MUSICAL MELTING POT
THE NINTH ANNUAL JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL MAKES ITS WAY TO TOWN IN MARCH
Dmitri Gaskin and Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell of Tsvey Brider
This March, a multitude of local venues across the city will host international and national Jewish artists as the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival (AJMF) kicks off its ninth year. Expect performances at venues such as Industrious at Ponce City Market, City Winery, Venkman’s, Orpheus Brewery and more.
“We choose a venue based on what works best for the featured artist and/or our presenting partners,” says Russell Gottschalk, executive director and creator of AJMF. “We program all over the city in traditional music spaces, Jewish spaces and public spaces.”
Gottschalk created the 17-day festival to cultivate a greater interest in contemporary Jewish culture, and it caters to a kaleidoscope of musical tastes.
This year’s talent, curated by a programming committee of staff and community volunteers, includes local and regional Jewish musicians including cover artists ATL Collective, singer-songwriter Beth Schafer, jazz musician Joe Alterman, rapper Prodezra, rock artist Sammy Rosembaum, pop/folk band Sunmoon Pie and more. Acts from farther afield include Toronto-based Eurofolk fusion band Beyond the Pale, Israeli band Bint El Funk, Grammy winner Marc Cohn and Yemen native Ravid Kahalani of Yemen Blues. One show includes a collaboration with the Atlanta Science Festival and features a music-playing robot (thanks to Georgia Tech school of music professor Gil Weinberg), while another will see ATL Collective re-live Billy Joel’s iconic “The Stranger.”
Bint El Funk
The festival’s opening night kicks off March 8 with an all-ages show starring Tsvey Brider and Beyond the Pale at City Winery. The celebration concludes March 25 with Beth Schafer at Temple Sinai.
“We plan to attract Jewish music lovers from around Atlanta and across the South,” says Gottschalk. “We hope attendees are entertained and inspired by our programming, deepening their connections to Jewish culture and each other.”
STORIES: Claire Ruhlin
