Henech Kon, the composer of the opera „Bas Sheve“, born in Łódź in 1890

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Are you a music student, instrumentalist or singer from Poland, France or Germany? Are you between 18 and 30 years old? Are you looking for an exciting project to participate in this summer – involving a world premiere?
If all the above, then Triangle Orchestra: Yiddish Opera! is the place for you. Join an international group of performers in the first-ever orchestral production of a forgotten piece of prewar Yiddish cultural history: the opera Bas Sheve by Yiddish avant-garde cabaret performer and theater composer Henech Kon – the sole existing Yiddish opera from Europe before the Holocaust.

First produced in a chamber music version in Warsaw in 1924, Bas Sheve [Bathsheba] has now been arranged for orchestra by renowned klezmer performer and composer Joshua Horowitz, who will direct the project together with Yiddish scholar, singer and musicologist Dr. Diana Matut of the University of Halle-Wittenberg.

The project will begin with a five-day residency (arrival in Paris August 1, departure from Paris Aug 7) at the Maison de la Culture Yiddish in Paris. During the residency, participants will receive an introduction to Yiddish culture and participate in rehearsals and other events, including guided tours of Paris, jam sessions and encounters with Parisian Yiddish culture, courtesy of the Maison de la Culture Yiddish.

On August 7, we will travel to Weimar, Germany and continue rehearsing as part of the Yiddish Summer Weimar festival, where the premiere of the opera will take place on August 16.

In the final stage of the project (August 19-23) we will travel to Łódź, Poland to continue our exploration of Yiddish culture and Henech Kon’s life and work (he was born in Łódź) as guests of the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center (an institute for the promotion of the city’s Jewish past and Polish-Jewish dialogue). We will perform the opera again in Łódź and possibly also at the POLIN Jewish Museum in Warsaw.

Title page of „Bas Sheve“

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to immerse yourself in Yiddish culture insome of its most important historic locations, and to participate in the rediscovery of a gem of prewar Yiddish music!

To apply for the Triangle Orchestra, please click here. For information on the Triangle Orchestra’s upcoming performances, click here. For booking inquiries, please contact project manager Andreas Schmitges at andreas.schmitges@othermusicacademy.eu or by phone/WhatsApp at +49 177 6017686.