May 16-18, 2025: Seattle's Festival of Yiddish Music, Art & Culture!
Daytime Schedule
May 17 & 18 2025
Seattle Yiddish Fest workshops are an immersive experience. Classes are meant to work cohesively to give participants a clear picture of Yiddish culture and strengthen our community, so we recommend to attend the whole event. Of course if that's not possible, you can join for one day, or even one hour and we're sure you'll still get a lot out of it!
Workshops will take place Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm- 4:00pm at Vermilion Gallery on Capitol Hill - 1508 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - followed by a dinner break and evening concerts.
This year's workshops will not be separated by instrument or voice but meet all together and include opportunities to learn songs, nigunim and dance tunes, ask questions/learn from the faculty, hear stories of the forming of the Klezmatics and more.
Our goal with the music workshops is to both give an overview of Eastern European Jewish practices while also highlighting nuances like style and ornamentation, and particularly to try and embody Ashkenazi gesture and sensibility in all the fields we explore.
Evening Schedule
Friday, May 16
7:30pm
Yiddish Shabes
Delicious Ethiopian food, shmoozing, singing jamming and more
@ Cafe Ibex
This year, instead of a potluck we'll gather in the backroom of the fantastic Cafe Ibex for a relaxed Shabbes tish, some songs and shmoozing and a klezmer jam. Register in advance and then pay for your own meal at the event.
Saturday, May 17
7:30 pm
Faculty Concert
Feat. Frank London, Lorin Sklamberg & more!
Good Music for Bad Times!
@ Russian Community Center of Seat
Seattle Yiddish Fest returns for an evening of inspiring klezmer music, Yiddish songs, Hasidic nigunim and more, featuring legendary Klezmatics members Frank London (Trumpet, Keyboard) and Lorin Sklamberg (Vocals, Accordion)!
This year's featured guests will be joined by local legends Jessica Lurie (Saxophone, flute) and Lori Goldston (Cello), plus festival director Craig Judelman (Violin) and Keith Judelman (Bass).
As The Klezmatics prepare to celebrate 40 years of incredible music, we are thrilled to have these incredible musicians leading an all-star band. They are pioneers of the klezmer revival, GRAMMY winners and so much more.
Sunday, May 18
8 pm
Shterna & The Lost Voice
The Magid Ensemble presents a new folk tale Cranky performance
@ Woodlawn Hall
The Magid Ensemble (“magid” meaning “storyteller” in Yiddish) is a multidisciplinary group creating new work that integrates folk art, traditional oral storytelling and original klezmer music. The Ensemble consists of award-winning musicians and composers Mattias Kaufmann, Raffi Boden, and Rachel Leader, storyteller Weaver, and visual artist Kiah Raymond.
This original story is illustrated with a backlit “crankie”, a long scroll wound onto two spools that illustrates the story as it unwinds. The work incorporates shadow puppetry and is inspired with motifs from Jewish papercut art. Shterna and the Lost Voice is a highly engaging hour-long storytelling performance suitable for audiences of all ages!"