The Neilsen Lecture Series in Judaic Studies Presents Crossing a Sea of Stars: Zoe Aqua and her Transylvanian String Band

The College of Idaho’s Neilsen Lecture Series in Judaic Studies will continue on February 18 at 6 p.m. in Langroise Recital Hall with Crossing a Sea of Stars, a lecture-performance featuring Zoë Aqua and her Transylvanian String Band.

Sponsored by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and organized by Dr. Nick Underwood, Assistant Professor of History and Chair of Judaic Studies, the Neilsen Lecture Series brings two to four guest speakers and performers to campus each academic year. The series is designed to introduce students and the wider community to new scholarly and artistic voices and to highlight the diversity of work being produced within Jewish studies today.

This event marks the band’s first tour in the United States and draws on Aqua’s extensive ethnographic research in Transylvania, where she studied folk music as a Fulbright grantee. Her work explores the shared musical traditions of Jewish, Hungarian, and Romani communities in the region, blending klezmer and Yiddish influences with the driving rhythms of Transylvanian string band music. Alongside Aqua are acclaimed Romanian folk musicians who perform on rarely seen instruments such as the brácsa (chordal viola) and the Hungarian cimbalom.

Through both performance and storytelling, Crossing a Sea of Stars demonstrates how music can serve as a bridge between cultures and generations. Events like this reflect the College’s commitment to holistic education by providing meaningful learning experiences beyond the classroom and fostering thoughtful campus dialogue. The lecture-performance is open to students, faculty, and members of the public and will appeal to fans of folk, string band, and Jewish musical traditions.

This event is FREE to attend. 

Learn more HERE.