French violonist and singer Eleonore Biezunski has been exploring the Yiddish traditions of the old and new world for quite some time now – both as a musician and as a archivist for YIVO. For this new project, she will be joined by Lauren Brody (vocals, accordion). Together they will explore the “yerushe,” the heritage of women’s Yiddish folksongs, orally transmitted to them or preserved with great care and love by folklorists such as Ruth Rubin.

Many of the songs in this program, Eleonore has learned from Yiddish folk song scholar Josh Waletzky during the apprenticeship she is doing with him this year.

Lauren Brody, a founding member of both Kapelye and Mikveh, is one of the world’s foremost experts in traditional Bulgarian music, and her singing and accordion-playing in Yiddish performances is legendary. She travels the world as a bearer of Yiddish musical tradition.