My ensemble Ljova and the Kontraband had two reunion appearances recently — in November 2025, we performed as part of a weekend residency at the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington, VT, celebrating the work of the Lost Mural Project.   This concert was captured on video — you can watch in its entirety below:

This lineup featured special guest musicians Simone Baron (accordion) and Pedro Giraudo (bass), as well as Kontraband regulars Inna Barmash (vocals), Mathias Künzli (percussion) and, of course, Ljova (fadolín)

In December 2026, Ljova and the Kontraband performed as part of a podcast taping for Person, Place, Thing, hosted by Randy Cohen, at Hunter College in New York City.  While the musical portion of the program is – by design – omitted from the podcast, we were able to preserve the audio and present it for you below:

This lineup featured special guest musicians Simone Baron (accordion) and Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (bass), as well as Kontraband regulars Inna Barmash (vocals), Mathias Künzli (percussion) and, of course, Ljova (fadolín)