Vira Lozinsky, one of today's outstanding Yiddish singers,blends her singing with a variety of musical styles from East European folk (Klezmer, Gypsy, Romanian, Russian) to South American Tangos. Her repertoire includes a new material , as well as Yiddish folk songs, songs of Bessarabian, Romanian and Polish Jewish poets, and of classical and modern Yiddish poets .
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 Yiddish culture. 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 1970’s and 1980’s. 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 immigrating 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 & Contemporary Music. A 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.
Vira Lozinsky has worked and recordered with international artists and groups as Raanana Symphonette Orchestra, "Beyond the Pale", "Konsonans Retro", Leopold Kozlowski, Emil Aybinder and many others. Her performances were broadcast on Arte TV , Israel's channel 2 and radio channles CBC (Canada), Deutsche Welle (Germany) and others.
Venues and festivals
Amsterdam Jewish Music Festival Ashkenaz Festival , Toronto Klezkanada, Montreal, Canada Furth Klezmer Festival , Germany Festival of Jewish Culture Warsaw of Singer , Poland Teatro Astral , Buenos Aires Comunidad Israelita del Uruguay, Montevideo National Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, USA Yiddish Festival on the Dead Sea, Israel Dresden Jewish Week , Germany Yiddish Summer in Weimar , Germany
Awards
Grand Prize: International Jewish Music Competition, Amsterdam 2012
Mira Rafalowicz Prize (best Yiddish), Amsterdam - 2012
Just Plain Folks Music Awards 2009 winner - for the song Malokhim Lid
7th Annual Independent Music Awards (IMA) nominee / Best World Music album.
Press
" Without a doubt, Vira Lozinsky is one of the best Yiddish singers today." Forverts , New York . 2008
" Emotionally appealing songs.." Deutsche Welle | A World of Music. 2008
" Discovery of the Year..." ARTE TV, Metropolis. 2006