The Magid Presents: Shterna and the Lost Voice a musical Crankie storytelling adventure

Part of The Portland Jewish Music Festival!

The Magid Ensemble: Join us! – for a musical crankie storytelling adventure titled ‘Shterna and the Lost Voice’ – a new folktale by A.C. Weaver that brings together mythical stories of Elyahu Hanovi with traditional motifs of Yiddish folklore. Drawing inspiration from S. Ansky’s ethnographies of Jewish life in Eastern Europe during the turn of the 20th century, 'Shterna and the Lost Voice' follows the quest of a young woman from the realms of the dead to the celestial gardens of the immortal – all to restore her friend's lost voice. Our narrator guides listeners on Shterna’s epic adventure, accompanied by live original klezmer music, all while the narrative unfolds through a papercut crankie. This dynamic performance is geared towards audiences of all ages!

Shterna and the Lost Voice is the debut theatrical project of the Magid Ensemble, transporting audiences into the rich world of Yiddish folklore. Developed through rigorous research on Eastern-European Jewish folklore, this immersive storytelling production follows Shterna on an epic hero’s journey, through the living world, the underworld, and the immortal world, in order to retrieve the lost voice of her friend. Narration unfolds alongside a stunning papercut crankie (a long scroll wound onto two spools that illustrates the story as it unwinds) and is accompanied by a live original klezmer music score. Shterna and the Lost Voice is a highly engaging 50-minute storytelling performance suitable for audiences of all ages!

Shterna and the Lost Voice is presented by The Magid Ensemble (magid, meaning “storyteller” in Yiddish) – a new collaboration featuring award-winning klezmer musicians and composers Mattias Kaufmann, Raffi Boden, and Rachel Leader, Yiddishist and storyteller Weaver, and visual artist Kiah Raymond. The Magid Ensemble explores the interplay of sound, story, light, and shadow to create expressive and immersive storytelling landscapes.