Shabbat by the Vistula River – Concert | Opening of the 9th edition of FestivALT

This year’s 9th edition of FestivALT opens with a special Shabbat evening performance by the Slovak Mojše Band and British cantor Rachel Weston, honoring the musical heritage of the Bakon family.

Cantor Hirsch Leib Bakon (1875–1928), originally from Kolbuszowa in the Subcarpathian region of Poland, was a prominent figure at the bet midrash in Chrzanów, where he was later laid to rest. His compositions, still preserved in sheet music, carry on his deep musical legacy. His son, Izrael Bakon (1910–1943), followed in his father’s footsteps, performing in Antwerp, London, and Hamburg before the outbreak of World War II. In 1936, he recorded an album sent to relatives in the U.S.

In this unique open-air concert by the Vistula River, hear the rich, traditional cantorial compositions of both father and son come alive again—reimagined through a contemporary, feminist lens. With fresh arrangements by the Mojše Band and Rachel Weston, these timeless melodies will be reinterpreted in an evocative and modern way.

An event within the 9th edition of FestivALT.

Cricoteka is a co-organizer of the performance.

The 9th edition of FestivALT is made possible thanks to the support of the Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund and takes place as part of the project “ReActMem: Rescue Memory – Activism, Art, and Public Memory,” which is co-financed by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV 2024–2026) program.