This spring, Ashkenaz partners with the Canadian Language Museum to present a multi-media celebration of oral and written Yiddish. Berlin-based composer Paul Brody has created an exciting sound installation for the CLM based on the voice-melodies of Toronto Yiddish speakers.  To create The Music of Yiddish Blessings and Curses Brody interviewed eight Yiddish speakers to explore their favorite curses and blessings, as well as the stories and memories behind them. He discovered that as the Yiddish speakers, young and old,…

Klezmer takes the spotlight as Ashkenaz teams up with World Fiddle Day as part of Yiddish Spring, at the Canadian Language Museum. Philadelphia-based guest artists Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer have been prominent figures in the Klezmer/Yiddish revival for nearly four decades as both performers and instructors. Come join them for a day devoted to learning, listening and playing the klezmer tradition on stringed instruments. Workshop participants will learn rhythms, melodies, chords and more, by ear (with sheet music available) as…