Sasha Lurje

Sasha Lurje is a Yiddish singer, cultural organizer, and educator whose work bridges the rich traditions of Baltic Jewish folk music with contemporary audiences across Europe and beyond. Based in Berlin, she performs with a diverse range of projects including Black Rooster Kapelye, a six-member Latvian-Jewish ensemble dedicated to revitalizing folk music from the Emīls Melngailis collection; Forshpil, a psychedelic Yiddish rock band; the Yale University Fortunoff Archive project Songs from Testimonies; and Semer Ensemble, a reimagination of music recorded by Berlin Jewish artists in the 1930s. Sasha has studied alternative vocal techniques and developed research into vocal performance and technique in Yiddish traditional singing, with deep investigation into traditional ways of singing. She enjoys launching into varied styles from classical to cabaret to folk and rock, finding particular ways of singing that work for each project.

As co-founder of Shtetl Berlin e.V. and its festival, and co-founder of Seattle Yiddish Fest, Sasha leads community events and creates experiences where Yiddish culture can flourish. Her approach emphasizes the multicultural dimensions of Jewish music, honoring its deep connections to European folk traditions while maintaining cultural authenticity and warmth.

Sasha teaches workshops and courses at cultural institutions across Europe and North America, including Yiddish Summer Weimar, KlezKanada, Yiddish New York, the Yiddish Book Center, YIVO, and many more. Her multilingual practice reflects the cosmopolitan spirit of the musical traditions she carries forward.

Through performance, education, and cultural organizing, Sasha's work invites audiences into the living heart of Yiddish song, where scholarship meets soulfulness and tradition meets renewal.