Mark “Stempenyuk” Kovnatskiy (RUS/D, violin)
Mark Kovnatskiy is a widely traveled and highly acclaimed violinist, composer, lecturer and expert in Yiddish dances based in Hamburg, Germany. He is at the head of a generation that has saved the sensitive playing style of the old Klezmorim for the present and developed it further.
He has performed and taught at many music festivals around the world from USA and Canada to Japan. In addition to his projects such as the Di Yiddish Neshome, Semer Ensemble, Engel Ensemble, Torah Images, Hamburg Klezmer Band, Joel Rubin Ensemble, Fialke and Silja Mark has performed as a guest musician with Socalled, Dobranotch, Efim Chorny, Painted Bird and Forshpil, among others. He teaches Yiddish music and dance internationally.
Mark has worked with orchestras such as the Musica Viva (RU), Augsburger Philharmoniker (GER), Aurora Orchestra (UK), INSO Lviv (UA) and Weimar Staatskapelle (GER). His own compositions are performed by various musical projects (both klezmer and classical) around the world, including musicians from the San Francisco Symphony (USA).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad3AcZaY3H0
https://youtu.be/IB_o753F5tg
https://youtu.be/SLEdjBEcO4w
https://de.mark-kovnatskiy.com
Photo: Shendl Copitman