Biography
Karsten Troyke (born Karsten Bertolt Sellhorn on 14 August 1960 in Berlin) is a German singer, actor, and speaker. He is best known as an interpreter of Yiddish song.
Life
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Performing on stage since 1982, Troyke had earlier worked as a gardener and with mentally handicapped children. He studied singing (with Leonore Gendries) as well as drama and speaking, and in 1990 he gave up his work to dedicate himself completely to musical performance and theater. Troyke participated in radio plays, worked as a voice actor (dubbing), and participated in various stage plays.
As a singer, his album Yiddish Anders (1992) received the praise of German record critics. Jidische Vergessene Lieder (1997) contained previously unpublished songs of Sara Bialas Tenenberg, who became his mentor for the Yiddish language.
In his performances Troyke often works with Bettina Wegner, Suzanna and the Trio Scho. His interpretations of the songs of Georg Kreisler received mention in the writer/musician's 2005 biography. In 2006 two documentaries, Yiddish Soul and Concert Yiddish Soul, featured Troyke and other performers of Yiddish music.
Work
Books
Fritz Mordechai Kaufmann Old Yiddish Songs, reprint from Berlin 1920 (2001), with translations by Troyke
Recordings
1991 Shuloym Alaykhem (1991)
1992 Yiddish Anders (Hermann Anders - Band)
1994 Leg den Kopf auf meine Knie, with writings of Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger, Itzik Manger und Abraham Sutzkever
1996 Grüne Blätter
1997 Jidische Vergessene Lieder
1999 Shuloym Alaykhem - The Old Yiddish Songs
1998 Troyke singt Kreisler
2001 Chanson Total with Suzanna
2005 Grüne Blätter (remastered)
2006 Tango Oyf Yiddish
2008 Unser war die Nacht (with Suzanna & Trio Scho)
In collaboration:
1993 Tu Balval, Suzanna
1994 Váci Utca, Peter M. Haas, Martin Frisch
1995 T&FF Rudolstadt '94
1997 Diadromes, Alec Kopyt & Poza (klezmer and Gypsy music)
1998 Dui Dui, Suzanna
1999 Jazz Lyrik Prosa II
1999 Old Russian Popsongs, Trio Scho
1999 Wege, Bettina Wegner
2000 Mit Josh um halb acht, reading of Josh Sellhorn
2000 Lachen und lachen lassen
2001 Schlaf schneller, Genosse, Ursula Karusseit, Günther Junghans, Trio Scho
2001 Alles, was ich wünsche, Bettina Wegner
2002 Schweineparadies, Die Bösen Mädchen
2003 Mein Bruder, Bettina Wegner
2004 Liebeslieder, Bettina Wegner
2005 Jazz Lyrik Prosa III
2007 Bettina Wegner Abschiedstournee
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.