Hot House Tomatoes

If asked in high school what she will do as an adult Lizzi Juda would have never guessed  that she would be singing and playing accordion in a band with her daughter Kaya.  Singing and dancing has always been an integral part of her life and she picked up the accordion a few years ago so she could play along with her musical daughters and husband.  Little did she know that the first accordion that she bought at a pawn shop for $100 would lead to such a deep and soulful passion for playing.  She has been thrilled with how playing accordion, especially Klezmer music, has connected her to her Jewish heritage in a way she has never known.  Her hidden African roots come out when she sings the blues and gospel and she hopes to travel through Gypsy country sometime soon to see how accordion music lives there today.  She is here to live out loud and hopes that her music inspires others to do the same.   Lizzi is artistic director of Turning the Wheel Missoula a non-profit committed to creating vibrant, healthy communities through creative expression.

Lizzi is also a dancer and works with Turning Wheel Productions to produce the annual Inner Generational Dance Theatre Workshop in Missoula.

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