Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!
My apologies for not writing sooner – the fall season was a firestorm of activity, between original music commissions for the Silk Road Ensemble and Ballet Hispanico, orchestral arrangements for Natalia Lafourcade, and the European Debut of Ljova and the Kontraband, that writing an update got lost in the shuffle – but fear not, we have a lot to show for it! Read on for a slew of upcoming dates and videos — and thank you!
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1. Ljova and the Kontraband – NYC, Vancouver, and UK tour evidence
2. Ljova’s family at Joe’s Pub, and other upcoming shows
3. Watch a video of Ljova’s Silk Road Ensemble commission, “Canal”
4. Inna Barmash “Yiddish Lullabies & Love Songs” release & videos
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1. Ljova and the Kontraband – NYC, Vancouver, and UK tour evidence
Back in October, Ljova and the Kontraband crowdfunded over $21,000 to help fund our second album and support our debut performances in the UK, as well as an appearance at the WOMEX Conference. The album almost finished — in fact, the vinyl lacquers are being cut this week! — but meanwhile, I would love to share with you a very fun video of our performance at WOMEX, as well as a photo album from the road.
Ljova and the Kontraband return to New York this Saturday evening for a short appearance at the annual Zlatne Uste Golden Festival in Brooklyn. In March, we will make our Canadian debut at Vancouver’s Chutzpah! Festival. Much more fun is also on the way in the coming months, but for now —
==> for info about our NYC and Vancouver shows, see The Schedule:
https://Ljova.com/schedule
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2. Ljova’s family at Joe’s Pub, and other upcoming shows
FAMILY ACT: My dear parents, Alexander Zhurbin and Irena Ginzburg, have co-written many amazing songs together, and continue to grow their repertoire through concerts worldwide over the last 35 years. On Sunday February 9th, they will make a rare New York appearance at Joe’s Pub. They will be joined on stage by Barmaljova (Inna and Ljova), our own family duet.
==> Grab tickets before they sell out:
https://www.joespub.com/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,40/id,7083
Here are some more upcoming shows in New York:
February 8: Empire Chamber Orchestra performs my piece “Island Soliloquy”
February 8-9: Ballet Hispanico performs “Hogar”, a new ballet commissioned by Ballet Hispanico with choreography by Eduardo Vilaro and music by Ljova
==> For details, please see The Schedule
https://Ljova.com/schedule
Here are a few events outside of New York:
January 27-February 4: Duo Jalal performs my piece “Shadow and Light” in West Virginia & Pennsylvania – details here
February 7-22: The dance company Aszure Barton & Artists perform “Awáa”, Aszure’s incredible ballet I wrote music for with Curtis Macdonald, in San Francisco, San Diego and Albany. Watch the trailer here, see tour info here.
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3. Watch a video of Ljova’s Silk Road Ensemble commission, “Canal”
One of my projects earlier this fall was a new commission from Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, as part of a residency at Harvard University. The resulting piece, “Canal”, was performed at Harvard in December, and will hopefully soon come to a venue near you. In the meanwhile, Silk Road Ensemble has posted a video of the premiere.
==> Watch the premiere, live from Harvard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAYp2E5vMNw
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4. Inna Barmash “Yiddish Lullabies & Love Songs” release & videos
Last but not least this month, I am so proud to let you know that my wife, Inna Barmash, recently released an incredibly beautiful album, “Yiddish Lullabies and Love Songs“. The release was celebrated with a performance at Joe’s Pub, and received high praise from New York Music Daily. It is seriously great.
==> You can preview the entire album and purchase it at:
https://innabarmash.bandcamp.com
(it is also available on iTunes)
==> Videos from the CD release concert can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbIPvwt2YdFnnV4tm8lPvrO3SFADI1bFG
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That’s it for the moment, but there is a lot more to come this spring.
In the meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy all the new videos, and look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events in New York and elsewhere.
Once again, a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who supported our Kickstarter campaign! You’re an essential part of making music magic happen, and it is almost headed your way.
Thank you as always — please keep in touch.
Warmly,
Ljova
LINKS:
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Ljova and the Kontraband:
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