With Alan Bern, Daniel Kahn, Sveta Kundish, Sasha Lurje, Ilya Schneyveys & Joshua Waletzky
Artists in Residence: Patrick Farrell, Michael Winograd

Yiddish song has always been both old and new. The vast repertoire of Yiddish song includes folk songs, theatre songs, dance songs, religious repertoire and more. These songs originally had several different functions in Jewish society. But today, as the world changes, so does the role of the repertoire. So what is New Yiddish song? What makes a song new?... read more 

With Alan Bern, Daniel Kahn, Sveta Kundish, Sasha Lurje, Ilya Schneyveys & Joshua Waletzky
Artists in Residence: Patrick Farrell, Michael Winograd

Yiddish song has always been both old and new. The vast repertoire of Yiddish song includes folk songs, theatre songs, dance songs, religious repertoire and more. These songs originally had several different functions in Jewish society. But today, as the world changes, so does the role of the repertoire. So what is New Yiddish song? What makes a song new? What makes a song Yiddish? Guided by such questions, this workshop is aimed at instrumentalists as well as singers and includes both studying current repertoire and creating our own New Yiddish Songs.

The New Yiddish Song workshop is led by some of the most groundbreaking singers, songwriters and composers in today's Yiddish music scene. For the first time in Germany, we present Joshua Waletzky, a lifelong composer/musician/teacher, specializing in Yiddish song. His songs have been performed and recorded by many of the most prominent artists in Yiddish music and have a unique flavor of contemporary Yiddish culture. He is also an award-winning documentary film director. We also welcome back award-winning singer and song-writer, Yiddish music rebel Daniel Kahn, who brings his own art of song–writing that explores the boundaries between cultures, classes, languages and the sexes. Young Yiddish singers Sveta Kundish and Sasha Lurje contribute with their vocal artistry and vast knowledge of the repertoire to complete the picture. Both singers have proven their cutting-edge approach with numerous bands and projects such as forshpil, Kol Ishe, Semer Label Reloaded, Voices of Ashkenaz and more.

For the first time, the Yiddish Song Workshop also focuses on Song Accompaniment for instrumentalists. Led by Yiddish Summer Director acknowledged musician and composer Alan Bern and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Ilya Shneyveys, Yiddish music innovators representing two generations, this workshop will look into specific questions of arranging, accompanying and working with singers on both folk songs and new songs. Both Bern and Shneyveys have extensive experience composing, arranging and accompanying New Yiddish Songs and share a passion for new approaches to Yiddish style and repertoire.

The Yiddish Song Workshop will also be assisted by Yiddish Summer Weimar fellows and artists-in-residence.

Please feel free to contact Sasha Lurje with any questions about whether this workshop is right for you: sasha@forshpil.com

Workshop fee: Standard 460 € / Reduced 355 € / Supporter 635 €
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about
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intermediate July 28 - August 3
With Simon Neuberg
This course will be aimed at those interested in learning the Yiddish language and exploring the diverse history and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry. read more 

intermediate July 28 - August 3
With Simon Neuberg
This course will be aimed at those interested in learning the Yiddish language and exploring the diverse history and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry. Basic familiarity with the Jewish alphabet and with simple Yiddish phrases will be expected. Classes will include samples of Yiddish prose, poetry, songs, films, and contemporary ethnographic material. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing authentic pronunciation and on understanding variations among the main Yiddish dialects.

Workshop fee: Standard 460 € / Reduced 355 € / Supporter 635 €
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about
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advanced August 4-10
With Yuri Vedenyapin
In keeping with this summer's theme, we'll also engage with 21st century Yiddish literature in this course. read more 

advanced August 4-10
With Yuri Vedenyapin

In keeping with this summer's theme, we'll also engage with 21st century Yiddish literature in this course. The final selection of authors and works is still open and can depend on the class participants' wishes, in order to avoid works that are may already be familiar to everyone. We'd like to ask you to bring your favorite works of Yiddish literature from the year 2000 onwards with you to the course to be able to briefly present them.

Workshop fee: Standard 460 € / Reduced 355 € / Supporter 635 €
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With Alan Bern, Paul Brody, Patrick Farrell, Johannes Paul Gräßer, Ilya Schneyveys & Michael Winograd

Today's New Yiddish Music is inspired by the pioneering American klezmer revival bands like the Klezmatics and Brave Old World, but it also reaches further back into Yiddish music tradition and recombines it with jazz, rock, avant-garde, classical, film and theater music, Balkan and other Eastern European music and more. New Yiddish Music crosses borders of musical language, genre or performance style while keeping an audible Yiddish music heritage. How?... read more 

With Alan Bern, Paul Brody, Patrick Farrell, Johannes Paul Gräßer, Ilya Schneyveys & Michael Winograd

Today's New Yiddish Music is inspired by the pioneering American klezmer revival bands like the Klezmatics and Brave Old World, but it also reaches further back into Yiddish music tradition and recombines it with jazz, rock, avant-garde, classical, film and theater music, Balkan and other Eastern European music and more. New Yiddish Music crosses borders of musical language, genre or performance style while keeping an audible Yiddish music heritage. How?

This workshop is led by internationally celebrated musicians who have answered this question in their own individual way and at the highest artistic level. American-born, Berlin-based Paul Brody has created an edgy, jazzy and moody musical language with his band Sadawi and other projects, and is a featured artist on John Zorn's Tsadik label. With Brave Old World, Diaspora Redux, The Other Europeans and other bands, Alan Bern has created projects that explore Yiddish music vis-a-vis improvisation, lautari music and classical music, and, as Director of Yiddish Summer Weimar, he has encouraged and supported many of the most creative younger bands in New Yiddish Music. Clarinetist Michael Winograd and accordionist Patrick Farrell are leading lights in the New York Jewish music scene and have brought New Yiddish Music to a new level of virtuosity and experiment connected to tradition. With Alpenklezmer, Forshpil and other projects, Latvian multi-instrumentalist/arranger Ilya Schneyveys is a shooting star of European New Yiddish Music. Erfurt-based violinist Johannes Gräßer is a creative force behind several current New Yiddish Music projects that deeply explore tradition, classical music and improvisation, including Sher on a shier, the Modern Klezmer Quartet and more.

Like all Yiddish Summer workshops, the Instrumental workshop is largely taught by the artists in a team, establishing a creative and provocative atmosphere in which students are active co-creators, not passive receivers. It will include sessions on composing, arranging, performance, interpretation and analysis, instrumental classes, ensembles and master classes. The workshop is open for composers, arrangers and instrumentalists who want to explore the possible relationships between traditional and contemporary Yiddish instrumental music. Advanced and intermediate sections meet together for parts of each day and separately for other parts. We ask you to register for the level you think is appropriate, advanced or intermediate, understanding that the workshop leaders may advise you to switch levels if it would be in your own best interest. Please feel free to contact the management, with any questions about whether this workshop is right for you: registration@othermusic.eu

Workshop fee: Standard 460 € / Reduced 355 € / Supporter 635 €
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about
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With Diana Matut, Andreas Schmitges

Following the wonderful experiences of the last summers, we'd like to invite you once again to our workshop on songs for young and old. Everyone between the ages of 6 to 120 is welcome! read more 

With Diana Matut, Andreas Schmitges

Following the wonderful experiences of the last summers, we'd like to invite you once again to our workshop on songs for young and old. Everyone between the ages of 6 to 120 is welcome! Together, we'll learn a small repertoire of songs and work on melodies, language and pronunciation.

We want to make a lot of music all together. Depending on the number of participants and their ages, we may sometimes divide into two separate groups to meet the needs of both younger and older singers. 



You should bring with you: patience for young and old, lots of good mood, enjoying singing and the ability to hold a voice. If you play an instrument, then bring it with you, too! We might be able to use it.

Instruction times: 10.00-13.00 and 15.00-18.00 daily, July 29th until August 2th
Final presentation: on August 3th, 11.00 in the morning

Children can stay with us the whole day. For a small fee it's possible to eat lunch together and spend the lunch break time by dancing, visiting the park and so on.

Languages of instruction: as needed, (German, Yiddish and/or English).



For the children: Please bring a little bag with a scissors, paste, strips of paper, brush, paintset and colored pencils.

Workshop fee: Children up to 14 years 180 € / Childer over 14 years 315 € / Family (up to 2 children and parents or grandparets) 460 €
There are no further discounts for this workshop other than the Early Bird registration discount and the one-time reduction for members of other music e.V.
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With lya Shneyveys, Alan Bern and artists in residence: Isaac Beaudet, Julien Biret

What is New Yiddish Dance? In 2013 we took this question literally and as a result some very new yet authentic Yiddish dances were imagined, worked out and brought to life with the participation of teachers and students alike. Based both on traditional Yiddish dances as well as other folk traditions, dances such as Kompot and Tsepl tants are now becoming a part of the contemporary Yiddish repertoire and are being danced all over the World. read more 

With lya Shneyveys, Alan Bern and artists in residence: Isaac Beaudet, Julien Biret

What is New Yiddish Dance? In 2013 we took this question literally and as a result some very new yet authentic Yiddish dances were imagined, worked out and brought to life with the participation of teachers and students alike. Based both on traditional Yiddish dances as well as other folk traditions, dances such as Kompot and Tsepl tants are now becoming a part of the contemporary Yiddish repertoire and are being danced all over the World.



This year we'll continue working on creating and refining new dance steps and patterns, without forgetting about the traditional repertoire - for it is an endless well of inspiration which opens up new dimensions every time you take a closer look at it.

The New Yiddish Dance Orchestra will also be looking at and beyond the traditional realm. Years of the Klezmer revival has created a platform for many talented musicians to compose new Yiddish music, closely related to the tradition, but taking it to a new level by bringing in new influences and ideas. And yet, there is still so much more to find in the traditional melodies. Led by Ilya Shneyveys and Alan Bern (with artists in residence such as clarinettist Julien Biret and violinist Isaac Beaudet from the Canadian klezmer band 'Ichka'), the New Yiddish Dance music workshop will explore various dimensions of klezmer music.

Please feel free to contact the management, with any questions about whether this workshop is right for you: registration@othermusic.eu

If you have further questions about the content of the workshop, please contact the workshop coordinator Andreas Schmitges: schmitges@aol.com

Workshop fee: Standard 405 € / Reduced 315 € / Supporter 555 €
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about
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With Steve Weintraub, Vivien Zeller, Andreas Schmitges

Once again, we are offering a “New Yiddish Dance” workshop this year. 
Like all European dance forms, Yiddish dance is rooted in the interconnection of different cultures, from which it developed until the point where it had its own character and style. In Weimar we will be working with many neighboring styles, re-creating this process and thus paving the way for new dances that are based on tradition. read more 

With Steve Weintraub, Vivien Zeller, Andreas Schmitges

Once again, we are offering a “New Yiddish Dance” workshop this year. 
Like all European dance forms, Yiddish dance is rooted in the interconnection of different cultures, from which it developed until the point where it had its own character and style. In Weimar we will be working with many neighboring styles, re-creating this process and thus paving the way for new dances that are based on tradition.

We have made this possible by again inviting the best-known and most popular of today’s Yiddish dance masters to join us in Weimar: Steve Weintraub from Philadelphia! Steve will be working together with Vivien Zeller and Andreas Schmitges to develop new territory for Yiddish dance.

At the same time, we will not ignore the new repertoire that was created last year. We’ll also re-discover and work with dances that used to be part of the Yiddish repertoire. So if you want to learn and to dance traditional and New Yiddish Dances, and to be part of a creative process, the dance workshop is the right place for you!

If necessary, we can split the group into two parts that will each work on different topics. For instance we could have “new” and “traditional” or “beginner” and “advanced” groups. Also – and this is one of the strengths of the Weimar Summer courses – we are able to respond very quickly to questions or suggestions from you, the participants. For this reason, it’s important that you tell us in advance if you have any general or specific requests. Your input will help us enormously in preparing the workshops!

Parallel to the dance class, the dance musicians course will be taking place. This means that the dancers and dance musicians will be learning directly from each other– the perfect opportunity for both groups to understand how the dances and the music interact.  

Of course, the workshop is framed by the jam sessions that are held at various Weimar cafés each evening. This gives you the chance to put into practice what you have learned during the day. On Friday evening we welcome Shabes with “A Shtim fun Harts”, and on Saturday evening there is the usual highlight of the Yiddish Summer Festival, the Grand Dance Ball.

Do you need to know more about the dance workshop? Then please send an email to the coordinator, Andreas Schmitges: schmitges@aol.com.
If you have any organizational or administrative questions, please contact: registration@othermusic.eu.

Workshop fee: Standard 345 € / Reduced 270 € / Supporter 470 €
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about
>> Registration back