Introduction to Klezmer & Yiddish Song 
July 14 – 18

10 a.m. – 1 p.m. & 3 – 6 p.m.

With Deborah Strauss & Patrick Farrell


Academic credit for this workshop!

Are you an undergraduate or graduate student at a university or conservatory? If so, you can probably get 1-3 academic credits for taking this workshop, thanks to our new cooperation with the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany. Please send an email to for more details.

Deborah and Patrick are internationally renowned performers and educators.
In this workshop, they will introduce you to the essential foundations of Yiddish music, as reflected in the Yiddish language, its various dialects and singing styles, as well as to Yiddish instrumental music, which features modal structures, phrasing and ornamentation characteristic of traditional klezmer music.

The workshop is fitted for singers of all levels, special hints for musicians are to be found here. The focus will be on the unique stylistic characteristics of Yiddish music – essential knowledge for musicians of all backgrounds.

Deborah and Patrick are the ideal guides for this musical journey and look forward to sharing with you a unique and enriching learning experience.

If you're unsure about whether this workshop is right for your musical level of experience, please click here.

Workshop fee: 345 € Standard / 270 € Reduced / 470 € Sponsor / 145 € under 18.
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about

The evening program that caps each workshop day has much to do with the unique atmosphere of Yiddish Summer Weimar. On some evenings we meet for jam sessions in Weimar's cafés or in the Other Music Academy (OMA), a great opportunity to put into practice what you've been learning during the day and connect with the other participants. On other evenings, we present concerts connected to the workshop topic performed by internationally recognized artists. During the Festival Week (July 27 - August 3), directly following each evening's featured event in the mon ami cultural center, we meet again in the OMA for the Late Night Cabaret, an informal and fun atmosphere for short performances by anyone ready to jump on stage. In Yiddish Summer Weimar, learning, playing and connecting with each other go hand-in-hand.