Figelin: Three Women, Two Cultures, One Love
North German and Yiddish Folk Music for Violins and Voices
Deborah Strauss, New York
Vanessa Vromans, Berlin Vivien Zeller, Berlin
Figelin is an exciting new collaboration of three internationally acclaimed violinists.
Deborah Strauss is a pioneering Yiddish performer and educator who has been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene for more than 20 years.
Vanessa Vromans is one of the most talented musicians of the new klezmer generation. Originally from Australia and now based in Berlin, she is admired both for her mastery of traditional klezmer style and for pushing its boundaries through improvisation and new compositions.
Born in Berlin, Vivien Zeller is a mesmerizing performer who has dedicated her career to the revitalization of North German folk music. Together with the band “Kwart” she was honored with the prestigious German RUTH World Music Prize.
The three women have taken their band name, Figelin, from the North German word for violin. Their music draws from North German dance music, songs and ballads, and from Jewish klezmer music, Hasidic melody, and Yiddish song. Steeped in tradition, yet thoroughly contemporary. Put them together and the effect is explosive –wild fiddles, earthy grooves and three vibrant voices!
Based in New York, Deborah Strauss has been a world star on the Klezmer fiddle for over 20 years. One half of the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, she was also a long-time member of the Klezmer Conservatory Band and is a much loved and respected artist and teacher at festivals around the globe.