Landmark Jewish music event ‘Songs of Strength’ set to unite community

Following the success of the ‘Songs of Hope’ concert in Sydney last year, ‘Songs of Strength’ will also be staged in Melbourne this September, bringing the biggest night of Jewish music in years to Melbourne.

The line-up is formidable: ten singers from Melbourne, Sydney and beyond, led by Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier alongside Melbourne favourite Cantor Brett Kaye. They will be joined by Ben Goldstein, known from The Voice Australia and X Factor Israel; operatic soprano Danielle Bavli, fresh from New York; and Tel Aviv singer-songwriter Amit Benita.

Backing them will be Sydney’s klezmer-fusion band CHUTNEY, led by violinist and festival director Ben Adler. The modern Klezmer band, winners of several international awards for their debut album Ajar, will be making their first Melbourne appearance. Renowned Berlin-based violin virtuoso Daniel Weltlinger will also join the ensemble.

Speaking to JWire, Adler said the goal was to create something very special. “Shir is not just another concert. It is a festival-scale musical experience compressed into a concert,” he said. “The programme has been created, song by song, to bring the community from a place of darkness into the light.”

Audiences can expect a kaleidoscope of sound, with reimagined Hebrew classics, contemporary Israeli hits, stirring musical theatre numbers and soulful prayers. Attendees can look forward to a two-and-a-half-hour extravaganza packed with the variety and artistry of a multi-day event.

The Melbourne concert will be one of the largest communal gatherings in years. Says Adler, “This is our community’s chance to stand tall, proud and joyful together. It is not a vigil or a political rally, but a joyous, proudly Jewish cultural gathering.”

The timing is deliberate. Staged during the Ten Days of Awe, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Melbourne performance will take place on the eve of Kol Nidre. “Each half is constructed as an emotional journey,” Adler explained. “Last year was ‘Songs of Hope’. This year it is ‘Songs of Strength’.”

The event also carries symbolic weight. Over the last year, Melbourne Jewry has faced synagogue burnings, graffiti attacks, antisemitic protests and boycotts of Jewish artists. Against that backdrop, organisers say the concert is a statement of resilience.

“Instead of having 2,000 Jews on five stages, wouldn’t it make sense to have them in one place to feel the power of each other’s embrace?” Adler said. “Solidarity and community are more necessary than ever since October 7.”

The Sydney concert last year became a transformative moment, showing the power of music to unify and embolden. “Sydney proved that a proudly Jewish concert in the heart of the city could be not only safe but transformative,” Adler said.

Adler added, “We believe Melbourne could benefit from the galvanising, empowering effects of Shir as much, if not more, than Sydney did last year.”

The impact is expected to last long after the final song. Adler recalled a particularly powerful moment from last year’s Sydney concert: “During Am Yisrael Chai everyone stood up, and I looked out at 1,800 people, all there as proud Jews or friends, shameless, unapologetic and strong. It was easily the most moving moment of my performing career.”

He is certain that Melbourne will feel the same power. “Every single Jew is welcome, Israel’s supporters, far left, religious, and secular, and so are our friends and allies. This is not just another concert. This is an event of significance for the community, truly community changing.”

The programme will return to Sydney on 28 September before making its Melbourne debut on 30 September.

Sydney bookings: http://bit.ly/4mPjOUX
Melbourne bookings: http://bit.ly/3Ie3wWH