About us

Ula Urszula Chowaniec

Dr. Ula (Urszula) Chowaniec is a scholar and educator with a diverse range of expertise. She currently holds the position of Lecturer in Polish Culture and Language at Lund University and serves as a Professor at the Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski Cracow University in Poland, where she conducts online courses. In addition to her academic roles, Ula is a dedicated educator who imparts her knowledge as an instructor of Jewish Women’s Literature at the Paideia Folkhögskola, European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm. As a writer and researcher, Ula has authored a monograph titled Melancholic Migrating Bodies in Contemporary Women’s Writing, published in 2015. She has also delved into the works of Irena Krzywicka, a prominent Jewish feminist from the 1930s, producing a monograph entitled W poszukiwaniu Kobiety: O wczesnych powieściach Ireny Krzywickiej (In Search for a Woman: Early Novels of Irena Krzywicka), which was published in Kraków in 2007. Ula’s scholarly contributions extend to editorial work as well. She has curated and introduced an insightful issue on “Queering Poland in Central Europe,” featured in Volume 19, Issue 1 (2021). This thought-provoking collection can be accessed HERE. Currently, Ula is immersed in a new monograph project centered on the poetry of Irena Klepfisz. Her research is concentrated on Jewish history and Jewish identity in women’s writing, with a particular emphasis on contemporary Jewish women’s literature. You can explore her academic pursuits and stay updated on her research by visiting her dedicated website JEWISHWOMENSWRITING. For a comprehensive look at her professional profile and academic endeavors, be sure to visit her official website CUDZOZIEMKI. Dr. Ula Chowaniec continues to make significant contributions to the fields of literature, culture, and Jewish studies through her extensive work and dedication to scholarship.

Ida Gillner

Ida Gillner is a musician, artist and composer from Gothenburg, Sweden. As a composer, the piano makes the foundation and she performs on soprano sax, piano and voice. She has a bachelor from the world music department at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg, with soprano saxophone as her major instrument focusing on traditional Swedish music and later on klezmer. She has also studied with Christian David and Sanne Möricke during a half year residence in Berlin in 2012, and attended several venues for further studies, such as KlezKanada, Shtetl Neuköln and the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków. The past couple of years she has focused on composing music to poetry in Yiddish by women writers from the early 20^th century, resulting in the release of the album Shtoltse lider in 2019 and several concerts with her duo Ida&Louise. She began her studies in Yiddish at the Jewish congregation in Gothenburg in 2018. Since 2022 she performs together with violinist Livet Nord in the project Shtoltse lider where her original music to yiddish women writers along with engaging storytelling make up the core to their valued and captivating concerts. In 2019 playwright Vera Berzak and Ida initiated the work with an original play about poet Anna Margolin, where Ida composed the music and also performed in it. Her various work with original music to yiddish poetry has become significant for spreading the knowledge of these poets in Sweden. Among her work with Yiddish music and culture, she also performs and writes music for theatre, such as playing sax with several groups; Anna Heikkinen & Längtans Kapell (finnish tango), Ida&Louise (yiddish music) and Flocken (folk/jazz). In 2020 she released her first solo album on piano, containing her original music within the modern classical music field. For more info, please visit: idagillner.se

Anne Kalmering

Anne Kalmering is a singer and actress from a Russian-Jewish family and a central figure in Jewish singing in Sweden. Her repertoire ranges from Ashkenazi and Sephardic tradition to modern music. Anne collaborates with the most established musicians in the genre and has performed at festivals, in concert halls, TV, radio, in The Swedish Parliament, at The Royal Palace in Stockholm, schools etc. in Scandinavia, North America and Europe. With her charismatic and deeply personal interpretation, warm stage presence and fascinating voice, she has introduced Yiddish, Ladino and Hebrew songs to a broad audience and holds a prominent position as a cultural ambassador for Jewish heritage in Sweden. Anne also gives songworkshops for all ages, hosting children programmes in radio and Television and is a beloved radiovoice in Thoughts of the day, Swedish Radio. P1 Anne was nominated for the prize Traditionell music at the Folk and Worldmusic gala together with the acclaimed group Stahlhammer Klezmer Classic. They also released the CD Vayter 2019 with excellent reviews and exposure.