Lev Zhurbin (Middle East Tracks)

Hailed by Billboard Magazine as "one of New York's fastest-rising composers and instrumentalists", Lev Zhurbin, aka Ljova, stands at the forefront of his generation as the premiere bridge between the world's musical cultures. Lev was born in 1978 in Moscow, Russia, and moved to New York with his parents, composer Alexander Zhurbin and writer Irena Ginzburg, in 1990. Between performing as a violist in diverse groups ranging from string quartets to Jazz combos and gypsy bands, Lev arranges music for Yo-Yo Ma, the Kronos Quartet, and film, TV, theater, and the concert stage.