June 11, 2008

Spirit of Sepharad: From Casbah to Caliphate

World premiere
June 25, 2008 at 7pm at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
http://www.mjhnyc.org/index.htm
Written & conceived by Gerard Edery
Directed by Henning Rübsam

A soul-stirring musical journey, "Spirit of Sepharad: From Casbah to Caliphate" traces the unique migration of Sephardic music from medieval Spain, across North Africa, to the Middle East. Combining music, dance and illuminating projections, this dynamic mixed-media performance brings to life all the rich cultural strains that influenced Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews. Featuring an array of virtuoso musicians from multiple disciplines, the program includes songs of secular and liturgical origin, spanning many centuries to the present and many continents from Ancient Persia (present day Afghanistan and Iran), Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Syria, Turkey, The Balkans, Jerusalem and Kurdistan (then, as now, part of Iran, Turkey and Iraq). The musical story of a rich cultural heritage that synthesizes diverse influences, "Spirit of Sepharad" is a celebration of the Sephardic/Mizrahi experience that invites the possibility of coexistence, tolerance, respect and peace among all peoples.

Gerard Edery (vocals, guitar, saz) master of Sephardic song, winner of the Sephardic Musical Heritage Award

Amir Vahab (vocals, saz, percussion) Iranian master vocalist of Persian sacred and folk music

Glen Velez (percussion) Three-time Grammy Award winning master drummer and composer

Ara Dinkjan (oud) Aremenian virtuoso who is considered one of the top oud players in the world

Barbara Martinez (dancer, vocals, narrator) Flamenco star dancer, singer and actress

Meg Okura (violin, erhu) highly acclaimed world music, classical and world chamber jazz virtuoso

Directions Subway: 4/5 to Bowling Green, walk west along Battery Place. W/R to Whitehall Street, walk west along Battery Place. 1 to South Ferry, walk north along Battery Park/State Street, turn left and walk west on Battery Place. J/M/Z to Broad Street, walk one block west to Broadway, and then south to the corner of Battery Place and Bowling Green. Walk west on Battery Place. Bus: M1 to Battery Park. M6 to Battery Park. M9 to Battery Park City, stops in front of Museum. M15 to Battery Park City. M20 to Battery Park City, stops in front of Museum. Posted by jmwc at June 11, 2008 11:19 PM