ARTS&LIFE
PROFILE
Y
ale Strom has been called an accom-
plished violinist, documentarian,
filmmaker, composer, playwright,
author, lecturer, photographer and Jewish
scholar and, in fact, he is all of these. The
multi-talented Strom, 65, a native Detroiter,
is well-known in contemporary Jewish and
Yiddish culture, encompassing multiple
aspects of the creative arts. He’s also a pioneer
in klezmer music, having done extensive field
research in Eastern European Jewish and
Roma communities, trying to bring back the
music lost for generations. In 2010, he was
the first klezmer musician to perform at the
United Nations General Assembly.
For almost four decades, Strom has been
performing with his klezmer band, Hot
Pstromi, wooing audiences worldwide,
including Paris, Berlin, Prague, Hong Kong
and Israel. “Our band has played all over the
world,
” notes Strom, who has also played
at various venues around Detroit, includ-
ing the DIA, Palmer Park and the Jewish
Communinty Center. “We have five instru-
mentalists and my wife, Elizabeth, who is the
vocalist. She also plays the ukulele and often-
times we do a duet.
”
With the band and solo, Strom has record-
ed dozens of CDs — many can be down-
loaded on YouTube by entering his name. He
has composed his own new Jewish music,
which combines klezmer with Romani, jazz,
classical Balkan and Sephardic motifs. These
compositions include quartets, duets and a
symphony, which he premiered with the St.
Louis Symphony Orchestra. “I also composed
all the music for the audio drama, The Witches
of Lublin, starring Tovah Feldshuh.
”
According to Strom, he owes his musical
background and dedication to Judaism to
his family. Born in Detroit, Strom, who went
to Vernor Elementary School, grew up in a
Conservative traditional Jewish home with
parents who had strong socialist views. He
was exposed to Chasidic melodies as a young
child and learned to speak Yiddish early on,
thanks to his parents, Phyllis Newman Strom
and David Strom, both Detroiters.
Detroit-born Yale Strom is an all-around Renaissance Man.
A Klezmer Pioneer
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
58 | AUGUST 17 • 2023
YALE STROM/FACEBOOK