Jewish Music in Transylvania, with Zoë Aqua

Please register for this free in-person program co-presented by KlezCalifornia. The Library is located at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco, with free garage parking at 1227 Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy.  

Transylvania (most of which lies in northwestern Romania) was for centuries home to many Jewish communities, with distinctive musical traditions. Zoë Aqua, who spent several years living in Romania as both a researcher and as a musician, has brought traditional and original compositions based in local traditions to synagogues in Romania—some still part of living Jewish communities, some abandoned. In this presentation she will share her research, reflect on performing Jewish music in today’s Romania, and share musical examples on violin of Transylvania’s distinctive musical character.

Zoë Aqua is an accomplished violinist from Denver who, while living in Brooklyn, co-founded two klezmer bands, Tsibele and Farnakht, and was the full-time understudy for the Klezmatics’ Lisa Gutkin in the Broadway production of Indecent. Long passionate about teaching, she holds two degrees in music education. She has performed at many American festivals and has toured in Germany, Austria, France, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey. From 2021 to 2023, she lived in Romania doing ethnographic research on a Fulbright grant to study Transylvanian folk music. She has since returned to perform in a variety of settings, including historic synagogues. Her recording In a Sea of Stars: Live from the Transylvanian Synagogue Tour was released in June 2025. 

Note that Aqua will be teaching and performing at the KlezCalYidFest, taking place in Berkeley September 12-14. Information can be found here.