Borderland is one of the laureates of the 2018 ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture. Their Sejny Theater Klezmer Orchestra performed in the Netherlands for the first time at the European Cultural Challenge on May 15. One day later they also enlivened the tenth Princess Margriet Award for Culture ceremony with their music.
Klezmer music has its origins in Jewish folk music from Eastern Europe. It is music with a rich tradition, which is both festive and melancholic. The Klezmer Orchestra of Sejny Theatre is made up of young people connected with the Borderland Foundation and The Centre "Borderland of Arts, Cultures and Nations" in Sejny. Both of these institutions refer to the multicultural heritage of East Central Europe in their educational and artistic work.
The Orchestra was formed during the work on the theatrical staging of Szymon Anski's "Dybbuk", which premiered in 1996. It was the start of a fascinating adventure with Klezmer music for young people from this small border town. Today’s Orchestra includes the ‘next generation’ of Sejny musicians, as adult musicians make way for younger ones, eager to become acquainted with the secrets of Klezmer music. The changes in musicians also lead to changes in instrumentation and ultimately, in the sound of the Orchestra.
Thanks to this approach, the Klezmer Orchestra of Sejny Theatre has become an institution that has educated generations of musicians and supplied major contemporary Polish bands for jazz, folk and world music with performing artists. The Orchestra received international acclaim and shared stages with David Krakauer and Frank London.