Editor’s Note: To see the full list of events, please check the calendar. To let us know about the upcoming shows, exhibitions, concerts, movie screenings, festivals, and parties, please send an e-mail to [email protected].
Am I Jazz? Festival
The festival that combines evenings of jazz and nights of electronic dance music will again take place at Kyiv’s Closer club over four days. Am I Jazz? will feature artists from the U.S., Poland, Spain, Norway, China and Japan, including the Grammy-winning neo-soul, R&B and jazz singer Bilal. The Japanese avant-garde pianist Satoko Fujii will be accompanied by a Ukrainian orchestra and the Canadian saxophonist Seamus Blake will play with the big band of Kyiv trumpeter Denis Adu. The electronic nights during Am I Jazz? will belong to German DJ Soulphiction, Spain’s S. Moreira and Closer residents Timur Basha, Shakolin and others.
Am I Jazz? Festival. Closer (31 Nyzhnoiurkivska St.) Nov. 14-17. 8 p.m. One-day ticket – 500-1,000, three-day pass – Hr 1,750, four-day pass – Hr 2,000
‘Iyov’
Not every Ukrainian opera achieves international acclaim and sells out in Manhattan. But the opera-requiem “Iyov” has done both and became one of the most successful operas made in Ukraine. Since its premiere in 2016, it has been performed throughout the world and was mentioned in the New Yorker magazine. In 2018, “Iyov” was included in the Top 10 world modern operas by Music Theater Now competition. The opera is directed by Vladyslav Troitskyi, a theater director and the producer of internationally famous Ukrainian bands DakhaBrakha and Dakh Daughters. “Iyov” is based on a Biblical theme from the Old Testament. The opera’s main character is Iyov (Job in English) who is described as a righteous man blessed and loved by God. However, this opera is not a regular one: it fuses Biblical and liturgical texts with extraordinary folk, rock and classical musical themes. After winning the praise of Americans and Europeans, “Iyov” will return to Ukraine on Nov. 8 to surprise the audience one more time.
“Iyov”. Kyivan Rus (93 Sichovykh Striltsiv St.). Nov. 8. 8 p.m. Hr 200-1,650
Lera Lynn
The Texan singer-songwriter Lera Lynn got her big break when she was cast as a troubadour with a haunting voice in the second season of the “True Detective” HBO series in 2014. Collaborating with Rosanne Cash, Lynn produced dark, sparse American songs for the series that underscored the show’s moody and mysterious feel. Lynn capitalized on that success with a rock-influenced album “Resistor” in 2016 and her latest album of multi-genre covers and collaborations, “Plays Well With Others.” Drawing equally from classic country, literary Americana and indie rock, Lynn will perform in Ukraine for the first time at Kyiv’s Caribbean Club.
Lera Lynn. Caribbean Club (4 Petliury St.) Nov. 14. 7 p.m. Hr 650-1,790
Big Jazz Night
This party will immerse Kyiv in a Jazz Age atmosphere with classics from the genre played by four bands accompanied by cocktails, dancing, and charming city view. The two-story Vsi Svoi D12 venue located on picturesque Andriivskyi Descent will host the Big Jazz Night. Dmitry Kovalenko Quartet will entertain the audience with music from the Woody Allen fantasy film “Midnight in Paris.” U.S. singer Chuck Wansley will offer vocals mixing soul, funk, and jazz, and the Nikita Berestetsky band will play mid-century hits from New Orleans. The Rodion Ivanov Quartet will come as a dessert for the night, performing their “jazz from swing to funk” program.
Big Jazz Night. Vsi Svoi D12 (12 Desiatynna St.) Nov. 15. 7 p.m. Hr 350
