Lozinsky Vira

About

Vira Lozinsky, born in 1974 in Bălți, Republic of Moldova, into a family of Yiddish artists, has emerged as one of the most prominent contemporary Yiddish music singers. Raised in an environment where Yiddish was spoken daily, she began singing at the age of 13 in the Bălți Yiddish Theater, founded by her father, Michael Felsenbaum, and performed solo concerts in the former USSR. At 16, she emigrated to Israel, where she earned a bachelor's degree in musicology and Yiddish literature from Bar-Ilan University and graduated with honors from the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music's vocal program in 2000. Her musical career culminated with the Grand Prize at the International Jewish Music Competition in Amsterdam in 2012, alongside the Emil Aybinder ensemble, and other distinctions such as the Bubbe Awards 2022 or nominations for the Independent Music Awards. She has released albums such as "Vayte Shtern" (2007) and "Wunderweg" (2011), performing a unique repertoire that blends Eastern European folklore – klezmer, Romanian, Russian, Roma – with South American tangos, traditional Yiddish songs, and new compositions by poets like her father or classics like I. Manger. She has collaborated with international artists such as the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra, Beyond the Pale, and Konsonans Retro, and her performances have been broadcast on Arte TV, Channel 2 Israel, CBC Canada, and Deutsche Welle. Mentored by the great Yiddish singer Nechama Lifshitz since 2002, Vira Lozinsky has performed at renowned festivals such as Kleztival São Paulo, Ashkenaz Toronto, Klezkanada Montreal, and the Jewish Summer Festival at the Dead Sea, in Israel, Europe, North and South America. Her warm and expressive alto voice preserves the Yiddish cultural heritage of Bessarabia, promoting it globally from Israel, the main location of her artistic activity. Her mother, Fania, was also a prolific performer of Yiddish and Romanian songs in the '70s-'80s.