LISA GUTKIN - FULL BIOGRAPHY
Grammy-winning violinist, singer/songwriter, and composer Lisa Gutkin is a fearless musical storyteller who weaves Irish, Jewish, American, and global traditions into an unforgettable experience. Lisa has an instantly relatable style, taking audiences on exciting journeys.
"Powerful, inspired, and full of heart - Lisa Gutkin always lights up The Falcon. We can’t wait to have her back!” - Lee Falco (The Falcon)
Lisa is best known as violinist and vocalist for the ground-breaking Jewish Roots band, The Klezmatics, with whom she won the Grammy; and as fiddler for the “Downtown” Celtic band Whirligig. She’s also known for scoring, performing, and music directing the two-time Tony award-winning Broadway play, Indecent. She was in the house band for the Fast Folk Musical Magazine. had an on-screen cameo and compositions featured in Sex and the City; and performed in Sting’s Broadway musical The Last Ship.
Gonna Get Through This World - with music by Lisa and words by Woody Guthrie - “Is a piece of genius.” - Pete Seeger.
Lisa’s musical curiosity began as a child, when she fell in love with classical music. One day, as a young teenager, she was coaxed by friends to jam on “Rolling on the River.” She realized she could play by ear as freely as she spoke. Unconfined to notes on a page, her musical storytelling life began. Lisa courageously joined a myriad of folk, jazz and world music groups, curious to learn the nuances of their traditions, and make the music her own. In her 20’s, she heard the Bothy Band and the iconic album of Paul Brady and Andy Irvine, and her life took a turn toward Ireland, where she went to sessions, and played and recorded with legendary musicians, including Steve Cooney and Tommy Sands.
Lisa’s intense interest in diverse world musics made her the perfect choice for The Klezmatics. They wooed her by bringing Kurt Bjorling’s cassettes of old Jewish violinists to the Irish pub where she was playing, and her life turned in a new direction again. Lisa brings the same poignancy and curiosity to klezmer as all of her other styles.
The L.A. Times repeatedly captures Lisa’s essence:
In 2002 - “Violinist Lisa Gutkin has extensive experience in Celtic music, and there were many segments in which the lively rhythms of the hora seemed to resonate with the energies of reels and jigs.” - L.A. Times
In 2011 - ”Gutkin focused mostly on violin, but took a hauntingly emotional lead vocal on ‘Gonna Get Through This World’ that echoed African American gospel music.” - L.A. Times
In 2019 - “The Elegiac score [of Indecent] by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva is redolent with the buoyant melancholy of klezmer.” - L.A. Times
Along with her Woody Guthrie songs, Lisa has co-authored with Anne Sexton, and Maggie Dubris, and created scores for symphony orchestras and short films, including Pearl Gluck’s “Write Me,” and Amy Guggenheim’s “Blindsight.” Her composing commissions include the Mabou Mines’ multi-genre folk opera, “Song For New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting.” Lisa appears on hundreds of recordings with luminaries. She has also released a CD of her own songs, produced by John Lissauer titled From Here On In.
A MacDowell and Blue Mountain Fellow, Lisa plays one of the earliest Samuel Zygmuntowicz violins with one of the earliest Michael Yeats bows, and uses an LR Baggs pick up system.
Lisa Gutkin On Stage, Lisa’s solo concert, is a whimsical wander through her musical styles, intertwining traditional music sounds with improvisations and humorous touring stories. It features Lisa on fiddle, tenor guitar, voice, and piano, and is often expanded to duo or trio, and occasionally to full band. Her concerts are not just performances, but musical journeys where audiences laugh, cry, and travel through cultures and traditions with her. It’s an evening where boundaries between performer and listener dissolve — leaving you uplifted, inspired, and connected.
Lisa is in the midst of recording with the Klezmatics for their 40 Year anniversary collection with some fantastic guest artists, composing music for the new play Gray Mare by Hannah Benitez, and prepping for the release of a video of her song “Cook It Up With Me,” set in the woods around a campfire - one of her favorite places to be. Stay tuned for solo concerts by joining her mailing list.
LISA GUTKIN TESTIMONIALS:
“One hot fiddler!” - Cyndi Lauper
“A brilliant musician and a good friend” - Janis Ian
“Great player, great singer, great musician, great person. Don’t miss her.” - Tom Chapin
“Gonna Get Through This World - with music by Lisa and words by Woody Guthrie - “is a piece of genius.” - Pete Seeger.
"Powerful, inspired, and full of heart - Lisa Gutkin always lights up The Falcon. We can’t wait to have her back!” - Lee Falco (The Falcon)
“Violinist Lisa Gutkin has extensive experience in Celtic music, and there were many segments in which the lively rhythms of the hora seemed to resonate with the energies of reels and jigs.” - L.A. Times 2002
”Gutkin focused mostly on violin, but took a hauntingly emotional lead vocal on ‘Gonna Get Through This World’ that echoed African American gospel music.” - L.A. Times 2011
“The Elegiac score [of Indecent] by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva is redolent with the buoyant melancholy of klezmer.” - L.A. Times 2019
Huffington Post's review of the off-Broadway production of INDECENT at the Vineyard Theater.
“I’m always stunned by the joy of klezmer music, that a group of people who have suffered as much as the Jews have can produce such happy melodies. The joy of the music was reflected in the faces of audience members seated near me, as they recalled fiscally more impoverished but emotionally wealthier times.”
La Jolla Light's review of the La Jolla production of INDECENT.
“It’s especially hard to resist a lot of toe tapping during this show, with its excellent music by Lisa Gutkin, Aaron Halva and Travis Hendrix.”
YaleNews annoucement of the world premiere of Paula Vogel's play INDECENT, featuring music composed and performed by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva.
TheaterMania's announcement of the reunion concert of Sting-scored musical The Last Ship's cast, organized to raise funds for the Wallsend Boys' Club in northern England.
“The Last Ship in Concert will be a celebration of the show’s 104-performance run at the Neil Simon Theatre, with the evening themed around seafaring songs. Expect to hear sea shanties, pirate songs, material cut from the score by 16-time Grammy winner Sting, and classics like “Beyond the Sea.””
A profile of the Klezmatics by Boston.com to promote the band's documentary The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground.
“The heroic artist cliches are transcended by the personalities: Violinist and vocalist Lisa Gutkin, the band’s sole woman, holds her ground with opinionated trumpeter and keyboardist Frank London, one of the band’s founding members with lead singer, accordion player, and resident Yiddish expert Lorin Sklamberg.”
A glowing review on Greenman of Lisa's old Celtic band Whirligig's album Spin.
“It is really a delight to listen to the first 10 seconds of a new CD and know that it’s a keeper. Whirligig’s second CD, hopefully to be followed by many more, is a 50-minute gas; one that will frequently spin in my CD player.”
Purdue Convos article featuring Lisa Gutkin from December 9th, 2014
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