This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page.
This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page.
Picture: Martin Kreuger.
Welcome to a series of meetings dedicated to Klezmer music!
We will explore the fantastic and rich repertoire of Eastern-European and American Jewish instrumental folk music: its joyful and melancholic melodies, how to interpret and embellish them with traditional ornamentations, discovering the structure of the melodies and their modes, as well as how to accompany the various dance forms with their diverse and characteristic rhythmical patterns.
The course is taught by ear. Participants must have intermediate knowledge of their instruments (no beginners), meaning knowing the names of notes and corresponding positions on their instruments. Music scores are made accessible at the end of the lessons, but we will not be reading from them in class. Participants are expected to learn the melodies by heart to proceed with learning how to embellish and accompany them.
Participants will have access to EDU Soundtrap, an online platform for recording multi-track, to be used as a tool for practising at home and creating their own arrangements, and will be introduced to MuseScore, an open-source and free music notation software, to be used as a tool for analysis of the tunes learned in the class.
The course is concluded with a concert.
This course is given in collaboration with Svenska Klezmerföreningen.
Group Division
Participants are divided into groups based on their instrument skills and experience of learning to play by ear without sheet music. Depending on the number of groups and applicants, each group meets for between 1-2 hours.
Participants are expected to learn the melodies by heart, and practice at home, to proceed with learning how to embellish and accompany them.
Prior Knowledge
The course is given in English.
The course welcomes new as well as previous participants, who have passed the beginner level on their instrument by a good margin.
Participants bring their own instruments. The course is not suitable for guitar players due to its focus on melodies and ornaments.
Course Material
Course material is included in the cost for this course.
Participants bring their own instruments.
About the Teacher
Valeria Conte is a multi-talented Italian clarinettist who has studied and performed klezmer music since 2006 (www.valeriaclarinetta.com), exploring the music’s connection to Jewish culture and society. She has participated in various seminars and workshops on klezmer music and Yiddish song & culture in and outside Europe. Valeria holds a BA in classical clarinet and an MA in global music. She has performed internationally in various multicultural environments and world music styles. She currently performs with her band, Valeria’s Klezmer Chariot, and is the leader and organiser of the OAKJS – Klezmer Sessions.
Photo: Aaro Keipi.
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This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page.
Photo: Canva.
This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page.
Photo: Canva.
During this course, you will learn to play and sing Jewish songs from different traditions: Israeli folk songs, Ashkenazi music (from Eastern Europe) and Sephardi music (from Spain and North Africa).
Our starting point is based on the talents you already have: maybe you play an instrument and want to learn even more, or you like to sing. Any level of instrumentalist and singer is welcome!
Course Structure
We will work with music sheets and recordings. Sheet music and/or recordings will be sent to the participants ahead of time. Participants are expected to learn them and come prepared to play them together in class.
Prior Knowledge
The course is given in English.
No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.
Any level of instrumentalist and singer is welcome! The course welcomes both former and new participants.
Course Material
Course material is included in the cost for this course.
Participants bring their own instruments.
About the Teacher
Yinon Muallem is a composer and multi-instrumentalist of Iraqi-Jewish origin, specializing in Ethnic Mediterranean and world music. His work fuses traditional sounds with jazz, classical, and contemporary styles. To date, he has released 12 albums.
Yinon plays the Oud (Arabic lute) and various string instruments, as well as a range of hand percussion instruments from different musical traditions, including Darbuka, frame drums, Spanish Cajón, bongos, and more. Over the years, he has led and participated in numerous intercultural music projects, fostering creative collaboration between musicians from diverse backgrounds. He has given masterclasses and workshops at institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm (2023) and Sibelius Academy, Helsinki (2022).
Photo: Canva/AI.
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Under what conditions was Israel established, and what is the country today—a realized dream rising from the ashes of the Holocaust? An attempt to create a utopia? An ordinary country struggling for its existence, or yet another failed state in the Middle East? When did the country cease to be a social-democratic welfare state and become a neoliberal market economy? And is there any possibility of peace with its neighbors?
The course takes us on a journey through historical events, major questions, ideologies, and decisive challenges—the conflicts, violence, and wars, the leaders, political parties, and people who have shaped 75 years of Israeli history. We also address relations between minorities and the majority society, as well as important cultural events.
Paideia folkhögskola also offers the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 2. You can find more information on the course page for that course.
Prior Knowledge
The course is given in English.
No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.
Course Material
Course material is included in the cost for this course.
About the Teacher
David Stavrou was born and raised in Israel and is now based in Stockholm. He is a journalist, guide, and teacher. As a journalist, he writes about Sweden, Scandinavia, and Europe for, among others, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, and about Israel for, among others, Svenska Dagbladet. David’s main areas of focus are issues related to democracy, human rights, genocide, political history, and culture. His book An Israeli Cross, which he co-authored with his brother Daniel Stavrou, was published in 2014 by the Israeli publisher Indibook. David’s second book on the Israeli diaspora in Europe, Leaving Zion, was published in 2020 by the Israeli publisher Pardes. He is married and the father of four sons.
Photo: Haifa, Canva.
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A course for those who have completed the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1. Here we take an in-depth look and add new perspectives to some of the topics covered in the first course, using texts, film, political and social analysis, and other sources.
We will discuss topics such as the story of North African and Middle Eastern Jews in the 20th century, pre Herzl Zionism and the conflicts between Theodor Herzl and his Jewish opponents. We will also read key texts by Herzl, Yitzhak Rabin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Berl Katznelson, Haim Arlosoroff, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Reuven Rivlin, and others, and explore more deeply the implications of the 1948, 1967, and 1973 wars and the development of post-war movements such as Gush Emunim (the settler movement) and Shalom Achshav (Peace Now).
As in the first course, these subjects will be complemented by elements of Israeli culture, including music, film, and literature.
Paideia folkhögskola also offers the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1. You can find more information on the course page for that course.
Prior Knowledge
The course is given in English.
Applicants need to have completed the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1 or the course Israeli Society, History and Politics.
Course Material
Course material is included in the cost for this course.
About the Teacher
David Stavrou was born and raised in Israel and is now based in Stockholm. He is a journalist, guide, and teacher. As a journalist, he writes about Sweden, Scandinavia, and Europe for, among others, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, and about Israel for, among others, Svenska Dagbladet. David’s main areas of focus are issues related to democracy, human rights, genocide, political history, and culture. His book An Israeli Cross, which he co-authored with his brother Daniel Stavrou, was published in 2014 by the Israeli publisher Indibook. David’s second book on the Israeli diaspora in Europe, Leaving Zion, was published in 2020 by the Israeli publisher Pardes. He is married and the father of four sons.
Photo: Haifa, Canva.
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Most of us find reading the Torah, the five books of Moses, an exceptionally challenging task. We are most often reading a translation, large portions of it seem to deal with topics that are of little relevance to a modern reader, and perhaps most challenging of all, we come to it with so many preconceptions that we cannot even begin to really listen to it.
In this course, we will systematically un-learn the ways in which we habitually read text, allowing us to encounter the Torah on its own terms. We will learn specific tools for reading and unpacking the multilayered text of the Torah with a view to discovering our own insights into it.
Prior knowledge
The course is given in English.
No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.
Course material
Course material is included in the cost for this course.
About the teacher
Eiran Davies is a rabbi with roots in London, England. He has studied at Montefiori endowment in London, Midrash sepharadi in Jerusalem and Yeshivat hamivtar in Efrat. He is also an artist, beekeeper and trained goldsmith.
Photo: Paideia folkhögskola.
More Information About Profile Courses
This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page.