Advanced Yiddish Instrumental Music (Klezmer)

July 21 - 28, 2026; unstructured (free) day: July 25
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 3 - 6 p.m. | advanced

with Deborah Strauss, Frank London, Sanne Möricke & Zilyin Biret

This year’s advanced instrumental workshop will focus on the joys and challenges musicians encounter when entering into a dialogue with the rich, vibrant Yiddish culture. Each workshop leader will bring their unique decades-long musical journey to the table, modeling how multiple perspectives can inhabit the same big picture while maintaining individual voices and sensibilities. We will adopt a holistic approach as a way to broaden, strengthen and enhance how we understand and embrace the cultural contexts that gave birth to klezmer music and have nurtured its growth into our contemporary era.

To that end, each day will include a mix of playing, listening, singing, discussion and movement. There will be time working with source recordings in a detailed and nuanced way; engaging with historical and contemporary transcriptions of source material; and expanding our palette using movement, breath, singing and language. We will work both as a large group and in smaller specialized ensembles that will explore repertoire and style as well as arranging, improvisation, harmonization, listening techniques, with a special focus on rhythm.

This week aims to explore and challenge notions of authority and “tradition” in our learning and playing klezmer, and try to “live in this klezmer thing” in a spirit of love, inclusiveness, support and personal discovery.

Please note! To participate in this workshop, you should have strong instrumental technique and extensive experience in Yiddish instrumental music, the ability to read music and/or play by ear comfortably and a passion for musical nuance. 

 

Workshop fee: 
530 € Standard / 425 € Reduced / 740 € Sponsor / 180 € Under 18