Three klezmer musicians playing instruments under a crescent moon

*Art of Klezmer musicians licenced by Klezwest from Leon Zernitsky

KLEZWEST
Klezmer Jams

All instruments and musicians are welcome to join our monthly KlezJam at the Peretz Centre!

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Jam Together

Join a jam to play together and learn by ear (some sheet music provided).

Develop Skills

Participate in instrumental and dance workshops throughout the year to hone your skills.

Accompany Dance

Klezmer has always been music for dancing! We perform for dancers at jams and events.

Learn & Play Klezmer Music in Vancouver

KlezWest is an informal group of musicians, dancers, Yiddish speakers and friends who love to explore, play and dance to Klezmer music. We meet monthly to learn songs together, practice different kinds of Yiddish dance, and connect.

Started in 2022 by David Kauffman, the klezjam is a unique space where seasoned musicians and players of different instruments, as well as newcomers to the klezmer tradition, can immerse ourselves in Jewish folk music. We learn tuned from different eras, regions, and styles like bulgars, freylekhs, and horas, and create new culture together!

Since 2025, KlezWest found a new home at the Peretz Centre. One of the unique features of klezmer music is its deep connection to the tradition of Yiddish dance, which is the quintessential part of every simkhe (celebration). In this, the Peretz Centre is lucky to have a group of musicians who have accompanied communal celebrations and programs such as Yiddish in Motion dance class and tantzhoyz, the 2025 Peacenik Khanike party, the 2026 Pnei Mitzvah graduation, and the Peretz Centre's 80th anniversary gala.

Join the Next KlezJam

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What is Klezmer Music?

(Coming soon!)

KlezWest Workshops & Performances

Klezwest offers Klezmer workshops through the year, a great opportunity to dive deeper into Klezmer history and performance.

The KlezJam has been such an amazing opportunity for me as a beginner to klezmer to learn, improve, meet new friends, and actually gain experience participating in artistic practice of my culture.

-- I. M. (2026)

Join the Next KlezWest KlezJam!

Calling all klezmer musicians and the klezmer-kurious!

Our monthly klezmer jam is open to klezmer beginners, intermediate, and advanced klezmer players. All klezmer instruments and musicians are welcome to join!

Jam sessions take place at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture (6184 Ash St.) on the second Sunday of the month, for most of the year.

Bring your own instrument and music stand
Some charts supplied, some we learn by ear
Fees are by donation (recommended: $5)

View Charts Folder

Learning Resources for Klezmer Musicians

The online resources are offered as starting points for learning more about klezmer and Yiddish music, and for accessing archival materials.

Klezmer Music Archives

This collection, published by the Workers Circle, is comprised of songs compiled in five anthologies by Yosl Mlotek and Chana Mlotek and contains songs each with its own unique theme and history.

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The Klezmer Institute champions Ashkenazic expressive culture through digital preservation and contemporary performance to understand Jewish culture and inspire new generations.

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The first resource and documentation center in Europe on Jewish music in Europe, aiming to collect, conserve and disseminate Jewish musical heritage in France and internationally.

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Klezmer Academy is a portal for the exploration and enjoyment of the rich, complex world of traditional Eastern European Jewish instrumental music created by Sherry Mayrent.

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The digital Yiddish sheet music collection at Brown University Library Center for Digital Initiatives is composed of 2000 public domain, titles with a focus on Yiddish-language musical stage.

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SaveTheMusic.com digitizes old recordings of Yiddish, Hebrew, Judeo-Espanyol, Klezmer, and Chazonish songs, adding lyrics, translations, transliterations, sheet music, biographies, etc.

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The Ruth Rubin Legacy: Archive of Yiddish Folksongs is an online sound archive of over 1,500 field recordings of Yiddish lider (songs) made by renowned vocalist and scholar, Ruth Rubin.

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KlezmerGuide is a comprehensive cross-reference of over 1000 klezmer tune titles, recordings, and sheet music sources compiled by Allen Lutins.

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Klezmer Blogs & Podcasts

Alte Klezmorim (Old Klezmers) blog image

Alte Klezmorim (Old Klezmers) is a historical research blog about klezmer music and klezmer musicians, created by Canadian historian, library technician and klezmer enthusiast Dan Carkner.

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Klezmer trombonist Dan Blacksberg sits down for in-dept, informal conversations with musicians and other artists whose work has made them an integral part of the klezmer world.

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'The roadmap to world music from a Jewish slant'. Klezmer Shack is a blog run by Ari Davidow covering Klezmer and more, focusing on the edges and the sounds that express who we are now.

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Your gateway to the vibrant world of Klezmer and Jewish music, exploring the rich tapestry of sounds and stories that define the Klezmer music scene and beyond, hosted by Keith Wolzinger

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Klezmer Festivals & Learning Programs

Yiddish Summer Weimar is one of the most highly regarded festivals for for Yiddish and related music and cultures in the world, taking place every July and August in Weimar, Germany.

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A safer shtetl for klezmer music and culture in Victoria, BC, this fully-hybrid festival and learning retreat prioritizes the safe experience of immunocompromised and high-risk participants.

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Rooted in Montréal, Québec, KlezKanada is one of the leading Yiddish cultural organizations in the world and an important site of the contemporary Yiddish cultural renaissance.

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KlezCalifornia enables people of all ages to engage actively and intensely with Yiddish culture -- participating, not just watching others perform -- in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Jewish Music Resources at the Kirman Library

The books below are available at the Peretz Centre's Kirman Library, which is open to the public by appointment. (Peretz members have borrowing privileges.)

Old Jewish Folk Music: The Collections and Writings of Moshe Beregovski Translated and edited by Mark Slobin (Syracuse University Press, 2000)	Jewish Musical Traditions by Amnon Shiloah (Wayne State University Press, 1995)	Voices of a People: The Story of Yiddish Folk Song by Ruth Rubin (T. Yoseloff, 1963)	A Treasury of Jewish Folk Song Selected and edited by Ruth Rubin (Schocken Books, 1964)
The Yiddish song book Compiled by Jerry Silverman (Stein and Day, 1983)	Gezang un Kamf: Songs for Voice and Piano Edited and compiled by Jacob Schaefer (New York Jewish Workers Musical Alliance, 1936)