The DMV Jewish Labor Bund, in partnership with the New Synagogue Project and with support from Jewish Voice for Peace – DC-Metro, would like to invite you to a group singing workshop hosted by artist Lu Coy! This workshop is a participatory group singing workshop based on Lu’s compilation of stories and songs of recent Ashkenazi and Sephardic ancestors who struggled for freedom. Join us to sing and learn more about this radical chapter of Jewish history. No musical, Yiddish, or Ladino experience needed!

Cost: We recommend a donation in the range of $18 – $54. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, but registration is required*

*The DMV Jewish Labor Bund is committed to paying for the labor of all with whom we partner. Any proceeds will be split between the artist and supporting organizations.

Workshop Description

A participatory group singing workshop based on Lu’s Antifascist Yiddish un Ladino Songbook, which tells the stories of recent Ashkenazi and Sephardic ancestors who struggled for freedom and teaches the songs that fueled their movements. We begin with a brief introduction to Yiddish and Ladino, then, using the songbook as our guide, we learn several Yiddish and Ladino songs and poems from socialist movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. Along the way, we explore the lives of the people who sang these songs and consider what their struggles might offer us in today’s political moment. The workshop is designed to be accessible to everyone; no musical, vocal, or language experience is necessary. By the end, everyone leaves knowing at least one leftist song in both Yiddish and Ladino.

Artist Biography

Lu Coy (they/them) is a Jewish musician, activist, and educator based in Los Angeles. Their work continues a lineage of leftist Jewish cultural resistance, becoming widely recognized as an emerging voice in the Yiddish and Ladino revival movements across the US and Europe. In March, they published their book of Antifascist Yiddish and Ladio Songs and Poems, which sold over 400 copies across the globe in its first month of publication. 

Committed to the belief that music is a powerful vehicle for resistance, Coy’s musical practice involves teaching and performing songs of the Jewish labor movement both in concert and on the streets. They have led workshops in Yiddish and Ladino song throughout the US and Poland, taught at protests to crowds of over 1000 people, and have been an instructor at institutions including the Hammer Museum, CalArts, Plaza de la Raza, and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). 

An accomplished performer specializing in woodwinds and vocals, Coy has appeared at leading museums, concert halls, and Theaters, collaborating with internationally recognized artists across classical, traditional, and popular music genres. They are an Artistic Research Fellow at the Folger Library in Washington D.C., and their compositions have been commissioned and presented by institutions including the Getty, Jewish Currents, REDCAT Theater, and Warsaw’s POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 

You can find more of Lu’s work at https://www.instagram.com/lu_isms.

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