A word from the Artistic Director, Alan Bern

It's almost impossible to believe, but Yiddish Summer Weimar 2016 now belongs to history! For almost 5 weeks, we turned Weimar into a red hot center of creativity, learning, artistic production, social and personal transformation. Our "Bobe Mayses" and "Gilgul" projects were both huge successes and attracted national media attention. The YHIP conference felt like nothing less than the update of the Czernowitz Conference, 108 years later. More than 100 events – including concerts, dances, jam sessions, lectures, mini-workshops and much more – were packed with visitors from near and far. We built new partnerships and strengthened existing ones. An amazing year! Thanks to the German Federal Cultural Foundation we were -finally- able to show what we can do with realistic funding for a five-week festival! Many thanks, too, to the city of Weimar, the Atran Foundation, and all of our other loyal supporters. And finally, thanks beyond words to the artists, the teachers, the Yiddish Summer team and volunteers, and to our loyal audiences, who ARE the reason we do this every year!
Preparations are already underway for Yiddish Summer 2017, from July 15 to August 13, "The Other Israel: Seeing Unseen Diasporas."  Stay tuned to this website for updates.

And check out the www.othermusicacademy.eu website for information about the first ever OMA Middle Eastern Music & Culture Project (in Weimar, from October 19-23, 2016) and the 2nd visit of the OMA Improvisation Project to the Exploratorium Berlin (from October 24-29, 2016). Looking forward to seeing you again soon in Weimar, Berlin, or wherever else our paths may cross!

Welcome to Yiddish Summer Weimar 2016!
July 10 - August 12

Thanks to a generous grant from the German Federal Cultural Foundation, our festival this year will have more color and variety than ever before. In 2016, Yiddish Summer rocks Weimar with more than 100 concerts, jam sessions, workshops, dances, sing-alongs and many more events for all ages.

Are you looking for something fun and educational to do on vacation? Then look no further than our Festival Week, from August 1– 6, which features nightly concerts of world-class bands and a daily program of hands-on, mini-workshops in Yiddish language, music, dance, literature, cooking and much more. No prior experience is necessary, and you can come for a day or stay the whole week. This year, the festival week also features the premieres of two works created during Yiddish Summer 2016: Bobe Mayses, raucous, Yiddish puppet/street theater, and Gilgul, joyful contemporary Yiddish dance. Also a highlight of Yiddish Summer 2016: YHIP, the first conference to explore historically informed Yiddish performance practice, bringing together leading international artists and scholars: the public is invited!

If you’re ready to dive head-first into Yiddish instrumental music (klezmer), vocal music, dance or language, our world-famous, week-long intensive workshops are just the thing. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you will find a workshop that is right for your level. People from more than 26 countries around the world have discovered the many pleasures of Yiddish culture at Yiddish Summer Weimar, and many return year after year. Yiddish Summer Weimar is a truly international community and we hope you will join us!
You’d like to try a workshop but you’re not sure which one is right for you? Then try our new Workshop Finder, or call our office* and we’ll be glad to talk it over with you.

We hope to see you this summer in Weimar at the 16th edition of Yiddish Summer!

*From within Germany: 03643 85 83 10. From outside of Germany: 0049 3643 85 83 10