On October 11th, Maria Kaplan combines traditional songs with the history of her family and the Aramaic language
Maria Kaplan brings the Aramaic songs of her ancestors back to life. At her performance on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 4 p.m. in the Atelierhaus Vahle in Darmstadt, she will also tell the story of her family, who had to flee to Germany from the Turkish-Syrian border region.
Kaplan has already given a lecture entitled "Death gives life its meaning" at the Vahle studio. This time, the focus is on Aramaic chant.
Between songs, the singer recounts how her family survived an attack on their home and fled a region where Aramaic Christians had faced decades of persecution. She also tells the story of her journey from Frankfurt investment banking back to the music and language of her ancestors.
Aramaic singing combines music and storytelling
Around seven to ten Aramaic songs will be performed at the Vahle studio. Maria Kaplan will explain the meaning of each song. Questions from the audience are welcome during and after the performance.
Maria Kaplan was born in 1977 in an Aramaic village near Nisibin on the Turkish-Syrian border. Her family belonged to the Christian Aramaic community of the region. After an attack on her parents' home, she fled with her family to Germany in 1980.
Later, Kaplan worked for many years in investment banking in Frankfurt. In 2008, she moved to Darmstadt, where she still lives today. A phone call from an Aramaic monk in 2013 sparked a journey that took her to the Middle East the following year, together with 45 members of the Aramaic community from Wiesbaden. There, she rediscovered the songs of her ancestors.
Since then, she has dedicated herself to keeping the endangered Aramaic language audible and alive through her music. Her performances have taken her throughout Europe, as well as to Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand; most recently, she sang in New York.
Since there are only 50 places available in the Atelierhaus Vahle, please register at: www.mariakaplan.de .
(RED/PM/Maria Kaplan)
Featured image: Anna Rieke
