Forshpil
Yiddish Psychedelic Rock
In 2003, visionary Latvian duo Sasha Lurje (vocals) and Ilya Shneyveys (keyboard, arrangement) asked themselves, “What would have happened if Yiddish had never been interrupted?”. From there, Forshpil was formed.
Together, they imagined an exciting world where young people play in Yiddish language garage bands, where Klezmer musicians wield electric guitars alongside fiddles, and traditional Yiddish ballads are as revered as rock anthems.
Deeply rooted in tradition yet infused with otherworldly psychedelia, Forshpil feels both wildly innovative and profoundly authentic. If Jefferson Airplane and The Doors had ever jammed together at a Jewish wedding, it would have sounded like this!
The Forshpil Concert is a part of Put a Yid on It! Festival of New Yiddish Culture.
The sophomore year of our one-of-a-kind Yiddish festival features a total of eight unique events featuring world-class bands, films, and speakers.
Yiddish is a warm, funny, poetic language once spoken, written, sung, and dreamt by 11 million people. Our festival honours this rich history and celebrates the New Yiddish Renaissance, a dynamic movement of artists courageously creating and recreating this this very old language.
To learn more please click here.