Lulu Starr is a violinist currently based in Budapest, Hungary. She is an active performer, recording artist and violin teacher. Since 2008 she has been studying at length with folk musicians in Romania, Hungary and Moldova. She frequently travels to Romania where she has been learning from some of the finest living Roma musicians, including violinists Gheorghe Anghel “Caliu” from the Taraf de Haïdouks, Marcel Râmba, Kodoba Florin, and Varga István “Kiscsipás”.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area in California, Lulu was born into a family of classical and jazz musicians with French, Romanian and Moldovan roots. She started learning classical violin from her father at the age of six. Eventually choosing not to pursue a career in classical music, she stopped playing violin when she was ten years old. In 2005 she graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a BA in Fine Arts and French Literature. 

After finishing university, not having played violin for twelve years, she began to play Eastern European and Balkan folk music, traditional jazz, blues and country music on the streets of New Orleans. From then on, she continued as a traveling street performer. She played in numerous groups across the globe such as Tuba Skinny, Petrojvic Blasting Company, California Feetwarmers, Cyclown Circus, G-String Orchestra, Magnolia Beacon and Lovaskocsi Banda. 

Lulu currently performs with Taraf de Akácfa in Budapest. The group was co-founded by Lulu and fellow traveling street musician Johannes Olsson, two years after meeting in Budapest in 2012. The members of the group mix their knowledge and different musical backgrounds to blend traditional styles with new ideas and arrangements.  Their repertoire ranges from danceable Macedonian cočeks and complex odd-time Bulgarian melodies to Romanian horas and heart-wrenching Transylvanian songs.  Lulu’s latest recording project is Taraf de Akácfa’s second album Trei Focuri, which she produced and also plays in.

Learn more at www.tarafdeakacfa.com