Eastside Jewish Commons, Portland’s premiere Jewish Arts and Culture space, is excited to present The Stranniki (The Wanderers) in concert Friday, January 23, 7:30 pm. The Stranniki is a collaboration between Polina Shepherd (piano) and Psoy Korolenko (vocals, piano), renowned multilingual artists in the Yiddish music scene for over two decades. Together, they have toured the US and internationally, performing programs such as “Schlepping the Steppes and the Shtetl.”
The Stranniki are known for their evocative blend of Russian folk, Yiddish theater tunes, Hasidic nigunim, village laments and foot-stomping dances. With vocals that soar and instrumental arrangements that carry both intimacy and fire, the ensemble creates an atmosphere that is at once nostalgic and vibrantly alive. Their performances invite audiences into a sound world shaped by migration, memory, resilience and the deep emotional current of Jewish and Slavic musical heritage.
Their work centers on the themes of the wanderer and the road as a path, blending Yiddish and Russian poetry, folklore and music from the 19th and 20th centuries with their own compositions. The project reveals a unique continuity of texts, melodies, roads and destinies—still inspiring and meaningful today, perhaps more than ever.
Tickets for the all ages show are $25 in advance at tinyurl.com/stranikki or $30 at the door.