Past Events › Live Performance

Dmitri Slepovitch CATCH and Ukrainian Village Voices are pleased to present Songs of the Borderlands: Village Songs of Polesia at Playwrights Downtown Theater featuring Belarussian musician/ethnomusicologist Dmitri Slepovitch, Ph.D. of the Litvakus Ensemble. Includes a concert and vocal workshop. Presenting partners: Ukrainian Village Voices, Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Direct Cultural Access.

Nariman Asanov Join the Nariman Asanov Trio (Nariman Asanov - violin, Patrick Farrell - accordion and Lennur Mamudov - percussion) for an amazing evening of firery Crimean Tatar fiddle music. Born in Uzbekistan as part of the large expatriate Tatar community, Asanov leads an amazing local ensemble that is carrying on Tatar traditions in the US.

Merita Halili is one of Albania's top performers, renowned for her stunning voice, prodigious range and exquisite vocal technique. Raif Hyseni, originally from the Republic of Kosova, leads the most sought-after Albanian music ensemble in the United States. Together their performances thrill with masterful interpretations of instrumentals and urban folk songs from both Albania and the Republic of Kosova. Produced in partnership with Alwan for the Arts, Traditional Crossroads and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance. Admission: $20, $15…

Cheres Ukrainian Folk Orchestra From Tirana to Tashkent! With the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Soviet state, we explore the transformation of music and dance traditions under socialist states and how leading contemporary artists are working to reclaim & reinvigorate these genres. With Albanian superstars Merita Halili & Raif Hyseni (Steve Kotansky dance leader), Dancing Crane Georgian Dance and Cheres Ukrainian Folk Ensemble. At the New York Public Library's Performing Arts Division (111 Amsterdam Ave./Lincoln Center's Hearst Stage). Admission…

New York Voices, New York Votes. Join us for a celebration of the centennial of women's right to vote in New York State with a series of festivals combining performing arts and voter registration! Join us in partnership with New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Center for Traditional Music an Dance and Common Cause New York for NY Voices/NY Votes, pop-up community festivals in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens. In addition to local craft demonstrations and voter registration tables, each event will…

CATCH and the Yiddish New York Festival are excited to feature an evening of music by leading emerging artists in the international klezmer scene. Goyfriend/Друг-Гой (awesome name!) is an exciting new collaboration exploring Jewish/Slavic intercultural dialog through song by the Litvakus Ensemble, led by charismatic Belarussian-Jewish clarinetist Zisl Slepovitch and the divine Berlin-based, Latvian-Yiddish chanteuse Sasha Lurje. The evening also features a rising new force on the Brooklyn Yiddish music scene – Tsibele. Yes, that means “onions” in Slavic languages and Yiddish, and this band lives up…

The Soorya (Sun) Festival is a night-long festival celebrating the cultures and traditions of Sri Lanka along Staten Island’s North Shore waterfront. Festival programming begins at dusk, as Faber Park is transformed into an island wonderland via an opening procession, elaborate decorations, and illuminated installations. Internationally recognized performers and artisans from Sri Lanka will make this a night to remember! Festival programming includes: Live Music, Dance, and Theater performances Smorgasbord of Sri Lankan Eats Interactive Instrument, Textile, Mask and Lantern…

Featuring the exquisite Sri Lankan Dance Academy, singer Sharaanya Pillai, kavi poet Seetha Wickramasuriya, and other live performances rooted in diverse Sri Lankan traditions.