YIVO Hosts Concert of Jewish Music Recorded During the Nazi Period

(New York, NY) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is delighted to host a performance of the Semer Ensemble on Monday, October 9, 2023 at 7:00pm (ET). The concert will take place at YIVO, located in the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10025). The evening is supported by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany and Lufthansa and will feature songs in Yiddish, German, Russian, and Hebrew accompanied by English subtitles.

Founded in 2012, the Semer Ensemble is dedicated to music recorded by Jewish artists during the Nazi period for the almost unknown Berlin-based Semer record label. The label was founded in 1932 by Hirsch Lewin, who was conscripted to Germany from his native Vilnius during World War I.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they forbade Jewish musicians from performing in non-Jewish settings. With nowhere else to go, Jewish musicians found a home with Semer and created thousands of recordings over the next five years.

In 1938, the Nazis attacked the business that housed Semer. The entire Semer catalogue including hundreds of precious, unique recordings by Jewish artists was considered lost forever until it was rediscovered by musicologist Dr. Rainer E. Lotz in the early 2000s.

Today, the Semer Ensemble seeks to bring this nearly forgotten music to audiences around the world. Their performance at YIVO will be the first stop in the United States on their current tour.

“It is our honor to support events exploring the diversity of European Jewish life of the past and the present. We thank the Semer Ensemble for rescuing the treasure of Jewish musical culture and for infusing life into the memory of the Semer record label to enrich the future of our culture. We will never forget that chapter of our history,” said David Gill, German Consul General in New York.

The Semer Ensemble features an all-star lineup of Yiddish music artists led by accordionist and pianist Alan Bern, of Brave Old World, and includes acclaimed singer, accordionist and mandolin player Daniel Kahn; violinist Mark “Stempenyuk” Kovnatskiy, (who performs with many of the most prominent ensembles of the Yiddish cultural revival); world music polyglot and bassist Martin Lillich; Forshpil singer and frontman Sasha Lurje; Fayvish singer and frontman Fabian Schnedler; and YIVO sound archivist and Grammy-winning singer and accordionist Lorin Sklamberg, of the Klezmatics.

“The story of the Berlin-based Semer label recording dozens of Jewish artists in 1930s Nazi Germany, and the re-discovery and recreation of that music 70 years later, is as implausible as it is little known, said Alan Bern. “For us in the Semer Ensemble, bringing this repertoire to YIVO is not just to perform music, but also to write a missing chapter in the history of music and the Shoah at the institution most responsible in the world for curating Yiddish history. Beyond that, it feels to us like both a homecoming and an act of healing.”

“It’s been such a wonderful journey to work with this material – the diversity and volume of Jewish musical expression in Berlin under the dark shadow of fascism continues to be a huge inspiration for me,” said Lorin Sklamberg. “Honoring the immense talent and bravery of the original artists by bringing their indelible performances back to life for contemporary audiences is both a thrill and a privilege.”

What:            Semer Ensemble
When:           Monday, October 9, 2023 | 7:00pm (ET)
Where:          Taking Place in Person at YIVO  Located in the Center for Jewish History  (15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011)
Cost:              Free
Reservations Available at:  yivo.org/Semer-Ensemble

For more information contact:
Alex Weiser
Director of Public Programs

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story