Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye - Open Stage

Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye was founded in 2005 as part of the Helsinki Klezmer Festival. Since then, the ensemble has introduced klezmer music and Yiddish culture to Finnish audiences through concerts, festivals, and jam sessions featuring singing, dancing, and even weddings.

HKK is a musician collective that has played together for two decades. It is Finland's only band performing traditional klezmer music, thereby keeping alive the ancient Jewish cultural heritage of Eastern Europe. The group has performed at venues including Balders sal, Juttutupa, Tenho Restobar, G-Livelabb, the Kaustinen folk music festival, Hauho manor, and in Tampere and Hämeenlinna. Their first album was released in May 2023.

Klezmer's roots extend back over two thousand years - some of its modes or scales derive from prayers at the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The musical style is Eastern European Jewish folk music, with a history beginning in medieval Europe, where klezmer musicians travelled performing in Jewish communities. By the late 19th century, klezmer had developed into a refined style drawing influences from both Jewish culture and beyond.