When the news first came out in 2012 that the late Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch wanted to erect a statue of his celebrated daughter, who died in 2011, the Internet’s immediate reaction was “Yikes!” A statue of Amy sounds like a hot mess waiting to happen, no? But now the artist who will be creating the statue has spoken out, reassuring fans that his interpretation of the tragically fated “Back to Black” singer will not be the disaster some are anticipating. Sculptor Scott …More

Every Friday, Jspace News partners with the America Israel Cultural Foundation to bring you an interview with one of the many Israeli artists they support throughout the world. Tali Rubinstein is a contemporary recorder player, singer, and composer. She graduated with honors from prestigious music institutions in Israel: Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. She also studied at the Buchman-Mehta School of Music, Tel-Aviv …More

Hundreds of singers from across Europe convened in Vienna for the first European Jewish Choir Festival. The festival will culminate on May 12 in a gala concert titled “Shir LaShalom—A Song for Peace” at the Austria Center Vienna, where 400 vocalists from Jewish choirs from 16 European cities will present their repertoires. The event, which is expected to draw some 1,500 spectators over the weekend, is sponsored by the European Jewish Parliament, the European Jewish Union, the Jewish Community …More

Every Friday, Jspace News partners with the America Israel Cultural Foundation to bring you an interview with one of the many Israeli artists they support throughout the world. Ady Cohen is a film composer who also composes music for the stage, television, and the concert hall. He is the winner of the 1998 Israeli Academy Award for Best Film Score. The film, “Dangerous Acts,” won seven Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Director. Ady has composed over 30 film scores in Israel, the United States, …More

Yossi Banai was a beloved Israeli musician and actor, known for his trademark combination of musical performances and dramatic interpretations. Banai was born in Jerusalem November 5, 1932, in the Mahane Yehuda neighborhood. It is a vibrant market area, known for its colorful “shuks,” or markets. The Banai family was recognized among neighbors for its artistic talent, and young Yossi was no different. From a small age, Banai was performing along side his brothers, Gavri, Ya’akov and Haim, who …More

Michelle Citrin is known as the little girl with the big sound. It’s a description that fits. This petite musical sensation has made a name for herself with a prolific body of work, often playing on her Jewish roots. From holiday homages like “20 Things to Do With Matzah” to political parodies like “Call Your Zeyde,” Citrin’s a viral video hit and anything but a one note player. Jspace recently caught up with Citrin to discuss Schlep Labs, Obama, and how a hamster named Junior …More

Binyamin Kagedan, JNS.org Since the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement got its start in 2005, the decision to schedule an appearance in Israel has been become a difficult one for popular recording artists. American and British performers who announce plans to stop in Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan as part of their world tour quickly come under fire from blogs, Facebook groups, and other BDS outlets that call upon them to immediately cancel these shows. Some artists in recent years have complied with the BDS …More

Lena Dunham and Taylor Swift may seem like an unlikely pairing, but just think about it: they’ve both made successful careers out of thinly-veiled portrayals of their love lives, Swift in her 1,000,000 songs about being wronged by men and Dunham by flashing her pseudo-fictionalized life (and naked body) all over HBO. So it sort of makes sense that these ladies would get along. A few years back, Dunham had this to say about Swift: “I feel like she and I are artistic kindred spirits. She may not know …More

Every Friday, Jspace News partners with the America Israel Cultural Foundation to bring you an interview with one of the many Israeli artists they support throughout the world. A native of Israel, Daniel Meron succeeds in expressing in his music the diversity of influences from his homeland. Nourished by the tradition of jazz improvisation, but recognizing the value of classical and folklore music, Daniel finds a way to feature his unique playing style in brilliant compositions that are both sophisticated and …More

Moscow-born, New York-raised indie folk singer Regina Spektor plans to return to Israel for an August 24 concert in Caesarea. She first played in Israel in 2007, selling out both concerts of that tour. Since rising to indie fame in 2006 with her Billboard hit, “Begin to Hope,” Spektor has been open about her connection to Judaism and Israel. Though she has been away from the Jewish state for six years, the 33-year old singer-songwriter has stayed true to her roots in the interim. In 2009, amidst …More

The Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte-Carlo will perform a concert in Monaco featuring instruments of Jewish Holocaust victims. Several violins belonging to Jews murdered by the Nazis will be played at the May 5 concert at the Grimaldi Forum, and the stories of their owners will be told, according to a report in the Nice Matain French daily. The Violins of Hope concert, initiated by Smadar Eisenberg, president of Friends of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte-Carlo association, obtained the instruments from the …More

Since her death, Amy Winehouse has been honored through various charities, musical tributes, and more. Now, the Jewish songstress might also be immortalized on the streets of her home city. Rumors are swirling that a street in London will be named after Amy, with options like Winehouse Way and Winehouse Street being considered. The street would be located near the King’s Cross Station if completed. "To think that our surname would be indelibly linked with London through the naming of a street after Amy is …More