About Us
LEVYOSN
Lysander Jaffe, Adah Hetko & Kaia Berman Peters
About Us
Founded in 2021, Levyosn is a new Boston-based trio 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.
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.
Watch this space for news, including our debut album "Levyosn's Lullaby," to be released in May 2023.
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 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 Arts Council, KlezKanada, Yiddish New York, the Yiddish Book Center and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Kaia Berman Peters
Accordion/Voice/Songwriting
Kaia Berman Peters is a wonderfully talented vocalist and accordionist who was raised in the klezmer tradition.
Kaia has studied klezmer with Hankus Netsky, Alan Bern and Jeff Warshauer. Kaia also makes electronic music that bridges klezmer with techno and house music.
Kaia brings incredible spirit to all that she does and a shares her deep love of Jewish ritual and celebration.
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. This year he is serving as Interim Music Director for Kahal B’raira in Cambridge.