YAM Ensemble - Yiddish Summer Weimar

YAM Ensemble

YAM Ensemble brings together young people from Turkey, Greece, and Germany for a three-week music project in Istanbul, Agios Lavrentios, and Weimar. If you are a young musician (of any nationality) living in one of these countries and want to participate in a 25- to 30-piece ensemble that will study and perform a mixture of klezmer/Yiddish, Greek, Turkish and Sephardic music, then YAM is for you! Both singers and instrumentalists are welcome.

YAM ים...
... is the Yiddish word for “sea,” inspired by the shared musical repertoire of the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions; and the fluid, ever-evolving nature of folk music and culture.

In recent years, Yiddish Summer Weimar (with the support of the Department of Transcultural Music Studies at the Hochschule für Musik FRANZ LISZT Weimar) has established a database of this interrelated regional repertoire. While the close relationship between Turkish, Sephardic, and Greek music was expected, we also found that the repertoire these traditions share with klezmer/Yiddish (Ashkenazic Jewish) music was even more extensive than we thought. In the course of our research and musical projects, building on the work of ethnomusicologists like Zev Feldman, Joel Rubin, Josh Horowitz and others, we’ve come to understand just how deeply the Yiddish musical tradition is connected to the musics of the Black Sea region — Ottoman, Turkish, Greek, and Sephardic/Ladino musical cultures — even more so than we had previously imagined.

In YAM, we put this research into practice by performing suites that bring together shared repertoire from all of these cultures, moving seamlessly between intricate arrangements and playful improvisation. This project offers both a learning and playing opportunity— a chance to meet new friends, explore new places, and be inspired by new musical influences.

The first edition of YAM Ensemble took place in the summer of 2024, when we travelled to Agios Lavrentios, Thessaloniki, Weimar, Erfurt, and Eisenach (see some photos here). In the summer of 2025, thanks to Erasmus+ funding from the European Union, we were able to learn and perform together in Turkey, Greece and Germany!

What to expect as a participant?
Once you have been chosen as a participant, you can expect to work with world-renowned musicians, teachers, and culture bearers in incredible locations and within an intercultural setting. A dedicated team at each of the locations we visit will support you and help make YAM Ensemble a fun and life-changing experience for everybody.

We will hold preparatory meetings on Zoom to answer any questions you may have and get to know you better. We will take care of your travel and accommodation, and will also provide most of the meals during the project.

The artistic directors and conductors of YAM Ensemble are the amazing Cantor Sarah Myerson (New York) and Ilya Shneyveys (Riga/New York).