Named for Yiddish poet Ida Maze (pronounced mah-zeh), the Ida’s Salon concert series was created by fortepianist Gili Loftus and takes its inspiration from the historic literary gatherings held at Maze’s Montréal apartment during the 1930’s. 4479b de l’Esplanade stood at the centre of a vibrant literary and artistic Yiddish milieu and offered encouragement and support to all: struggling poets, well-established authors, immigrants newly arrived to the island, musicians and artists. The beating heart of Yiddish Montreal, Maze’s salons became synonymous with a sense of shared culture, community and identity.

The initial spark for this project was ignited upon the happenstance discovery that were I alive 100 years ago, I would have been Ida Maze’s neighbour. Drawing on my background as a musician specializing in historically-informed performance, and taking Jewish figures of the past and present as well as historical musical figures as points of departure, each concert of the series explores different facets of art, life and diaspora culture. Featuring collaborations with world class artists and of course - historical pianos - every concert is a one-of-a-kind creation.