Schedule:
10-11:30am Music Workshop 1 with Zisl Slepovitch
Yiddish songs with nign (niggun - wordless tunes)-refrains. The subgenre of the Yiddish song that brings instrumentalists and singers on the same territory — when words aren’t enough. But what and how does the nign (niggun)-refrain really express and how to perform it. Be prepared to sing and, if you play an instrument, to play as well as sing.
Learning materials (handouts – song / melody charts with suggested chord symbols) will be provided by the instructor.
Prerequisites: Helpful but NOT required to take this workshop are sight-reading skills, Yiddish comprehension, vocal and instrumental abilities.
1:30pm-3pm Music Workshop 2 with Zisl Slepovitch
Musical treasures from Sofia Magid’s Jewish collection: klezmer tunes from Belarus and Ukraine, based on Zisl Slepovitch’s 2024 eponymous publication.
The scholarly legacy of Sofia Magid (1892–1954), an eminent Soviet ethnomusicologist and linguist makes a critical contribution to the Ashkenazic Eastern European Jewish music studies and performing arts. Among Magid’s field recordings made in the USSR between 1928—1949 are some of the very few sound documents of the Jewish folk singers and instrumentalists made on the cusp of the Holocaust. This collection researched, transcribed, and published by Dr. D. Zisl Slepovitch in 2024 contains roughly half of the previously unpublished set of instrumental repertoire recorded by Magid between 1928–1938 in Volhynia (Ukraine) and South-Eastern parts of Belarus.
Learning materials (handouts — melody charts with chord symbols) will be provided by the instructor.
1:45pm-3pm Beginning Yiddish Language Workshop with Asya Vaisman Schulman
In this workshop, we’ll dive into Yiddish through simple, everyday conversation. You’ll learn how to introduce yourself, talk about where you live, and share a few daily activities—all in Yiddish. No prior knowledge of the language is required, making this a great starting point for beginners!
3:15pm-5:15pm Yiddish Dance Workshop with Asya Vaisman Schulman
Yiddish dance formations come in all shapes and sizes — there are dances done in pairs, in lines, in circles (open and closed), and in squares! In this workshop, we will learn the honga (danced in a line), a patsh tants (a mixer danced in a circle), a sher (a square dance), and more! No prior experience necessary — just bring your enthusiasm and be ready to move.
At 5:15 we all meet in the sanctuary for zayt gezints- be wells- farewells…and a last dance together.
Additional Dates:
