Our popular Klezmer weekend course returns, now as a long weekend, with Susi Evans, Szilvia Csaranko, Indra Buraczewska and Flora Curzon at the helm to inspire you to explore this celebratory, soulful and melodic music from nineteenth century Jewish Eastern Europe.
Learn some great tunes and gain knowledge of the modes, ornamentation, rhythms and accompaniment that give klezmer its unique flavour. Play in an orchestra led by four of Europe’s top klezmer specialists, join a small ensemble where you can develop your arrangement skills and learn tips and tricks on your instrument to play music in a klezmer style. There will also be an informal tutors’ concert and plenty of opportunity for jamming in the bar!
“An inspiring – and fun! – weekend. I was completely new to klezmer, and enjoyed learning with musicians from different backgrounds. Next year can’t come soon enough!” Participant
We’ve added an extra night to our Klezmer music course to give you a bit more time to work with the tutors and play together. Sunday will now be a full day of workshops instead of ending after cream tea. Although we ask that you check out by 10am on Monday morning, you may leave earlier if necessary.
Who is it for?
This is a course for all* instrumentalists from all musical backgrounds. We welcome people who are new to klezmer, but you will need a good grasp of your instrument in order to participate. The course will be taught by ear as well as using the dots and there will be opportunities to develop both of these skills. We aim to set a pace that is right for everybody, and we will sometimes divide the group by instrument or level of experience.
If you’ve taken part in the course before, you’d be welcome back as the majority of the material covered will be new, and you’ll have the chance to build on your existing skills and techniques. The majority of your time will be spent working with a tutor in a small group, with some opportunity to play as a whole group.
*For diatonic instruments such as whistles and diatonic accordions, the klezmer modes can present a bit of a challenge. Please contact us if you’re not sure.
The Team
Susi, Szilvia, Indra and Flora are all exceptional musicians who are passionate about the tradition of klezmer music. Susi and Szilvia perform internationally and are in demand as teachers at the major klezmer festivals such as Yiddish Summer Weimar, Klezfest London, Yiddish New York and KlezKanada. They are also the authors of the Klezmer Playbook and founders of the KlezmerPlaybook CLUB where they regularly have up to 100 participants attending their online workshops.
Susi Evans (clarinet) graduated as a classical music student from the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2004. She has been playing klezmer and Balkan music since 2001 with her UK-based bands She’Koyokh and the London Klezmer Quartet. She has been described as “one of the best klezmer clarinettists of our day” (Simon Broughton, Songlines Magazine) and was crowned “the Queen of Klezmer” by the Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain. In 2020 she won second prize in the International Clarinettist Corona Competiton. Susi is also a keen accordionist playing with the klezmer band Loshn, and dedicates her time to studying Bulgarian and Serbian clarinet styles as well as playing the Gaida (Bulgarian bagpipes) and the Frula (Serbian flute).
Szilvia Csaranko (accordion & piano) was born in Hungary to a family of professional classical musicians. She trained in classical piano and graduated from the University of Hildersheim in Cultural Education Studies. She founded the band ‘A Gelyzele Vayn’ in 2004 and plays in numerous projects as an accordionist, pianist and arranger. She is co-founder and Musical Director of the 80-piece Klezmerorchester Erfurt – a project that brings together amateur and professional musicians of all generations and musical backgrounds.
Indra Buraczewska (double bass)
After graduating from the Victorian College of Arts (Australia) as a classical violinist, Indra discovered the wonderful world of the bass. She has played a multitude of genres, from original pop and Balkans to jazz and funk. Touring throughout Europe, Indra has played at the Edinburgh and Galway festivals, and in Australia has appeared at major festivals including Woodford, the Falls Festival, Earthcore and the National Folk Festival. She played bass for the gypsy trio ‘Vardos’ for six years and continues to specialise in world music. Indra first joined the London Klezmer Quartet for their 2012 Australian tour and features on three of their four albums. Now based in Latvia, she has played many a klezmer concert and taught at workshops in the UK and Europe as well as having previously taught at Halsway.
Flora Curzon (violin) is an award-winning violinist based in London. She started playing klezmer at Klezfest (London) in 2010 and has since performed internationally with her critically acclaimed duo Fran & Flora, London Klezmer Quartet and International Klezmer Collective. Flora also plays classical music, more experimental music using electronics and free-improvisation, sings, and regularly works collaboratively in theatre and dance contexts. She has performed at The Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Sadler’s Wells and The Globe Theatre, and has made recordings Precious Collection (Fran & Flora, April 2024), Hold Still Liminal (solo, Feb 2023), Unfurl (Fran & Flora, Feb 2019), and Meditations and Laments (Gaia Duo, Dec 2019). She trained in both modern and historical violin at the Royal Academy of Music where she was awarded several prizes.
We are grateful to the Jewish Institute of Music for their support of tutor visas for this course. 