauer will return on Saturday, July 15, at 8 p.m., with his latest project, David Krakauer’s Mazel Tov Cocktail Party, which showcases an international crew of performers including Iranian percussionist Martin Shamoonpour, jazz bassist Jerome Harris, Montreal rapper Sarah MK, and electric guitarist Yoshie Fruchter.  

Lineup  on Sunday, July 16, includesMidwood, a Brooklyn-based outfit led by violinist Jake Shulman-Ment and Forshpil, an international group founded in 2003 in Riga, Latvia, and led by vocalist Sasha Lurje and keyboardist/arranger Ilya Shneyveys. 

The festival will culminate with the Yidstock All-Stars, led by Frank London, on Sunday, July 16, at 7 p.m. This once-in-a-lifetime grouping will perform a globally oriented program called “Yidstock All-Stars: The Finale” that features klezmer and Yiddish talent including vocalist Eleanor Reissa, Montreal-based Josh Dolgin, aka Socalled, the de facto godfather of “klezmer hip hop,” clarinetist Merlin Shepherd, vocalists Sasha Lurje, Lorin Sklamberg, Eleonore Weill, and Lauren Brody, plus many others. 

Ticket availibility and cost information for Yidstock and its full four day schedule are now available at the Yiddish Book Center website, www.yiddishbookcenter.org.