About Levyosn
Founded in 2021, Levyosn is a new ensemble specializing in Yiddish song and klezmer. The band takes its name from the Ashkenazi Hebrew word for the leviathan, a mythical sea creature traveling the world’s oceans collecting songs, krill, and dreams.
We released our debut album, Levyosn’s Lullaby, through Borscht Beat in 2023.
Our repertoire includes both traditional music and original songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino, and English, and draws from adjacent Eastern European folk traditions. Our intricate arrangements and rich vocal harmonies make our sound unique.
We love to share our deep knowledge and connection to Yiddish culture and Jewish tradition with our audiences. And, we love to get our audiences to sing and dance with us, building community wherever we go.
In addition to concerts, we offer Yiddish song workshops, Yiddish dance workshops, musical Shabbat and havdalah experiences, and lively, participatory entertainment for weddings and other celebrations.
Ensemble members
Adah Hetko (Voice/Guitar/Songwriting)
Adah Hetko is a Yiddish singer, songwriter, and dance leader active in the international Yiddish culture scene. Since 2013, she has trained with leading Yiddish singers, including Judy Bressler (legendary founding member of the Klezmer Conservatory Band) and NEH fellow Ethel Raim, and has been mentored in Yiddish songwriting by Daniel Kahn and Josh Waletzky. While completing an MA in Jewish Studies at Indiana University, she developed deep knowledge of Yiddish language and culture, which she has learned to effectively share with audiences in the Boston area and beyond. Her work has been supported by the New Jewish Culture Fellowship, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, KlezKanada, Yiddish New York, the Yiddish Book Center and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
adahhetko.net
Lysander Jaffe (Violin/Voice)
Lysander Jaffe is an exquisite vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with expertise in building community through collaborative music-making. Lysander is a violist and co-artistic director of Palaver Strings, a string orchestra that values community engagement at its core. He is also a board member and lead instructor for Village Harmony, a world music choral program in its 31st year, and co-director of Sing Positive, a family choir in Jamaica Plain. Lysander studied klezmer violin as part of a masters in Contemporary Improvisation at New English Conservatory.
lysanderjaffe.com
Raffi Boden (Cello/Voice/Woodblock)
Raffi Boden is a NYC-based cellist, composer, improviser, and educator. Raffi was the winner of the 2018 Oberlin Concerto Competition and performed as a soloist with both the Orchestra and the Contemporary Music Ensemble. In 2016, he spent a month teaching and studying the El Sistema method in Venezuela, and he has performed internationally in France, Venezuela, and around the U.S. Raffi holds a B.M. in Cello Performance and a B.A. in French Language from the Oberlin College & Conservatory.
Lexi Ugelow (Piano/Voice/Guitar)
Lexi is a vocalist, songwriter, expressive arts workshop and music education facilitator based in Cambridge, MA. She is a life long learner and lover of intergenerational community singing. A professional vocalist and self produced songwriter, Lexi has toured with groups such as Northern Harmony, Culomba, Honey & Soul and Road Dogs, performing and teaching workshops to adults and children. Though her interests and experience with music spans from funk, to world folk music, you can be always be sure to expect some buttery harmonies. A firm believer that our bodies are our instruments, she encourages the practice of non-judgement during exploration of musical play. Moving into her fifth year as co-music director for Sing Positive, Lexi continues to use music as a way to help others build community, confidence and self expression.
