Lea Kalisch

"The most unique and refreshing act I've seen in a very long time!" - Brian Doochin, Rally On Media

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Lea Kalisch: a multilingual firecracker who lights up the world with Yiddish Pop

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Lea Kalisch is a Swiss-born, NYC-bred singer, songwriter, actress and Yiddish entertainer who blends Jewish music with high-energy pop, rap and cabaret. Lea gives tradition a facelift. From Hasidic to hip hop, rap to rumba, Lea brings a Jewish flair to any genre. Her multilingual storytelling spans Hebrew, French, English, German, Yiddish, Spanish and Arabic.

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In 2020, transgressively adorned in a shtreimel, Lea became known as the “Eshet Chayil of Hip Hop” with her debut single and music video. She released her debut album In Love With A Dream! in 2022, followed by two albums in collaboration with Czech world-Balkan band Der Šenster Gob and Minneapolis-based New Orleans-klezmer band JEWBALAYA. In 2025, Lea premiered her Yiddish-Spanish film Un Tango Para Rachel, showcasing her work across cinema, music and dance.

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Her flagship show, Shtetl Cabaret, is a firework of Jewish music, weaving together undiscovered folk songs, Yiddish theatre, original music and funky, yiddified mashups. Lea invites the audience into the performance, turning spectators into participants and getting the room singing and shaking their tukhes. She blends styles and languages like a world-class cocktail — fresh, spicy and one you cannot wait to drink!

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Lea Kalisch has toured across North America and internationally, with sold-out performances at City Winery, Drom and Triad Theater in New York, as well as appearances at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit, Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto, Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver, the Frankfurt Jewish Festival, and Mizmorim Festival in Basel.

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Whether fronting a full four-piece band or performing up close with just a guitarist or pianist, Lea Kalisch is a firecracker who will bring down the house!