The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanukkah

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Join us in the theater at 6:30 pm for Program Notes. In this pre-show talk, Judah Horowitz, a longtime klezmer musician based in Santa Fe and lead singer of the Klemerados, explores the klezmer resurgence in the late 20th and early 21st century and the Klezmatics’ role in this revival. Free for all ticket holders.

We’re also hosting a special event on December 18 at 6 pm at the Santa Fe Jewish Center. Join us for an evening exploring the rich traditions of klezmer music with Lorin Sklamberg, founding member of the Grammy Award–winning band The Klezmatics and a central figure in the Yiddish and klezmer music world for nearly forty years. All are welcome; please register HERE.

Both events are free for all ticket holders.

This December, as candles are lit across the country, The Klezmatics — the world’s most celebrated klezmer band — return with their beloved Happy Joyous Hanukkah Tour, honoring both Jewish tradition and bold musical reinvention.

For nearly 40 years, The Klezmatics have been transforming klezmer from nostalgic memory into a living, breathing, revolutionary art form. And nowhere is that spirit more alive than in their legendary collaboration with Woody Guthrie, whose long-lost Hanukkah lyrics were brought to life in the band’s iconic 2006 album Happy Joyous Hanukkah.

In 2025, that album will be reissued in a beautifully remastered vinyl edition, just in time for the holiday season. Audiences will once again dance to Guthrie/Klezmatics favorites like “Hanuka Gelt,” “Spin Dreydl Spin,” and “Happy Joyous Hanuka,” as the band brings the songs back to the stage — full of warmth, humor, and Yiddish soul.

But this year’s tour isn’t only about tradition — it’s also about what comes next. As The Klezmatics prepare to release their 14th studio album, The New York Sessions, in early 2026, this Hanukkah tour will feature exclusive live premieres of brand-new material. These new songs continue the band’s legacy of addressing contemporary themes — from migration and solidarity to joy, resistance, and renewal — all through the ecstatic power of Yiddish-rooted music.