Lev Zhurbin

Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin was born in in Russia in 1978, and moved to New York with his parents, composer Alexander Zhurbin and writer Irena Ginzburg, in 1990. He divides his time between performing as a violist in diverse groups ranging from his own, Ljova and the Kontraband, to string quartets, jazz combos and Gypsy bands; arranging music for Yo-Yo Ma, the Kronos Quartet, Gustavo Santaolalla, Osvaldo Golijov, Alondra de la Parra and others; and composing original music for film, TV, dance, and the concert stage. Recent commissions have included projects with the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, choreographer Aszure Barton, and filmmaker Josef Astor.