Rooted and restless, DRUZI performs music born from the ancient meeting of cultures in the Ukrainian lands — old time dance tunes, lyrical ballads, polyphonic songs, modern ethno-folk, and Hasidic devotional melodies woven into a single, emotionally vivid journey.

The ensemble's accomplished musicians draw on centuries of shared tradition from a land that has always been a crossroads of empires — home to Jews, Greeks, Tatars, Ruthenians, Poles and more. As the historical heartland of both Hasidic music and klezmer, Ukraine is one of the most important homelands of Ashkenazi Yiddish culture, and DRUZI brings this legacy to life.

Born in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the ensemble unites displaced Ukrainian musicians with collaborators from across Europe and the United States, offering audiences a chance to experience the cultural richness of a country many know only through news stories about war.

Two fiddles, accordion, and voices that never stop singing: the sound is earthy and droning, funky and fierce, and at its best, a full-bodied celebration of everything human beings can share with one another.

Druzi is a collective - our Spring 2026 tour features:

Daria Fomina (Kharkiv/Hamburg) - flute

Craig Judelman (Berlin/USA) - violin

Nataliya Kasianchyk (Vynnitsa/Warsaw) - domra

Alëna Kandyba (Minsk/Vilnius) - Cello

Sasha Lurje (Riga/Berlin) - Vocals, Drum

Shaun Williams (RO/USA) - Accordion

Olena Yeremenko (Lviv/Warsaw) - Violin