Ida Gillner is very special musician based in Sweden, and in this episode you’ll hear the powerful story of her personal journey, embracing different cultures, and also the comforting power of music. Ida is a multi-instrumentalist and composer; her main instruments are soprano saxophone, piano and voice. In the first part of this episode we focus on her project Shtolstse lider, her songs set to the poetry of some of Yiddish’s greatest women writers. You’ll hear about Ida’s childhood on the island of Asperö, forging her own path in different world music traditions, and the Finnish tango group Anna Heikkinen and Längtans Kapell.

We also talked about her solo album “Anna” dedicated to her sister, and how the process of writing and recording this healing music comforted her through the shock of her family’s loss. I have included detailed timestamps for all the topics covered and for the music, and you’ll find links to Ida and her musical projects below.

Like all my episodes, you can also watch this on YouTube; that's linked here with the transcript on my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/ida-gillner

The recommended episodes below are also linked directly on my website link to Ida's episode! You may also be interested in my episodes with: Polina Shepherd, Marilyn Lerner, Kavisha Mazzella, Ceara Conway, Kirsten Agresta Copely, Sophie Lukacs, and Yale Strom, among so many.

Ida Gillner Website https://idagillner.se/

Klez Canada complete video Mayn Heym: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_moFp3o_ho

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:11)Gothenburg, Sweden,

(3:09) Sholtse lider project songs Yiddish poetry women writers

(12:06) excerpt from Mayn Heym by Anna Margolin

(16:03)Anna Margolin’s life

(23:50) Shtoltse Lider with Livet Nord and before with Louise Vase

(25:55)Celia Dropkin

(29:17) Ickh hob dikh nokh nit gezen from the Shtoltse Lider album with vocalist Louise Vase, poem by Celia Dropkin

(31:37) Rachel Korn, Holocaust survivors in Sweden, Yiddish

(35:08) how Ida got interested in Klezmer and Yiddish

(38:21) Ida’s childhood, the Södra Archipelago, Asperö island Sweden

(42:15) music education and family encouragement

(48:01) Finnish war children in Sweden, Anna Heikkinen and Längtans Kapell quartet

(51:38) Apeltango with Anna Heikkinen and Längtans Kapell quartet, from the album Omenatango

(55:11) other episodes of interest, ways to support this series

(56:11) Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, learning Yiddish

(01:06:32) Anna, grieving her sister

(01:12:05) “Sommersång it stilla tid och barfotadans på klippor” from Anna

(01:15:21) healing process of creating the album

(01:19:30) Flyga from Anna

(01:23:34) balancing a career in music with family life, working with El Sistema

(01:27:29) upcoming projects, new piano album, collaborations

photo: Ellika Henrikson

I was honored to be able to record this wide-ranging interview with violinist Yale Strom, who is the leading ethnographer-artist of Klezmer music and history, and also has done many years of research among the Roma communities. He speaks to us about some of his many inspiring experiences during over 75 research expeditions to Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. To prepare for this episode, I read several of his books, including his 400 page The Book of Klezmer: The History, The Music, The Folklore, some of which we touched on during this conversation, and he also spoke about two of his upcoming books and other projects. Yale is an energetic and prolific creator; he’s also a filmmaker, photographer, educator, playwright and composer, and we spoke about many of his projects during this wide-ranging interview. Timestamps below.

https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/yale-strom

Video Transcript

Yale Strom Website

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You may be also interested in these episodes: Alicia Svigals (both episodes linked) Polina Shepherd, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, and Marilyn Lerner.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:29) Yale’s career as ethnographer-artist

(04:03) Stoliner shul concert in Detroit Victory Fellowship Baptist Church

(10:44) Oberek Palota, Klezmer music from Slovakia, from the album “Borsht with Bread, Brothers” with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi

(14:34) ethnographic research, Wandering Feast book, Yiddish, meeting Holocaust survivors

(24:43)The Witches of Lublin

(27:26) Dire Gelt from The Devil’s Brides with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi, vocals with Elizabeth Schwartz

(31:10) Yale Strom’s films The Last Klezmer, A Great Day in Eldridge Street, the Man from Munkasc, An American Socialist, the Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs

(35:09)Leopold Kozlowski, The Last Klezmer, Naftuli Brandwein

(39:33) Rom musicians, book Uncertain Roads, Searching for the Gypsies, connections with the Jews

(49:46) Klezmer loshn secret language and culture

(58:46) the lost Stoliner Weinstein manuscript, upcoming book

(01:07:02) other episodes with Klezmer musicians and ways to support this series

(01:07:42) Yale’s compositions and commissions

(01:17:28) Dave Tarras

(01:22:19) Influences of Klezmer and Romani on Russian school of violin playing, Oistrach, Auer

(01:29:25) Shimmering Lights album, Sara Caswell, influences of prayers on Klezmer

(01:33:53) excerpt from Bashir Mizmor, Shimmering Lights album Yale Strom’s Broken Consort, with Sara Caswell improv

(01:35:56) The Expulsion of the Jews, Sephardic communities research

(01:43:33) Schlomo books, new musical about the Chagalls, Sweet Fragrance of Life