The Klezmatics are a New York-based klezmer band founded in 1986, widely credited with sparking the global revival of Yiddish music. They are the only klezmer group to win a Grammy Award - for the 2006 album "Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie" - and have released 13 albums over four decades, performing in more than 20 countries. Their sound draws on Eastern European Jewish tradition but pulls freely from jazz, gospel, punk, Latin, and Balkan music, while their lyrics engage with themes of human rights, diaspora, and cultural resistance.
The Klezmatics released their 40th-anniversary album "We Were Made for These Times" on May 1, 2026, produced by Danny Blume and featuring collaborators including the Lavender Light Gospel Choir, Sofía Rei, and Joshua Nelson.
The band performed at the Kesselhaus in Berlin's Kulturbrauerei on March 13, 2026, as part of their 40th-anniversary European tour.
The 40th-anniversary European tour also included dates in Fürth (Stadttheater, March 15) and Wiesbaden (Schlachthof, March 23).
In 2025, the band performed nearly fifty concerts across North America and Europe, including one of the most attended showcases at WOMEX 2025.
The Klezmatics are scheduled to perform at the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków on July 3, 2026, as part of their ongoing European anniversary tour.
