Vira Lozinsky is a leading voice among a new generation of singers cultivating Yiddish culture in Israel. She is also one of the freshest young talents in the international Yiddish music scene. She has performed at theatres and festivals throughout Israel and Europe.
Vira was born in 1974 in Beltz, Moldova (Bessarabia), to a family of Yiddish artists. Her father Michael Felsenbaum founded the Yiddish theater of Beltz in 1989 and is a prominent figure in the post-Soviet Yiddish revival. Well known as a poet and playwright, he has written many of the songs in Vira’s repertoire. Vira’s mother Fania was also a prolific performer and singer of Yiddish and Romanian songs throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Vira started playing the violin at the age of six, but her real passion was always singing. From the age of 13 until her immigration to Israel in 1991 she sang in the Beltz Yiddish Theater and also performed solo concerts throughout the former USSR. After emigrating to Israel at age 16, she earned her BA in Musicology and Yiddish literature at Bar-Ilan University. In 2000, she graduated with honors from the vocal program of Israel’s prestigious Rimon school of Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Perhaps the most significant event in her career occurred in 2002 when she met the great Yiddish singer Nechama Lifshitz, who has since remained her teacher and mentor. An enchanting performer in every way, Vira’s mellifluous alto voice is powerful, warm, expressive, and pure. Her unique repertoire includes new material written especially for her, as well as Yiddish folk songs, songs of Bessarabian, Romanian and Polish Jewish poets, and of classical and modern Yiddish poets like I. Manger, Z. Berdichever, M. Gebirtig, A. Greenbalt, M. Felsenbaum.
Discography:
Vayte Shtern (Distant Stars) (2007)
Wunderweg (Wondrous Way) (2011)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
