Klezmer Music

Students in the Klezmer Music ensemble will study and perform roots music from the eastern European Jewish tradition and diaspora, focusing on dance music for weddings and celebrations, as well as various crossover styles such as Yiddish swing, Yiddish theatre, and contemporary jazz/experimental repertoire by John Zorn, Masada, and others. Students will also compose or arrange at least one piece in a Klezmer style for the ensemble. Students will participate in weekly supervised rehearsals. Students will gain experience in performing Klezmer and Yiddish music, either instrumental, vocal, or both. Vocalists may sing in Yiddish and/or English and vocalese. Emphasis will be given to stylistic integrity, as well as melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic accuracy. Students will also gain an appreciation for cultural context of the music.