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April 13, 2012
Israeli star to perform here
Marina Maximilian Blumin joins local Yom Ha’atzmaut.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
By the time Marina Maximilian Blumin placed second on Israel’s Kochav Nolad in 2007, her star was already rising. Now, at 24, her star is shining bright: she’s a pianist, vocalist, composer, actress and model who has attracted positive attention from sources as varied as renowned classical music composer and conductor Gil Shohat to Vogue Italia. And, she’s coming to Vancouver this month to help our community celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day).
The evening, presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver at the Centre for Performing Arts on April 25, 7:30 p.m., will begin by closing the commemoration of Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Remembrance Day). “Following that, there will be a series of presentations and performances by young members of our community, including a performance by the Or Chadash dance troupe,” said Stephen Gaerber, co-chair once again of the celebration with his brother, Allen. “New this year will be a short video highlighting our community’s contribution to our partnership region, the upper Galilee (Etzba Hagalil), and a unique live presentation that was written specifically for the event that celebrates 64 years of the state of Israel.”
The fact that there will be 66 kids performing at the community celebration seems appropriate given that Blumin started performing in earnest at a young age. Born in Ukraine, she came to Israel with her family when she was three years old. Soon after, she began piano and vocal training. According to her website, “At the age of 10, she began performing in festivals, including a classical duet with singer Charlotte Church at
Israel’s Millennium celebrations, accompanied by a symphonic orchestra. At the age of 14, she began performing in jazz clubs with original jazz.” At 15, Blumin began performing in theatre productions, as well as performing in and writing music for various other shows. She graduated with honors from the classical and jazz performance departments of the Tel Aviv High School for the Arts, and received several scholarships and awards during those years for jazz vocal performance and composition.
“I grew up as a classical pianist and vocalist,” Blumin told the Independent in an e-mail interview. “As I got older, I continued my exploration of music through jazz and the world of improvisation, treating myself as a vocal instrument. Then I discovered musical arrangement and song writing.
“My mother is a musician who was trained by a strict method of teaching, but grew up to be a sensitive, gentle and unique piano teacher. My father is a performer in his soul. As for my older brother, he used to play the violin and is a former choreographer. So, by these examples alone, and there are many more, you can imagine the environment I grew up in.
“My earliest memories of myself are as a singer and performer. I don’t remember ever having chosen it – yet, I remember that I always knew it about myself.”
When asked to share some of her career highlights, Blumin said, “Thanks to the fact that I’m a hyperactive, curious child, and, thanks to the fact that music is a divine creation, every time I perform, I feel the possibility of reaching new heights and new accomplishments. But, if I must choose [a highlight], I’d intuitively choose the moment that I won second place on Kochav Nolad – the Israeli version of American Idol – because it was the end of a very intense and fascinating period of participation on the show. It was the beginning of a new life, the chance to fulfil my destiny and devote myself to my audience.”
Currently, Blumin is performing a new classically oriented show with Shohat. “I also have a show called The Layers with my own band, who will accompany me in the Yom Ha’atzmaut concert. We have been together almost a decade and we are growing up together musically, and I’m also busy working on my album.”
She is also the face and figure of a fashion company called Onot (Seasons), and she has been acting in a few drama series on Israeli television.
According to her website, Blumin has performed in many festivals, including the International Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat and the Bolzano Jazz Festival in Italy, and she has worked with musicians such as Avishai Cohen, Jason Lindner, David Hazeltine and others. Since her Kochav Nolad experience five years ago, Blumin has created at least two different shows: ExperiMental, which she also produced, includes original songs in English and Hebrew that she performs with a band; and a solo show, Amok Ba-Tal (a line from a poem by Leah Goldberg), in which she plays the piano and performs material from her upcoming album.
Blumin is looking forward to coming to Vancouver.
“I’m honored to have been invited to perform at the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations in Vancouver,” she told the Independent. “I am especially excited since I have family there. I wish us all a great evening together to celebrate our national and individual independence! I invite all of you to join me in a wonderful celebration!”
About the repertoire she’ll be performing, Blumin said, “I am going to bring songs from various sources. I like to take beautiful old Israeli songs and rearrange them in my way. For example, the wonderful Mordechai Zeira song ‘Ma Omrot Einaich,’ and Lehakat HaNachal’s ‘Yeshnan Banot.’
“I will be performing with my band – Aviv Cohen (drummer), Gillad Abro (bass player) and Jonathan Albalak (guitarist) – who are considered to be among the top musicians in Israel and have participated in festivals around the world.”
While there are videos on YouTube of Blumin performing that you can find using English search terms, there are much better finds – including a spirited rendition of “Yeshnan Banot” – if you search in Hebrew. In interviews and in performance, Blumin seems self-confident, energetic, eclectic and delightfully quirky. When asked how she came by her chutzpah, she responded, “I think chutzpah is something you are born with. Because I’ve studied since a very young age, I’ve gained technical confidence in what I do, and especially the confidence to know that, whatever I would like to do in this life, I need to nourish with discipline – there’s nothing a person cannot achieve with these tools.”
For tickets to the community celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, visit jewishvancouver.com or call 604-257-5100.
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