East European songs of the Steppes and the Shtetl

• Morning session (10:30am – 1:30pm) Yiddish Songs - £30
• Afternoon session (2:30pm – 5:30pm) Russian Songs - £30
• Full day pass (10:00am – 5:30pm) - £50

Yiddish Songs (10:30am – 1:30pm)

Yiddish, the 1,000-year-old language of the Jews of Eastern Europe, is flourishing, as people young and old, Jewish and non-Jewish, explore its rich cultural heritage. 

Some of the songs come from the Yiddish theatre and cinema or describe the diverse lives of Jewish people across Eastern and Central Europe and all the countries they have emigrated to – their history, hopes, memories, politics, celebrations and resistance to oppression. Others are are spiritual and liturgical, particularly the nign – a melody that is believed to change consciousness. 

Join us in singing traditional and new Yiddish songs while also paying attention to the specific elements (ornamentation, phrasing, modes) of this singing style. 

Russian Songs (2:30pm – 5:30pm)

Russian folk songs embrace the whole of the landscape and all of Mother Earth. Lyrical songs call to mind the vastness of Russian topography stretching toward a boundless horizon. In Russian folklore, every snowflake and every blade of grass embodies the spirits of nature – and this connection is felt within each folk song for ritual pagan holidays, exorcism and sibylline song, circle dance, laments, wedding and lyrical songs... Come and experience the Russian landscape through song!

Music lovers of all backgrounds and singing levels are invited, no experience necessary. Learning by ear.