Beginning October 13, The Skirball Center in Manhattan will be offering a course in the history of klezmer entitled “The Strange Life, Death, and Rebirth of Klezmer: From Minsk to Manhattan and Back:”

For centuries, klezmer music was the soundtrack to Jewish life in Eastern Europe. In the twentieth century, klezmer went through a wild series of twists and turns, disappearing and reappearing in the most surprising cultural combinations and locations. In America, klezmer arrived with immigrants and collided with American popular music before virtually disappearing following World War II. Now, in the past few decades, klezmer has become an international musical sensation with the most unlikely of influences, including jazz, reggae, and hip hop. Follow the fantastic history of klezmer music and listen your way through a century of amazing, often obscure, recordings.

For more info, click here and scroll down.