Melbourne’s new ‘inclusive’ klezmer school

It was a trip to New York in December last year that lay the foundation for the Melbourne Klezmer School.

Adam Starr – a professional musician, composer and educator – had already been performing klezmer music throughout Australia and abroad for over 30 years, but attending the Yiddish New York festival brought new inspiration.

“Being immersed in an environment where there were hundreds of people gleefully celebrating Yiddish culture and music was wonderful,” Starr told The Jewish Independent.

"That experience of being in the majority and being surrounded by enthusiastic, supportive people was something I wanted to bring back here."

Starr joined forces with long-time collaborator, musician Amy Zakar, and together they founded Melbourne Klezmer School, based in the Yiddish heartland at the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre.

“Amy has a very strong and deep klezmer pedigree and knowledge. I'd played with Amy a number of times and just thought that she would be the perfect person to do this with,” Starr added.

Zakar – who moved to Melbourne in 2022 from America, where she served on the faculty of the KlezKanada, KlezKamp and Yiddish New York festivals – says Melbourne Klezmer School is designed for musicians and vocalists “aged 12 to 112”.

“We're looking to bring that warm sense of community. It's inclusive... it’s like any folk music, you don’t have to be from that culture to love it and try it out. We want all walks of life to be able to attend,” said Zakar, who currently sits on the King David School's instrumental music faculty.