- Home
- All Offerings
- Klezmer Ensemble
Music Instruction 
Award-winning music lessons, ensembles, and group classes for aspiring musicians of all ages and skill levels — children, teens, and adults.
Early Childhood 
Morning & Full-Day Preschool programs with a full, child-centered curriculum of creative specials like music, science, drama, social and emotional learning, and more!
Music Therapy 
Established in 1966, our pioneering Center for Music Therapy (CMT) uses guided music experiences to help individuals meet life's challenges.
Bop Stop 
BOP STOP at The Music Settlement is Cleveland's premier listening room: an intimate, acoustically pristine performance venue with sweeping views of Lake Erie.
Klezmer Ensemble
Ages: 13+
Session Length: 15 Weeks
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner and Up
Come experience the joy of playing traditional Jewish folk tunes, and learn some Yiddish culture and history along the way in our community Klezmer band! Klezmer music is a soulful music that uses very distinctive modes and scales for melodies, and improvisation.
Open to strings, brass, winds, piano, and percussion. Advanced beginner skill level and up. Familiarity with D major and minor scales, 2 octaves, is recommended. Familiarity with harmonic and melodic minor scales is also helpful. Adults of all ages are welcome as well!
Prerequisite: All new students must complete a placement audition. Click below to submit an audition request form.
Students who have previously participated in this ensemble do not need to complete an audition and are welcome to register at this time. Click the "Enroll" button below to proceed.
This class will not be offered in Spring 2023.
Faculty
Henry Samuels
Instructor, Suzuki Upright Bass, Upright Bass; Ensemble Director, TMS Klezmer Ensemble
Henry Samuels is a double bass player and music teacher living in Cleveland, Ohio. He has performed across the US, China, Europe, and Japan. He performs with orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, Akron Symphony, and the Bluewater Chamber Orchestra. Henry also plays chamber music in the greate... Expand
Henry Samuels is a double bass player and music teacher living in Cleveland, Ohio. He has performed across the US, China, Europe, and Japan. He performs with orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, Akron Symphony, and the Bluewater Chamber Orchestra.
Henry also plays chamber music in the greater Cleveland area including for Stars in The Classics in Beachwood, and as a member of Classical Revolution Cleveland. His recent chamber music performances include Mozart’s “Per Questa Bella Mano”, Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, and Schulhoff Concertino.
Henry is engaged in the Jewish music scene of Cleveland and is currently a member of the Case Western Reserve University Klezmer Ensemble, lead by violinist Steven Greenman. He is also the bassist for the Tischler Klezmer Orchestra. He attended the summer music festival KlezKanada in the summer of 2018, where he worked with Dan Blacksberg, Lauren Brody, and Cantor Jeff Warschauer.
Henry has many private bass students across Northeast Ohio ranging in age from early childhood to adult. He is the bass teacher at many local schools including Avon High School, Shaker Heights High School, Strongsville High School, and the Avon School of Music. He is a Suzuki and traditional bass instructor at The Music Settlement, and is working on outreach for the school in order to expand their bass department.
He also adapts violin and cello repertoire for double bass players. He has transcribed many violin and cello works for the bass ranging from Bach Cello Suites to Paganini’s “Moses” Variations. Henry’s early musical exposure was centered on the Great American Songbook, and he enjoys playing jazz and American Standards.
Education
Professional Studies Certificate, Cleveland Institute of MusicB.M. Boston University Close