KlezKanada Summer Retreat

Each year, KlezKanada's Summer Retreat draws people from around the world. On the shores of a calm lake, nestled amongst the beautiful Laurentian mountains, participants gather to celebrate and study the living traditions of Yiddish arts and culture. Intergenerational, interdisciplinary, and international, KlezKanada's Summer Retreat has grown into one of the leading Yiddish cultural events in the world.

The program features a world-class faculty of artists and scholars who are leading teachers, thinkers, performers, and creators in the current renaissance of Yiddish culture. Every day at KlezKanada’s Summer Retreat includes four class periods, each with multiple concurrent learning opportunities that range from beginner to advanced levels. There are hands-on workshops for instrumentalists, vocalists, dancers, theatre-makers, visual artists, language learners, translators, and writers, as well as workshops, talks, and discussions on literature, history, ethnomusicology, and more. In the late afternoon and evening, there are concerts and performances featuring KlezKanada’s renowned international faculty.

In between workshops, participants socialize, learn, and perform in informal settings, including spontaneous jam sessions, evening dancing, and the time-honoured late-night cabaret.

On Friday evening, participants gather for the beloved Backwards March where everyone transitions into Shabes together.

The week culminates in a Participant Concert on Saturday night, where the workshop ensembles share the week’s accomplishments with the rest of the participants.

KlezKanada is one of the best immersive learning environments I’ve ever encountered. There’s no better way to embrace the vibrancy of a living tradition by being surrounded by some of its best interpreters and researchers, to see the intersections of klezmer with Yiddishkayt and understand how they inform and enrich each other, and to see new developments and trends in the style as they happen.
Adam Matlock (New Haven, CT)