Eric Stein Previews the 15th Ashkenaz Festival

Despite its name and its founding mandate, Toronto’s Ashkenaz Festival encompasses more than just Yiddish and klezmer music. Canada’s largest Jewish cultural event, now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, embraces contemporary Sephardic, Mizrachi and cross-cultural events along with the requisite Eastern European flavour, and a large part of that is due to the efforts of Eric Stein.

Since Stein, an accomplished musician, took over the role of artistic director in 2006, he has led the organization from a biennial festival to a year-round presenter of Jewish events, and implemented greater programming for youth and families. This year’s festival features more than 90 acts and 200 individual artists hailing from over a dozen countries. Shalom Life spoke with Stein about the artistic process, festival highlights and how first-timers can get the most out of Ashkenaz.

How far in advance did you start choosing acts for the Ashkenaz Festival?

I began thinking about that the minute the last festival ended in 2008. This year’s lineup was solidified between fall 2009 and early this summer.

How do you go about choosing acts and performers for the Ashkenaz Festival?

I have to first think about fitting everything into the framework of disciplines at the festival. Music represents about 60-70% of our programming, the rest dividing up fairly equally between dance, theatre, film, visual arts, literature/talk and kids/family stuff. I also have to think about a general breakdown of 50% Canadian artists versus U.S. or international acts. After that I think about developing an all-new program that will feature new acts to the festival, [as] artists are seldom repeated from festival to festival. I have to assemble the program thinking about balancing traditional klezmer and Yiddish music with more progressive interpretations, and I also try to diversify that with programming from non-Ashkenazic traditions.

As for the actual research, I keep myself attuned to current trends in the contemporary Jewish music scene. In the end it often all comes down to money, as budget considerations often influence the booking process.

What new things can we expect this year?

Most of the acts are performing at the festival for the first time. We have a world premiere commission, a world premiere film, a book launch, and in music, a North American premiere, five Canadian premieres and six CD releases.

As music is a huge part of the Ashkenaz Festival, what does this year’s lineup of artists show us about the history and traditions of Eastern European (and Sephardic) Jewish music?

Most broadly, the incredible artistry and diversity inherent in each. It demonstrates the roots of those traditional forms as well as the contemporary directions in which these are spinning. It demonstrates the interconnectedness of these traditions, that they each relate to each other as part of the same universe of Jewish artistic creation.

Though the festival revolves around Ashkenaz culture and heritage, there are also Sephardic and Mizrachi elements built in. When was this decision made to include Sephardic- and Mizrachi-oriented events, and why?

When I began at Ashkenaz in 2006, it was one of my first desires to broaden things. I personally love klezmer and Yiddish music, and it remains the core of my own musical performing life. But the klezmer scene has really diversified and hybridized with other musical genres so heavily over the last decade that in order to reflect current trends, one has to look beyond narrow definitions of those forms. Audiences also want to see and hear new things, and I wanted to have an answer for critics of the festival who might say that it was too narrowly defined. I wanted the festival to be more inclusive to the entire Jewish community and to give opportunities to artists working in all realms of Jewish culture.

Why is this festival so important for the North American Jewish community, and why is it important that this festival exists at all?

Throughout its existence, Ashkenaz has been one of the most prestigious and important venues on the international circuit of Jewish music and art festivals. It has served as a catalyst for artistic innovation and incubator of young and emerging artists. The context of the festival at Harbourfront as a primarily free event also makes the festival unique, and allows it to share Jewish values and culture with a very broad community. Nowhere else in the world are Jewish music and art shared with so large and diverse a public.

For a first-time Ashkenaz Festival-goer, how do you suggest they experience the festival to get the full flavour?

Go to everything! Seriously, take in as much as possible, and though it’s easy to take in a lot for free, I highly recommend taking in some of the special ticketed events. These are some of the most amazing events at the festival. Also, I’d recommend going to our website and becoming a registered user of the site – it’s easy and free – so that you can browse all artist listings, checkmark the ones you’re interested in and then print your own personalized schedule.

Where would you like to take the Ashkenaz Festival in the future?

It's hard to think about the future at the moment with the current event looming! I think about it more from an organizational standpoint - the need for us to build capacity and stability through increased funding, more human resources, etc. I already have a few ideas in mind for the future, but ultimately we have to put this year's event to bed before thinking about how 2012 may differ.

The Ashkenaz Festival runs Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2010 at Harbourfront Centre and other locations. For more information, visit www.ashkenazfestival.com.