Main Stage - the Israeli Mosaic
Special MC guest: Kira Soltanovich
Born in the former Soviet Union and raised by immigrant parents in San Francisco, Kira Soltanovich has plenty to laugh about. "Like most kids, my parents took me to Disneyland... not for the rides, for the lines. They assumed there would be food at the end of them." A series regular on Girls Behaving Badly, she also appeared on such shows as Red Eye, Dr. Phil, The World Stands Up, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Fresh Baked Videos on the Spike Network. More about Kira...
Ilya Rayzman
Rayzman is a professional violinist. Originally from Russia, he studied in the Moscow Conservatory and performed with the prestigious National TV Orchestra. Rayzman moved to the U.S. in 1989, taught at Stanford University, and has had his own music school in Saratoga. Rayzman records music for movies, plays in a band, and performs for private audiences.
Eggroll
Following the group’s 2006 debut album, “Fairytale,” which received enthusiastic reviews, Eggroll, a popular band in the Israeli club scene, began performing in Europe and North America. While Eggroll has been unmistakably shaped by the great legends of rock, its sound also incorporates a distinctive Middle-Eastern influence, and conveys to audiences a multicultural and powerful mix of musical styles. Israeli daily Ha’aretz hailed Eggroll as “one of the best bands in the progressive rock scene here in Israel.” Eggroll will open for Idan Raichel on Israel in the Gardens’ main stage, to be followed by an unplugged concert at the After Party.
http://www.myspace.com/eggrollband
Neshama Carlebach
Neshama Carlebach is one of the leading superstars in Jewish Entertainment. Her talent and charisma have captivated and endeared her to people of all ages and backgrounds as she performs in cities all over the world. Through her music she proudly continues the legacy established by her father Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, whose deep spirituality and love of all humanity filled every song he wrote and changed the face of Jewish music. Neshama's performances deeply move and uplift her audiences as she sings her father’s incomparable melodies, and inspiring original compositions.
Rabbi Tzipi Gabai and Katja Cooper will perform 2 Sepharadi songs
Rabbi Tsipi Gabai is the first female rabbi from the Moroccan community, descended from a long line of male rabbis and one of a handful of female Mizrahi/Sephardi rabbis worldwide. Rabbi Gabai is one of the few women internationally who teaches Mizrahi and Sephardi songs and prayers, and leads Sephardi services; she is the Head of Judaic Studies at Tehiyah Day School.
Katja Cooper is a performer, recording artist, and accompanist for prestigious dance companies and singers such as Israeli pop artist Rami Kleinstein. She is an accompanist for UC Berkeley's dance department, teaches percussion/tefillah at Tehiyah Day School and performs with local bands.
Russian Folk Dancers
Russian folk music is the indigenous vocal (accompanied and unaccompanied) and instrumental music of the Russian peasantry, consisting of songs and dances for work, entertainment, and religious and ritual occasions. Its origins lie in customary practice; until the industrial era it was an oral tradition, performed and learned without written notation. Russian folk music includes songs marking seasonal and ritual events, and music for figure or circle dances (korovody) and the faster chastye or plyasovye dances.
