YSW 2026 Opening Concert - YAM Ensemble

For the third time, exceptional young musicians from Turkey, Greece, and Germany will come together at the invitation of Yiddish Summer Weimar to explore the rich and deeply emotional music of the many communities of Greece and Asia Minor.

As part of the project, the musicians spend one week each in Istanbul, Greece, and Thuringia. Along the way, they connect with Istanbul’s Sephardic community, discover the historic Schneidertempel and the city’s vibrant music scene, and learn from some of its finest musicians. In Istanbul and at the “Music Village” of Agios Lavrentios near Thessaloniki, they create an exciting intercultural program that brings together Jewish, Sephardic, Greek, and Turkish musical traditions and reveals the deep ties between them.

The musicians of the YAM Ensemble 2026 are young, creative, and full of energy. Together, they reflect the remarkable cultural diversity of Europe — a Europe that not only remembers its minorities, but celebrates them.

Under the artistic direction of Sarah Myerson and Ilya Shneyveys, audiences can look forward to a vibrant concert evening filled with musical passion, powerful moments, and the improvisational spirit of a new generation of musicians.