KlezmerQuerque 2026 Schedule
Click on above to view, download and print an abbreviated pdf file of the schedule
All events will take place at Nahalat Shalom,
3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, ABQ, NM 87107 (map) 505-343-8227
MARCH 6th FRIDAY 6:30-9:00 PM
(doors open at 6:15pm)
KlezmerQuerque 2026 presents
der Freylekher Shabes!
From 6:30-7:15pm, celebrate Shabes (Shabbat) JOY in-person in our sanctuary. Cantor Beth Cohen, The Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer Band, Rikud Dancers with special guest Jewish dance masters Bruce Bierman & Gilberto Melendez will lead our joyous danceable klezmer Shabes service. The participatory service includes prayers from the Kabbalat Shabbat & Ma’ariv services as well as a symbolic candle lighting & blessing, Kiddush and HaMotzi.
The service will be followed by a vegetarian and kosher pescatarian potluck dinner at 7:15pm (please bring food to share if you wish to eat dinner).
At 7:55pm there will be brief performances by High Dezert Klezmer & Judaic Band followed by featured guest artists The Veretski Pass Duo—Cookie Segelstein (violin) & Joshua Horowitz (accordion).
From 8:30-9pm there will be traditional Jewish dancing led and taught by Bruce Bierman, Gilberto Melendez & Rikud Dancers to the music of The Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer Band.
Everyone is welcome to all or any part of the evening’s celebrations.
FREE event, but donations are appreciated & encouraged! Your generosity will help KlezmerQuerque to continue:
https://www.nahalatshalom.org/klezmerquerque-tickets
MARCH 7th, SATURDAY 7:00pm-9:30pm (doors open at 6:20pm)
KlezmerQuerque 2026 presents
A Concert & Dance Party
TICKETS: $18 advance purchase via this web site or $20 (if available) at the door:
KlezmerQuerque Tickets — Nahalat Shalom Home
6:21pm: Doors open to the lively music of High Dezert Klezmer & Judaic Band, followed by Jordan Wax, and then A Gleyzele Tey Duo—Rachael Leader and Ariel Shapiro.
7-8:15pm: The Veretski Pass Duo—Cookie Segelstein (violin) and Josh Horowitz (accordion) will perform in concert. Following a 15-minute intermission with snacks & swag in the gallery, enjoy dancing and more excitement with guest artists Jewish dance masters Bruce Bierman & Gilberto Melendez to the music of The Veretski Pass Duo – later joined by other festival guest artists.
MARCH 8th SUNDAY 10:00am-5:15pm:
Three 90-minute workshop sessions - CHOOSE Music/Yiddish Song —OR Dance with our special guest artists
https://www.nahalatshalom.org/klezmerquerque-tickets
(EACH SESSION: $18-advance/ $20–at the door)
MUSIC in Bayt B’racha - DANCE in the Sanctuary
9:30am-3:30pm in THE GALLERY: Hot water (tea, coffee), water, and beverages. Donations appreciated!
10-11am JORDAN WAX presents a special event for our Simcha School students
Session #1 (10:00-11:30am) – CHOOSE ONE:
Music OR Dance workshop
($18-advance on-line/ $20-at the door)
MUSIC with Veretski Pass Duo (Cookie Segelstein & Joshua Horowitz):
KLEZMER CHICKEN SOUP
It’s not just the chicken and seasonings; it’s how you cook it! It’s not just the melodies, the ornaments, the variations that make a klezmer tune sound “right”, it’s how you put them all together. We will explore slow, medium and fast melodies, and examine the ways to make them sound Jewish, placing the ornaments, the variations and the rhythmic treatments in just the right way. This class is also appropriate for vegans and vegetarians!
DANCE with Bruce Bierman and Gilberto Melendez:
TURN YOUR MORNING INTO DANCE — A JEWISH DANCE OVERVIEW
Discover the beauty and rejuvenating power of Jewish dance and movement, brought alive for every body and every level. Whether you’re brand new or have been dancing for years, we follow in the footsteps of the ancestors—while honoring your own unique expression.
Beginning with embodying the shapes of the Hebrew letters, as passed down by the great Jewish dance master Felix Fibich, we’ll gently awaken the body and open the door to the rich vocabulary and gestures of vibrant Jewish dance genres, including Yemenite, Ethiopian, Sephardic, Hasidic, klezmer, and the classic gems of Israeli dance.
All backgrounds and experience levels warmly welcome.
11:30am-1:15pm: BREAK FOR LUNCH OUT
Session #2 (1:30-3:00pm) –CHOOSE ONE:
Music/Yiddish Song —OR Dance workshop
($18-advance/ $20-door)
MUSIC/ Yiddish Song with A Gleyzele Tey (Rachel Leader & Ariel Shapiro)
YIDDISH SONG WORKSHOP AND ZINGERAY (Sing-along):
Join us for an afternoon of singing Yiddish folk songs and learning about Ashkenazi music & culture, with live musical accompaniment! From old classics to newly written melodies, we will explore the breadth and depth of the Yiddish song movement and the current surge of creativity & cross-generational collaboration happening today! Songbooks will be provided, and participants will come away with the tools to continue singing and creating new interpretations, translations, and songs of their own. No prior knowledge of Yiddish or singing required. All ages are welcome!
DANCE with Bruce Bierman:
MAKING MOVING STORIES TOGETHER - “Geven a Nign” (There Was a Song)
HALELUYE
Geven a nign vi a sod,
vos Dovid hot geshpilt far got,
nor dir volt's nisht geven aza yeshue.
Step into a creative playshop where dance, gesture, and movement-based storytelling come together to bring to life Daniel Kahn’s Yiddish rendition of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.
Guided by Yiddish Theatre Ensemble director and choreographer Bruce Bierman, participants will shape a shared movement piece inspired by themes of hope, resilience, and renewal. Through simple, expressive gestures and group sequences, we will explore how song and story can move us—individually and together.
Session #3 –Choose ONE to start: Music or Dance
Classes will combine around 4:15pm
PLEASE NOTE EARLIER START time for MUSIC:
MUSIC (3:15pm-start in Bayt Bracha, 4/4:15-move to Sanctuary, ends 5:15pm)
MAKE THEM DANCE!
Cookie Segelstein and Josh Horowitz will lead you through the slow, medium and fast dance tempos, and especially examine how to communicate with a dance leader, how to play the music in a way that makes the dancers wanna lift their feet, how to handle the rhythmic connections between phrases. This is a class, especially suited for those who want to be able to play a dance party, and we will be spending half the class with dancers, who are learning how to work with musicians!
DANCE (3:30pm-5:15pm in the Sanctuary)
LOMIR ALE TANTZEN! Let’s all dance!
Join our expert dance leaders, Bruce Bierman and Gilberto Melendez, and learn how to lead and participate in the various tempos and movements of Yiddish dance using cues and inspiration from the music and musicians. We will spend the second half of class dancing and working with our fellow student musicians and their teachers.