Vira Lozinsky (born 1974) is an Israeli-Moldovan musician and

Yiddish language Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

singer.

Biography

Vira Lozinsky was born in 1974 in

Bălți Bălți (; russian: Бельцы, , uk, Бєльці, , yi, בעלץ ) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city is one of the five Moldovan municipalit ...

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...

( Bessarabia) to a family of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

artists. As a child, Vira studied music and played the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

at the city music school. She participated in the local

Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic rev ...

led by her father Mikhoel Felsenbaum. She was exposed at an early age to the cultures and musical styles of the many ethnic groups living in Moldova: Moldovans, Romanians, Jews, Roma, Russians and others. Her repertoire includes new material written mainly by her father, Mikhoel Felsenbaum, as well as classical Yiddish folk songs, Romanian folk songs translated to Yiddish, songs of classical and modern Yiddish poets. After immigrating to Israel at age 16, she pursued Yiddish and Musicology studies in

Bar Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...

, and vocal studies in the

Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Rimon School of Music is a contemporary music school in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. It is Israel's largest independent professional school for advanced study of jazz, R&B, bebop, rock, and pop music. Many of its graduates have become well-known music ...

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon ( he, רָמַת הַשָּׁרוֹן, ''lit.'' '' Sharon Heights'', ar, رمات هشارون) is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon ...

. For several years was a student of Nechama Lifshitz's Yiddish song workshop. Vira Lozinsky has toured several countries and participated in klezmer events in Israel, Europe, and the Americas.

Discography

Album

* ''Wunderweg (Wondrous Way)'' (2011) * ''Vayte Shtern (Distant Stars)'' (2007)

Participation

* ''A Jewish Celebration '', ( Putumayo World Music, 2012) * ''Postcards'' ( Beyond the Pale, 2009) (winner of two

Canadian Folk Music Awards The Canadian Folk Music Awards are an annual music awards ceremony presenting awards in a variety of categories for achievements in both traditional and contemporary folk music, and other roots music genres, by Canadian musicians. The awards progr ...

for 2010

Awards

* '' Grand Prize: International Jewish Music Competition in Amsterdam - 2012 * '' Mira Rafalowicz Prize (best Yiddish): International Jewish Music Competition in Amsterdam - 2012 * ''Independent Music Awards nominee 2012 '' World Traditional album category * ''Just Plain Folks Music Awards 2009'' winner - for the song ''Malokhim Lid'' * ''Vira Lozinsky has been nominated for the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards / Best World Music album (2008)'
World Music Central
* ''Nester Mayner'' composed by Yuri Povolotsky, with the lyrics by Michael Felsenbaum won the Jury Prize at the 2022 Bubbe Awards for "Best New Original Yiddish Song"

Musical Reviews

Review by Keith Wolzinger

References

External links

Official Site

Vira Lozinsky on MySpace music

Ashkenaz Festival 2008 Toronto

Jewcy Media Group

Canadian Jewish News: "Montreal Chamber Music Festival 2014"

JEWISH CULTURE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lozinsky, Vira 1974 births Living people Soviet emigrants to Israel Yiddish-language singers Jewish Israeli musicians Moldovan Jews 21st-century Israeli women singers Israeli people of Moldovan-Jewish descent Israeli folk singers People from Bălți Klezmer musicians Bar-Ilan University alumni Jewish women singers