A joint initiative of the Jewish community of Dnipro and the Dnipro City Council to hold a Jewish music festival for the most talented young performers of the city, called “MENORA MUSIC FEST,” sparked significant interest among residents. The interest was so great that the organizers had to change the venue, as the initially proposed Menorah Center Terrace could accommodate only 700 spectators, while nearly twice as many people registered for the “MENORA MUSIC FEST” — a clear sign of how much our society has missed such events and how important their appearance is in these challenging times.
That is why the venue for the first “MENORA MUSIC FEST” was chosen as the ceremonial hall “Menorah Grand Hall,” where nearly 1,500 attendees became part of this vibrant musical event, which was officially opened by the director of the Jewish community of Dnipro, Zelig Brez, and the Deputy Mayor, Director of the Department of Economy, Finance, and City Budget of the Dnipro City Council, Volodymyr Miller.
The event hosts, Vitaliy Azarov and Blyuma Cherkashina, emphasized that “MENORA MUSIC FEST” holds the status of a cultural diplomacy initiative in the context of the recently signed partnership agreement with the city of Netanya (Israel). This festival became a true celebration of music, culture, and unity, featuring Ukrainian and Jewish melodies as well as world-famous compositions created by Jewish composers inspired by various European cultural movements — such as Camille Saint-Saëns or the Strauss family.
Participants of the “MENORA MUSIC FEST” included both professional and amateur ensembles, students and teachers of Dnipro’s art schools, and even some directors of these schools staged a spectacular piano battle on the stage of the “Menorah Grand Hall.” The concert featured melodies by world-renowned masters — including Sholom Secunda and George Gershwin — as well as works by composers who lived and created in Dnipro, leaving a profound artistic legacy that the city proudly preserves — for example, Volodymyr Skuratovsky, whose music was also presented in the festival program.
Every performance elicited sincere interest, enthusiasm, and loud applause, as all the pieces were performed at a high artistic level. Before the inspiring final chord, performed by the best accordion orchestra “ACCO PERFORMANCE ORCHESTRA” of the Dnipro Music Academy under the direction of maestro Yevhen Zhila, a traditional Jewish community lottery took place with many interesting gifts and prizes from the organizers.
The first music festival “MENORA MUSIC FEST” became a true milestone in the cultural life of the city — an event that undoubtedly attracted the community’s attention to an important initiative: promoting arts education, which is extremely significant both for Dnipro as a whole and for the city authorities in particular. Anyone interested can join the initiative “Time to Choose Arts Education,” launched by the city administration at the link
