ABOUT

Founded in 2021, Levyosn is a Boston-based 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, English, and Hungarian, 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, and more.

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/Arranging

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 has forged his own expansive style on the cello, combining his fluency on the instrument with a reverence for folk traditions and a flair for experimentation and improvisation. Since graduating from the Juilliard School, Raffi has cultivated a multi-dimensional career as a NY-based freelance musician, performing in ensembles from experimental chamber trios to raucous klezmer big bands and in venues ranging from intimate neighborhood haunts to Carnegie Hall. Raffi plays with the Magid Ensemble, Levyosn, The Golden Thread Ensemble, Tsvey Strunes (Jake Shulman-Ment and Abigale Reisman), contemporary classical quintet the Riwaya Ensemble, and chamber-jazz ensemble Simone Baron & Arco Belo, all of whom have released or will release albums in 2025 and 2026.

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. lexiugelow.com